The attorney for Blount County has notified the Birmingham Canoe Club that any cars parked on Whitewater Drive, the paved county road leading to the BCC property at the takeout for the Mulberry Fork River, will be towed at the owner’s expense. The county will be posting signs in the near future. Please park in the parking area only!
February 17, 2011
WildWater movie
The new movie WildWater will be shown at the National Paddling Film Festival - see my last blog post for NPFF details.
The trailer for WildWater is excellent, enjoy:
February 16, 2011
National Paddling Film Festival
The National Paddling Film Festival, aka NPFF, will be Feb. 25-26 in Frankfort, Kentucky. This is a great event and will feature the new movies Raven Fork and WildWater. This event benefits American Whitewater, Team River Runner, First Descents, and other regional conservation-based non-profit groups.
Locust and Mulberry levels
I am reposting this to start the new (ish) year off with my data regarding the Locust and Mulberry Levels.
Online gauge for the Mulberry:
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/al/nwis/uv/?site_no=02450000&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060
Online gauge for the Locust Fork:
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/al/nwis/uv/?site_no=02455000
This information is NOT intended as a gauge for safe water levels. Be sure to check the readings at the put-in bridges. Use your judgment and DO NOT attempt to paddle if your skills do not match the river conditions. Gauges change, and rivers change.
CFS Conversion
*Note - the Mulberry Gauge is being moved to a site upstream. The correlations to the bridge gauge will all have to be re-done over the coming year(s).*
Link to spreadsheet of new Mulberry correlations
I've had this in a printout on my wall for years. I don't think it is online anymore so I am going to type it in so I have it handy online. I don't know who originally compiled it. I've altered it to suit my own experiences.Link to spreadsheet of new Mulberry correlations
Online gauge for the Mulberry:
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/al/nwis/uv/?site_no=02450000&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060
Online gauge for the Locust Fork:
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/al/nwis/uv/?site_no=02455000
This information is NOT intended as a gauge for safe water levels. Be sure to check the readings at the put-in bridges. Use your judgment and DO NOT attempt to paddle if your skills do not match the river conditions. Gauges change, and rivers change.
CFS Conversion
THE
CFS Flow
|
LOCUST
Stage or Height
|
FORK
Comments
|
222-441
|
2’0” to 2’6”
|
Minimal flow for paddling
|
530.5-630
|
2’8” to 3’0”
|
Good Paddling begins at this level.
|
732
|
3’2”
|
Ideal technical paddling with a little push.
|
962.7
|
3’6”
|
House Rock rapid gets strong; ender hole is prime for tricks.
|
1230
|
4’0”
|
House Rock rapid needs scouting; Double Trouble rapid gets less technical; ender hole begins to wash out; surfing and wave wheel paradise.
|
1970
|
5’0”
|
Big Water river in trees;
|
2900
|
6’0”
|
A real flusher; Whirlpool above Ender Hole becomes very dangerous.
|
THE
CFS Flow
|
MULBERRY
Stage or Height painted on Bridge. Subtract 3.3 from the online USGS gauge to get the correct feet on the painted bridge gauge.
|
FORK
Comments
|
250-300
|
0”
|
Bump and scrape. Too low!
|
420
|
0” – 6”
|
Class I.
|
600-750
|
1’
|
Class II. At 651, bridge gauge said 1 ft with lots of little surf waves. -at bridge 1ft./700 cfs the surf spot between the islands at Glen Clark was in. *at 702 cfs 9-10-11 this spot was not in. But we found a great surf spot right below the bridge and a spin spot near the top of the turn to Glen Clark, new stuff.*
|
800
|
1’6”
| |
1100
|
2’0”
|
Enjoyable run; great down river run.
|
3000
|
3’0”
| |
4000
|
4’0”
|
Pushy; rapids and eddies begin to wash out; floating debris may be present; 5.0 questionable but the hole behind is great.
|
January 1, 2011
JAN 1 2011
Welcome, 2011. Happy New Year!
I wanted to share a website that I have been working on with GCA-Steve and others:
Nubiaq is a website for beginner paddlers, kayak or canoe. It includes a FAQ and a lexicon of terms and skills used in paddling.
It is a wiki, so please feel free to join and contribute if you have paddling info you would like to share.
December 31, 2010
Fun Stuff 2010
Jan 1. BCC Feast On The Beach. We paddled the Mulberry then had a feast at the take-out which is a beach owned by the Birmingham Canoe Club. Level 1 ft., in the Riot Magnum. The surf spot between the islands at Glen Clark was in, I didn't go investigate it but some others did.
Feast included: 4 kinds of chili, grilled pork chops, greens, black-eyed peas, sweet potatoes, and various desserts. Sunny day, high in the upper 40's.
Jan 9 Limrock Blowing Cave. Outside temp in the low 20's. Water got to waist deep. Pics HERE and HERE.
Jan 14 UAB Rolling Session. In the Sub-7.
Jan 23-24 Little River in the Smokies. With Dave Fox, Jenni H., John ?, Chris ?, on Saturday, on Elbow to the Y section, level 2.9., then Dave, one of the mystery guys, and I ran the Bridge rapid and the one below it. On Sunday Dave F., SpicyPablo, Jenni H. and I ran Elkmont Campground to the rapids below the Bridge, level 2.6? Photos HERE. Video of Saturday HERE.
Jan 26 UAB Rolling Session. In the Riot Magnum.
Jan 31 Locust Fork. With Team V. In the Riot Magnum. Level approx. 4 ft.
Feb 6 Mulberry Fork. I didn't paddle. I loaned my skirt to Joan S. because she forgot hers, so she could try out her new 07 Jackson Star for the first time on a river. Video at 5-0 rapid HERE.
Feb 13 BEK 5k. Time 34:11. I ran a 10:00 mile for the first mile, which was a goal of mine.
Kim and I joined Milo and Andy to look for a Cherokee graveyard near Prescott. We went to the Cherokee graveyard first; Milo n Andy were en route. When we got near the supposed location, we came to a gate - the graveyard is on private property, so we didn't get to see it. We stopped instead at another graveyard nearby and waited for them. I took a picture of this tombstone:
http://dangerjudy.smugmug.http://dangerjudy.smugmug.
It's a nice cave with two rooms big enough to stand and walk around in. We only went in the entrance room to avoid getting muddy.
It has many nice decorations, and I photographed a lovely Cave Salamander: http://dangerjudy.smugmug.
decorations: http://dangerjudy.smugmug.
This cave had a recently worn trail to it, some graffiti and several beer cans inside. Would be a nice spot for a quick cleanup. Would also be a nice cave to map. RE: not getting muddy: don't give me too much grief, I had no caving clothes, just my helmet, and was hobbling around on sore achilles tendons. Didn't expect to get underground... Next we went to see a cave that Tom Chamblee reported years ago, as being 'full of spiders' hence the name might be Spider Cave (I'm not sure what the name is).
Nice beech tree near the entrance:http://dangerjudy.smugmug.
And we found the -small- entrance which we did -not- enter:
http://dangerjudy.smugmug.
This cave is described as a couple of hundred yards of crawl, with some spots you can sorta sit up in. ;-) Did I mention that I am scared of spiders? Yeah we skipped that one. All of our destinations were within 30 minutes drive of B'ham btw.
Well that's it, great day plumbing some of the secrets of our part of the globe...
Feb 23 UAB Rolling Session. 60 rolls, Riot Magnum.
Feb 27 Adam's Heart run 5k. I was super slow, and yet I won 3rd in womens' 40-49 and got a $5 cash prize. I am so fancy!
Feb 28 Class with Jeff West on the Tellico. Level 1.6. We did some paddle drills, then I did some laps on the autoboof spot. Then we did the ledges minus the last two drops on Jerod's Knee, in the Jackson Dynamic Duo. Literally one of the most fun things I've ever done. Rolled up at Baby Falls. Saw Louie. It was supposed to be 45 and sunny; instead it was 35 and snowing. 2 pics here and here.
March 5 Magic City Blues Society Acoustic Jam. At Moe's BBQ in Lakeview. I played my mandolin, Paul's guitar, and someone's cajon drum. No not simultaneously...
March 6 Knights of Columbus 5k race. I think my time was 35:00. Hungover. ;-)
March 6 Mulberry Fork Canoe and Kayak Race. I didn't race. I went to take some pictures/video and attend the awards banquet. Pics HERE. Video HERE.
March 7 Ridgewalk at Keel Mtn. With Dave H. We did not find any qualifiers, I got lost and ended up walking on the road at some point, and it was a long hike and a great day.
March 13 Ain't Louie Fest. Clear Creek Jett to Nemo. AWESOME day. In the Riot Magnum. Level approx. 350 cfs. Pics here. I stayed at the Sweetwater KOA, shared a "Kabin" with Dr. Wendy. We had dinner at Cinco de Mayo restaurant with Louie, his family, and many open boater friends.
March 14 Ain't Louie Fest. Middle Tellico. In Dr. Wendy's Shredder. Level around 2 feet and some change. Pics here.
March 20 AMG and Locust Fork Invitational Race. I was a spectator with Panda, DB, and Lilly. Pics here.
March 21 Locust Fork. In the Wavesport EZ. With Team V.
April 2 Chief Ladiga Trail. Rails-to-trails bike trail. With Amanda, Nick, and Joan. Pics here.
April 3 Coosa Outfitters Demo Day. In Gadsden. I demoed a 2010 Jackson Fun.
April 17-18 NOC Demo Day/Freestyle Comp. Nanty. With Joan and Heather, Charlie and Sara, at Lost Mine. Photos here.
April 24. Cartecay. Level 2.5 ft. In the WS EZ. With Jenni, GCA-Steve, Mary, and Ryland.
Stayed that night at Dneesh's. Monsoon outside. The next day, drove to the Ocoee but it was around 3000 cfs., chocolate milk. We declined. Pics HERE.
May 1. Locust Fork. In the WS EZ. Level very low - 2.7ish. With Helen, Jenni, Ryland, Sue and Steve.
May 8 Ocoee. In a demo WS Fuse 56. With Amanda.
May 9 Oak Mtn. Lake. In the WS EZ.
May 15-16 Coosa River Festival. In the WS EZ. With Amanda and Joan. Met and shuttled with Michael from Montgomery, and met and camped next to Steve from Huntsville. Level 8000 cfs.
May 21-23 Geezerfest 2010. Saturday - Tuck West Fork release (low) in the WS EZ. Sunday the Nanty from the top to Surfer's rapid in a demo WS Project 52 with Dave N. handpaddling his Magnum 72, normal level. Pics HERE.
May 29-31 Hiwassee. In Ryland's Project 52. Sat. with the BCC; Sunday and Monday with the Kayak Fast Class. Pics HERE. Video HERE.
June 5 Cahaba. In the WS EZ. Level approx. 900 cfs. Lovick to Grants Mill. With Marc, Paul, and Juliet. We went under a limbo tree and a water moccasin plopped off of it into the water next to us. Pics here.
June 6 Coosa. In the WS EZ. Level 8000 cfs. With Glen and Ellen, their friend Kathy, her son and two of his friends. Pics here. Video here.
June 12 ERA private instruction. With Craig Parks. At Fontana lake and Tuck in town (Bryson City). Finished earning purple paddle points. In the WS EZ.
June 13 Nantahala. Ledges to Surfer's. Normal release level. With Mary Mills, Joan Steed, and Peter Chau. Many stern squirts, ferries, combat roll in Rope Wave, surfed Surfer's. Rescued a 4 ft. rat snake from the Surfer's take-out. In the WS EZ.
June 17-20 SERA. June 20th Hiwassee. Visited Foster and Greeter Falls. Both have been run. Sunday I drove over to the Hiwassee and paddled with Ryland and Jenni. In the WS EZ. Pics here.
June 26 Mom's 80th Birthday party.
June 27 Oak Mtn. Lake. In the Triple X. Good grief it was hot, and the water was hot, even in the middle of the lake.
Week of Rivers- July 5-11. In the WS EZ and BS Super-Rad 180 (Pigeon demo).
Monday - Drove up. New NOC footbridge surf wave with Bill and Joan.
Tues - Tuckaseegee, level 500+ (low) with Joan and Brenda.
Wed - Pigeon. Low summer release. Demo in the BS Super-Rad 180. With Wendy, Katie, J, Teledave who joined us after I posted about the trip on FB, and John who joined us after I announced the trip at the morning meeting.
Thurs - free Playboating Clinic with Wayne from NOC at Pyramid Rock and Three Hump Rock on the Nanty. Then lunch with Mary M. and a swim at the Falls. I sprained my ankle while walking up the riverbed below the falls pulling my water-filled EZ.
Friday - Shredded the Nanty with Wendy. Late lunch at River's End Restaurant then watched the CCC slalom race on the footbridge with Juliet.
Saturday - Nanty. All day fun, great line at the falls.
Sunday - Hiwassee. With K1Chik. We put-in at the first parking area below the big hill. This put us right below the big ledge (Mary Nell Point?) and above the Lunch Stop. Saw an Osprey.
Pictures from Week of Rivers here.
July 17 Tyrolean Traverse. At Desoto Falls. Fundraiser for the Huntsville Cave Rescue Unit.
July 17 Visiting Fancher and Osama's Farm.
July 18 Hiwassee. In the EZ. With the BCC. Pics for the Tyrolean Traverse, the farm, and the Hiwassee are here.
July 24-25 Hiwassee. With the BCC Fast Class.
July 31 Coosa. With Joan and Amanda. 4000 cfs. In the EZ. 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Never again. ;-)
August 7-8. BCC Summer Slam. Hiwassee. In the EZ. With RRoberts, K1chik, Spicey Pablo.
August 21-22 Nantahala. With Joan, Greg, Amanda, and Heather. In the EZ. Water level about 2.9 on Saturday, 2.7 on Sunday. Spike in the water level after we got off to about 3.4. Photos here. Videos here.
August 28 Gross Skelton Cave. With the Birmingham Grotto and K1chik. Photos and video here, here and here.
August 29 Hiwassee. With the BCC kayak class (Hogan). In BMac's Dagger "The Green Boat". Photos here and video here.
Sept. 5 Ocoee. In the Magnum. With Spicey Pablo. Level 1800.
Sept. 6 Ocoee. In the Magnum. With Robbie, her husband, a friend of theirs, and Teledave. Level 1800.
Sept. 11 Chalk Cave. With the Howells and their nephews. Brief visit.
Sept. 12 Oak Mtn. Lake. In the EZ. With Glen and Ellen, Tracy, Ryland, and Kenny.
Sept. 16 - drove to Norris and stayed at Norris Dam state park.
Sept 17 Appalachian Caverns - with K1chik, in a rental car, on the way to Gauleyfest.
Sept 18 Lower Gauley. In the Magnum. With Cindy, Ray, Andy, Lynn, and Jim. Standard release. 1 flip/roll at Backender. Great day.
Sept 18 Gauleyfest. With Rick and K1chik.
Sept 19 Ran shuttle for those running the Upper Gauley and went back to Norris with K1chik.
Sept 20 Returned rental car and drove home.
Sept 25 GAF. Skipped Whitesides rappel because I thought it would be rough weather on the mountain. (this time I was wrong - reportedly beautiful there). So I went by GAF. Then camped at Nelson's Nantahala Hideaway with Norma, Amanda, and the Huntsville CC.
Sept 26- Ocoee. In the Magnum. Level normal. With Norma, Amanda, Phil, Sue, Steve. Great day.
Oct 2 - Hiwassee. In the XXX. With K1chik and Dneesh. Lovely day.
Oct. 3 - Ocoee. In the Magnum. With p1mp and spicey. wheeee
Oct. 7-10 Tag Fall Cave-In
Oct. 1o - Rappel at Weaver Point in LRC. Video here.
Oct. 16 - Bridge Day 2010. Photos here.
Oct. 24 - Rafting on the Ocoee. free ride with k1chik, her boss, and mikeyboats as guide, ned in a glass slalom kayak.
Oct. 30 - Bham Grotto Halloween Party.
Nov. 5-7 2010 Green River Race. Pics here.
Nov 14 Mtn. Biking at the farm and kayaking on Choccolocco creek. In a Dagger Piedra. Pics here.
Nov 20 Hiking at Buck's Pocket state park. With ryland and jenni. Also visited Double Bridges Pics here.
*Wholly krap. The last time I went kayaking on whitewater was Oct. 3rd. This 'sabbatical' has gotta stop.*
Dec 4 Mtn. Biking at Oak Mtn. Seven bridges trail.
Dec 10-11 Howdy Puff Fest. I got a coughing fit on the hike to Cemetery Pit, and walked back to the car. I did not bounce the pit. Saturday night was the BCC Christmas Party.
Dec 19 - Clear Creek Lilly to Nemo. With Ry and Jenni, Teledave, Steve I. and two other 1st triber canoeists, and a guy in a red Diesel we met at the put-in. Air temp at put-in 32f. brrr! Level 500ish. Pics HERE.
Dec 28-29 Cataloochee Skiing with Joan, Linda and her grandkids, Sue and her son, and Amanda and Derek and their son. Pics here.
October 31, 2010
Halloween
It's halloween it's halloween it's time for scares it's time for screams! it's halloween it's halloween!
Thus starts the wonderful Shaggs song about Halloween.
I was supposed to be on the Ocoee today for the very last scheduled release of the year. But I overslept, even though I got home pretty early from the grotto halloween party at Alabama Caverns. My cats are delighted, as my spending a whole day at home so seldom occurs, but I feel quite the slacker.
This has been my best paddling year yet, at least so far (not wanting to jinx myself)... and coming soon, all the river rats hope, will be local rainfall creating "local water" - whitewater less than 3 hours away.
Alabama has a lot of whitewater that we can only experience in the winter and spring. As a result local paddlers tend to invest heavily in dry gear - waterproof tops, neoprene bottoms, and the fanciest of all paddling gear - a drysuit. In my drysuit I can stay completely dry even after a swim - the only exposed skin is my head and hands. I've even paddled to the take-out, and once off the river, gotten out of the drysuit, and driven home in my fleece layers. Drysuits have advantages in terms of safety as well as convenience - in the event that a paddler might need to stand in the water for a long time helping someone who has had an accident, or in a situation that necessitates an overnight stay in the woods, drysuits can prevent hypothermia. One downside is that they can feel like you're wearing a sort of space-suit.
In other news, I am now the Conservation Chair for the BCC, and a board member. Being Conservation Chair means a lot to me, because I am a member of many of the national whitewater and local water advocacy groups, and this way can keep our club appraised of the good work being done by these groups. Since I cannot afford to be members of all of the water groups I rotate my membership between them; with a couple that I intend to remain in as long as I can: Alabama Rivers Alliance and Black Warrior Riverkeeper. Nationally I urge all paddlers to become members of American Whitewater. AW fights for access to whitewater rivers and also protects the access we have during proceedings like power company dam relicensing. One thing AW has been working on for several years is the relicensing process and agreement with Duke Power for releases on the Upper Nantahala and the West Fork of the Tuckaseegee. Here is a video of the West Fork of the Tuck study release.
Lots of other stuff, sad and happy, has happened in my life besides paddling. We lost Matt Kimbrell to a heart attack at 51. He was one of Birmingham's music icons in the Southside, a sweet and super-talented guy. I still can't really believe it happened. His wake was hugely attended, and I saw a lot of people I haven't seen in years. I still have mixed emotions about the music scene; the other day I was at Highland and it struck me that I'm about to be 45 and really, what am I going to do with a Marshall half-stack now?
I am still playing ukulele a bunch even though I think it's aggravating my tennis elbow. At home it's the blue jap strat and chinese Vox ac30. Sometimes my cheap mandolin. It doesn't matter. I only play at home, at the Blues Society Jams on occasion, and once in awhile when we are out camping somewhere. I get a kick out of people singing along with me. My favorite musical memory of late is playing 'Do You Want To Know A Secret' by the Beatles during Geezerfest, around the fire ring, with turtle, garmachi, kayakpirate and psychicmidget.
I had to laugh because someone told me recently that they had to end a friendship because they couldn't take the drama the other person was dropping on them, and I sheepishly admitted that I've been both - the person who ended an overly taxing friendship in one instance, and the person who spewed friend-ship ending drama in another. I've been thinking about this for a few days now: maybe it's because all of the people involved are women, but jeez men seem to have simpler friendships than women do. Anyway, many of those folks at the wake were people I saw on a daily basis, and now some of them - I couldn't even remember their names. I never expected any of it but most of my friends now are paddlers or cavers or both. A few of us at the wake commented that we should get together more for happier occasions, not just at sad ones - but we all know that we will not. And that leads me to my meandering point. The river again teaches us something - just this: it all flows, changes, never going back upstream; and I believe that we shall find that that is a good thing.
I will never be able to quantify all of the things the river has taught me, it has so enriched my life.
Now, it's ice cream time.
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