Eight adventurous paddlers joined me on Saturday, June 14, for a trip down the falls section of the Etowah. For several it was their first trip on the Etowah, and for others their first with the GCA.

I knew the water was low: the outfitter advises a minimum level of 4.8 on the Highway 9 gauge and it was 3.8 and easily monitored at the web site. Still, I thought we could get by and we did, with a lot of upper body effort, and frequent hangups. With two canoes and the rest various style kayaks, everyone was challenged.

Still, it is a lovely and scenic river, very quiet, relatively little development, even today, and the falls are always interesting. There are also several shoals offering challenges to the beginner. I probably would not run it again at this level, but 6 more inches of water, getting it to 4.3, may be adequate.

Joining me were Patty Durand, Brian Hughes, Lydia Hughes, Leif Hauge, Keith Haskell, Lisa Haskell, Amanda Haskell and Caleb Castleberry. The url for the gauge is: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ga/nwis/uv?02389150.

By Dick Hurd
From The Eddy Line, August 2008

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