by Don Kinser, GCA River Protection Chair Day 2 - Chattooga Cliffs (a/k/a Section 00) and Ellicott Rock (a/k/a Section 0) — 7.7 miles

Saturday morning dawned clear and somewhat cooler. The rain from the day before was replaced with sunny blue skies. The morning chill faded and warmed to nearly 60 degrees by afternoon. The gauge at Burrell’s Ford had come up a tenth of a foot overnight. We could not have asked for anything better.

Today’s adventure would turn out to be much more physically demanding than the day before. Again we convened for another “alpine” start at the Burrell’s Ford parking lot at 8:30 a.m. We enjoyed another “Green Truck” shuttle, thanks to the USFS. After checking the new staff gauge at Grimshawes Bridge on Whiteside Cove Road, we arrived at the trailhead.

Unlike yesterday, when we saw no one, today we were met at the trailhead by Buzz Williams and several other members of the “Friends of the Upper Chattooga” (FUC for short). Buzz went about his normal grandstanding routine, telling the USFS how they were doing everything wrong and how dangerous it was to allow boating on the river. He had also blocked the trailhead with his truck to make things more difficult for us. One of our group made the mistake of leaning his paddle against the tailgate of Buzz’ truck and learned first hand about Buzz’ southern hospitality.

Rather than put in at Grimshawes Bridge, the USFS basically dodged the private landowner issue with a 1.8 mile ”forced march” down to the confluence of Norton Mill Creek. The trail was good and we arrived at the river about 45 minutes later. After a group photo, we put on and started downriver at 10:40 a.m.

Norton Mill Creek joins the Chattooga about 2 miles downstream from Grimshawes Bridge and about 0.6 miles above a massive logjam. Here the river is narrow with steep banks, thick with lush rhododendron.

We arrived at the logjam about 10 minutes later and took about 10-15 minutes to climb up and over with our boats. After this, the bottom drops out and the real fun begins. Once past the logjam, it took us nearly an hour and a half to travel the next 0.7 miles. This stretch is full of numerous Class 4 rapids and at least one Class 5 drop.

Immediately after the logjam, we encountered a cool grotto and then a nice Class 4 ledge. Things were starting to get very interesting. Next was a stout Class 5 drop that several of us portaged. After Milt (in his canoe) shamed the kayakers into running the drop, everyone that ran it made it look easy. We then entered the first of three narrow, cliff-lined “alleys” that give this stretch of river its name, Chattooga Cliffs.

The river opens up somewhat after this alley before reaching another Class 4+ drop where you want to make sure you don’t go left. However, after looking at the wood in the right side of this drop, several of us again chose to portage on the right.

We now found ourselves in the Alleyway, a spectacular narrow sluice with vertical bedrock walls. We portaged around a large root ball that plugged the river and ran several significant rapids, including one with a large boulder bisecting the riverbed.

Somewhere down in the Alleyway there is a stunning waterfall on river right that pours into the river from high up on the cliff. I have visited and explored the Chattooga for nearly 30 years and this was unlike any other place I have seen exploring the river. This is also a place nearly impossible to see on foot.

We reached the sieve shortly after noon. The sieve rapid is a difficult obstacle and everyone portaged.

The logistics of this portage were made more difficult by our large group. This was really one of the few places our group size was much of a liability. It is very difficult to stage the group down into the “eddy” above the sieve and exit your boat. I say “eddy” because it is more like a slow spot in the current, up against a steep, slippery, vertical rock wall. Milt, the only open boater in the group, was able to jump out of his canoe here more easily and helped us exit our kayaks.

It took a long time to portage. It was slippery and crowded. Someone wisely set a safety rope and we worked together to ferry our boats across a difficult spot. Once across, we had to put in immediately above a challenging 6 foot, Class 4 ledge.

From the logjam to here the river had been unrelenting. Once back on the water we found it an easy 20 minute cruise with a number of fun Class 3 ledges and drops for the remaining mile down to the Iron Bridge at Bull Pen Road.

There we encountered a large audience waiting for us when we arrived just after 1:00 p.m. The Class 5 drop immediately below the bridge is quite impressive and was in full sunlight. I am sure many of the onlookers were expecting (and secretly hoping for) a great deal of death and destruction.

There was even a troll under the bridge with a camera.

We disappointed them as all but two of our group ran the drop in a dazzling display of the state of the sport. Just for the record, I walked. I probably should also mention one consultant’s swim at the bottom of the rapid after he admonished us at the top not to do anything stupid for the crowd.

With barely a moment to eat a quick bite of lunch, we were herded off at 1:30 to find our way down to Ellicott Rock and ultimately Burrell’s Ford. This reach was rumored to be the most enjoyable and the most popular of the three sections. We would not be disappointed. The two or so miles immediately below the bridge to Ellicott Rock is a wonderful read and run, Class 4 boulder dance, roughly bisected by the biggest rapid on the Chattooga, Class 5 Super Corkscrew.

Super Corkscrew is long and scary. It starts with a hard 4+ entrance and just keeps getting nastier from there. I think four of us walked the rapid along the rock shelf on river right. Several of the group, including Wade and Ken, made it look easy, others maybe not so much. Todd discovered just how shallow it was at the bottom part of the rapid. Shayne took all the style points for his great ender in the middle hole.

Once below Super Corkscrew, the pace quickened and we found a rhythm as we danced down one boulder drop to the next all the way to Ellicott Rock, arriving there at about 3:00 p.m. Once below Ellicott Rock, the gradient began to ease for the next 3.5 miles or so and we reached Burrell’s Ford shortly before 4:00 p.m.

Our team was tired and hungry, but we were all smiles as we packed up and headed once again to the Ranger office to debrief.

Epilogue

For me personally and several others on the trip, these were two of the most emotionally significant days of our paddling lives. After having worked so hard, for so long, to gain access to this truly amazing river, I was concerned that I might be let down once I actually got the chance.

I had nothing to worry about. The upper Chattooga did not disappoint. I have had some great outdoor adventures in my life. In the last six years alone, I have climbed Long’s Peak via the East Face, the Grand Teton via Exum Ridge, and Mount Baker. I have paddled the Grand Canyon, the Selway and the Middle Fork of the Salmon.

These were all great adventures. Our “expedition” to rediscover the upper Chattooga, however, was more rewarding than any of these other adventures, at least for me, because of what it took to get the chance and because it is right in my own back yard.

We were also very, very lucky. The “perfect storm” had come together and allowed this to happen so successfully - the storm Dec. 31 that surged the river to 6,000 cfs, warm weather, stable flows, a skilled team with a cooperative spirit, more rain and great support from everyone involved, especially the USFS.

I just hope it is not the last opportunity I have to legally enjoy this magnificent place. Legal or not, I am sure to return. Maybe, just maybe, you too will be able to share this adventure and experience the upper Chattooga for yourself sometime soon.

Water Level Information

This study was primarily framed as a “flow study” to attempt to gather data about “boatability” and “fishability” at different flow levels. Last summer the USFS installed new staff gauges at Grimshawes Bridge, Iron Bridge and Burrell’s Ford Bridge, complete with data loggers, as part of the study. The USFS hydrologists established a flow curve for the Burrell’s Ford gauge to correlate the staff gauge to cfs.

The previous week’s storm surged the river to nearly 6,000 cfs, primed the pump and made the user trials possible. A modest amount of rain fell Thursday night onto already saturated ground, and continued rain during the day Friday started the river rising slowly during the day and overnight. The result was an extraordinarily stable hydrograph for our study.

On Friday, when we paddled the Rock Gorge Section, the new staff gauge at Burrell’s Ford read 1.5 feet when we put on. With the rain during the day the level rose to 1.6 feet while we were on the river. This was reported to be 340 cfs based on the newly established flow curves for Burrell’s Ford. The Chattooga was 1150 cfs (2.29 feet) at the U.S. 76 gauge at about 1:00 p.m.

I must admit I expected a rocky, bony, difficult day on a river that didn’t have enough water in it. I was wrong. What we discovered was a river with an enjoyable flow and plenty of water. Later that day, during the debriefing, the panel considered it to be the low end of the optimal flow range. I agree.

The water quality was outstanding as well. While maybe it was not exactly clear, the river was certainly not muddy and was quite beautiful.

On Saturday, when we paddled the Chattooga Cliffs and Ellicott Rock sections, Friday’s steady rain had subsided. The river had risen slightly and then fell overnight. The new Burrell’s Ford staff gauge read 1.6 feet when we headed up to the put-in at Norton Mill Creek Saturday morning.

The new staff gauge at Grimshawes Bridge read 1.25 feet when we drove over the bridge. It was heavily guarded by the local landowners’ militia. When we passed the new staff gauge at the Iron Bridge on Bull Pen Road, it read 3 feet. The Burrell’s Ford gauge read

1.55 feet when we arrived there Saturday afternoon. Both the Chattooga Cliffs and Ellicott Rock reaches had plenty of water at these levels. This was particularly true of the upper reach, the Chattooga Cliffs reach. The Ellicott Rock reach was good, but a little more juice would have helped – not much more juice, however, because some of the holes could become big and hungry fast. Once again, the water quality was outstanding.

I hope you have enjoyed reading about our expedition to rediscover the upper Chattooga River. I also hope you stay tuned into the ongoing User Capacity Study. Better yet, if you would like to have the chance to explore this wonderful place from your own boat, let the USFS know right now. Visit http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/fms/ and share your thoughts with John Cleeves, the User Capacity Analysis Project Coordinator.

Editor’s Note: Article copyright 2007 by Don Kinser: may be reprinted with permission and attribution. Photos copyright 2007 by Brian Jacobson/Trout Lips Video LLC and Todd Corey. Text and photos used with permission. Additional photos of this trip are on the American Whitewater website at www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River/detail/id/1049.

Correction: Photographer Todd Corey's name was misspelled in Part 1 of this report in the February issue. The Eddy Line regrets the error.

From “The Eddy Line”, March 2007

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