Has anyone open boat Bald River before today

Louie · Post by **Louie** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 3:49 pm

heck I went to the upper section of his only river and he still wouldn't show up. Just how far do I have to go?

PincheLocoGringo · Post by **PincheLocoGringo** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 3:57 pm

Louie hitched with a Yankee...most of the time I am pretty sure he only tolerates me because I sound Southern.

It's camouflage...Lord chil' he must be a good 'un, jus' lis'en ta 'im.

Atucky · Post by **Atucky** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 8:50 pm

I’m not the best at trip reports, but here you go;

Bald River is small and technical in nature. I’d say that 2 or 3 of the drops are class IV, and 2 or 3 class III, with a definite class V (Suislide) directly after one of the IV’s (shallow falls). The first main rapid has a kinda right hand slot/chute immediately followed by a nice slide, then there is a slow mile or so of mesmerizing class 2ish, kind of like the upper green.

I can’t remember all the details of the other drops, but we ran shallow falls to the left. I flipped at the bottom and didn’t even set up to roll since Suislide is so close. I recall a couple other nice drops. I remember watching people disappear on several of the rapids which is my new definition of creekin’.

This section is approximately 6 miles long and I was amazed at the lack of wood with it being so remote. There were only 3 times I can remember having to get out and walk around river wide strainers and there was a piece of wood at the bottom of one of the drops that gave some people trouble. The scenery is pristine. Quote of the day was after Pat messed up the first one Louie said “ It’s like sex Pat, when it’s bad, it’s still good”. I also heard “when in doubt, stroke it out”, but I can’t remember by who.

Thanks to the GDI crew for letting us tag along. You’re all very solid boaters! Had I known what we were getting into, I would have brought the Spanish fly. But when I left the house I thought we were gana run Clear Creek and BSF.

Louie, thanks for the hospitality. I’m going to make some Salsa with some of those peppers from your garden. I don’t know what to do with the orange one. That thing scares me more than Suislide.

I’ll post some footage later of the first rapid. That’s all I got.

Mark, thanks for updating the page and showing us down. I'll send the pics to you asap.

Let me know if ya'll are ever in my neck of the woods.

Bill M · Post by **Bill M** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 10:13 pm

Louie,
Dave Stout and others ran it in the mid 80's in oca's or sunbursts. They talked about the shuttle and that you needed to be able to ID the takeout above Bald River Falls. Robert Reeder, may have done it too. This was back when TSRA had a lot of hard core canoers.
Bill

Louie · Post by **Louie** » Mon Oct 19, 2009 11:10 pm

Thank you, I couldn't believe it hadn't. I didn't say anything but when Cummie said he didn't know of any other Canoers you had you should have seen the faces light up. It ain't no big deal to PLG but Alex was excieted. dick and doopey were just glad they had me along to blame it on to their wifes.

Larry Horne · Post by **Larry Horne** » Tue Oct 20, 2009 4:00 am

dang louie.. another class 2 first d slipped through your fingers. so sorry dude.

Louie · Post by **Louie** » Tue Oct 20, 2009 10:39 am

So you have run it?

Louie · Post by **Louie** » Tue Oct 20, 2009 1:50 pm

http://vimeo.com/7137060

Video link to one of those class two's on Bald

jscottl67 · Post by **jscottl67** » Tue Oct 20, 2009 4:58 pm

That is a nice looking rapid. From the vantage on the video, it looks like maybe 6 or 7 feet vertical drop total over 3 ledges, and looks pretty open (no big waves or anything). Looks like major fun

Is that class II or is it more II/III? I've never been any good at judging that, but looks clean and open to me with no big waves/holes that I could see.

Louie · Post by **Louie** » Tue Oct 20, 2009 5:04 pm

When the GDI video comes out ( soon I hope) it will show that rapid and some others from two video angles and still shots from a third. I say that rapid lost 9 or 10 feet total. Fist drop was 5 to 6

Cumnock · Post by **Cumnock** » Tue Oct 20, 2009 5:13 pm

Mark, thanks for updating the page and showing us down. I'll send the pics to you asap.

you are welcome I enjoyed meeting you and Pat and showing ya the lines and run...there is more to do over there...alot

and then there is always Waldens, the Cumberlands and Lookout Mountain.

oh and the quote....its like sex ...came from the original saying

pizza is like sex when its good its good and when its bad its still pretty good...it was an old college sayin.

glad ya had a good time...feel free to email me the pics..next week I plan on making the Bald River page...its been a long time coming.

I might have mentioned the map Steve Zerfos made us, but if I forgot...here it is again

http://www.waldensridgewhitewater.com/i ... ershed.jpg

jscottl67 · Post by **jscottl67** » Tue Oct 20, 2009 5:19 pm

Cool, just hard to judge from that angle. Easier to tell the height after the first one - kind of using the height of the paddler as a guide and guessing top of head about 3 foot above the water as a rough guestimate, but 3.5 to 4 is probably more accurate (forgot about saddle height). Cool looking run.

C-Forum

Has anyone open boat Bald River before today

TR

1st D in canoe