My ALF, 2009

Decked Canoes, Open Canoes, as long as they're canoes!

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Oci-One Kanubi
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My ALF, 2009

Post by Oci-One Kanubi »

.
I didn't reach ALF until Sunday night, but heavy rain the first weekend gave us lots of boating options all week.


My friend Julie Keller Fitspatrick ran:
Saturday, 3/14: Nolichucky R., 1,000 cfs at Embreeville, with Wendy & Wade from 'Bama.
Sunday, 3/15: Middle Tellico R., 2.4'/560cfs at Tellico Plains, with "Crunchy" Chris Clevenger, Danger Judy, and others.


I ran:

Monday, 3/16: Little River (Elkmont to Metcalf), 2.65/440cfs at Townsend, with Gabriella Schlidt, Dan Bertko, Don and Joanne Stinson, Peter and Brock Kopp, Gary Birrell, and Barry Irish, after ALF rendezvous at Shoney's. 50s F, and rainy.

I didn't know the Townsend gauge was back on line (my zero: 500cfs) so I decided to risk 950cs on the Marysville gauge. It was a little low, so we had to work hard to maneuver into channelized flow. We had a fair number of swims, and half the group was exhausted and took out at the halfway point where the road crosses the river and the river bed is full of raggedy dynamited rock. Don, Brock, Gabriella and I ran the bridge rapid and the big bedrock s-turn rapid, Don, Brock and I ran the knife-edge rapid. But a mile later we four were worn out also, so we skipped the Class II stuff at the end. What we did was solid Class III, with two terrific Class III+ rapids just downstream of the bridge.

A group also went to White's Creek.


Tuesday, 3/17: Crab Orchard Creek, 9.3'/5,000cfs at Oakdale (7 inches below the top of the bottom concrete step at Flat Rock Ford), with Julie Fitzpatrick and Craig McKinnon. Sunny and high 60s F.

We left directly from Camp Stinking Eagle, to get an early start on the 13.5-mile run. Dan Bertko's wife Lois was kind enough to give us a shuttle. It was a little low, but was an absolutely wonderful trip. There was a lot of wood in the water, but we only had to get out to portage two strainers and two boulder sieves (which might have had channels, with more water). There were many blind turns with no apparant boat-scouting eddies, so we were out of our boats and rock-scrambling a lot to scout, and we maintained a solid creek discipline of always keeping one open eddy between boats and never taking the lead boat beyond the last visible eddy. After 6.25 hours and 10.5 miles of supurb exploratory creeking we hit the big Emory River, and finished the last three miles in 45 minutes.

Most of ALF went to the Tellico, where carnage ensued.


Wednesday, 3/18: I was so warn out from Crab Orchard Creek that I slept in my van in camp until 1:30 PM!

A huge group went to the Crooked Fork. I understand there was an incredible swimfest, and a whole bunch of strainer portaging.


Thursday, 3/19: Middle Tellico, 1.7'/305cfs at Tellico Plains, with Bill McKinley, Barry Smith, Craig McKinnon, and Dan Bertko. Sunny and 60s F.

After Bill organized the trip at the Shoney's rendezvous, we had a lovely but uneventful day. A highlight for me was dinner at Bradley's Barbeque in Sweetwater (on TN-68 a mile or two from I-75). Love me some baby back ribs!

Many from the ALF ran the Tellico Ledges.


Friday, 3/20: Clear Creek (Lilly to Nemo), 6.2'/380cfs at Lilly Bridge, with Bill McKinley, Barry Smith, Sandy Bate, Gabriella Schlidt, Billy Bob Scarboro, David Fox, Bob Oshefsky, and Bill Mitchum. 40s F and sunny.

We had no out-of-boat experiences, though we set safety at Wooten's Folly, and there was a whole bucking funch of surfing going on. Nice day on a lovely river.


Four boating days in a five-day stretch was pushing it for my out-of-shape self, so I drove back to North Carolina after getting off Clear Creek, but what a great ALF it was! This was my third consecutive ALF, and even though I haven't been boating much lately, and thus wasn't able to boat much this week, it was the best ALF yet, for me.
.
Last edited by Oci-One Kanubi on Sun Mar 22, 2009 4:24 pm, edited 2 times in total.
-Richard, His Kanubic Travesty
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Louie

Post by Louie »

Sir it is aways a pleasure to see you and this time was no exception.
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Mr.DeadLegs
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Post by Mr.DeadLegs »

Richard

Great to see you again. I wish we could have paddled togather. Julie what a fun time, as well wish we could have paddled togather. We should have joined you on wednesday. Oh well.
Joe and Tony looks like everything worked out for a memorable ALF.
I hope to see you guys again.

We'll have the fire going
Thanks all

Trey
"Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to slide in sideways totally worn out, shouting "Holy large steaming pile of dog doo what a Ride" " Nolan Whitesell
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TonyB
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Post by TonyB »

wanted to paddle with you our last day but ya didnt show at the diner and Louie talked us into the crooked.

whole week was a blast, gotta actually paddle with ya sometime.
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richard...

Post by oc1paddlr »

slept til 1:30 wed afternoon? no wonder you did'nt hit the tellico with us on wed. missed you and woulda loved to watched you style it. it was good to see you and enjoyed hanging out round the fire tue night. let us know next time you get down here in our neck of the woods ...tooga,nanty, o-coe-e ect... steve
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Oci-One Kanubi
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Post by Oci-One Kanubi »

TonyB wrote:wanted to paddle with you our last day but ya didnt show at the diner and Louie talked us into the crooked.

whole week was a blast, gotta actually paddle with ya sometime.

We'll boat together sometime, Tony. I get up tp PA once or twice a year, and I'll bet you'll be back down here!

I enjoyed your badinage in camp, 'specially with Gabe, John-o and Jamie on Sunday night! A quick wit is a sign of a fast learner, so I'll bet you'll be an OC star in no time!
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Post by androooo »

I had an incredible time. It was good to paddle some great water with some great people. here are a few pictures that the kayaker who lost his boat under the falls sent me. (crooked fork, wednesday)

http://s584.photobucket.com/albums/ss28 ... LF%202009/
Gary B
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Thanks Great ALF

Post by Gary B »

Richard thanks for showing us down Little River on Monday.
Lad thanks for showing us down the Obed and French Broad, Thursday and Friday.
I had a wonderful time. It was nice meeting everyone.

Hope to see y'all next year.

Gary
Bill M
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Yes

Post by Bill M »

Richard'
I really enjoyed paddling with you we'll do it again next tear or sooner if you come this way,
Saturday Barry and I went to the Ocoee and were almost to tired to do it. No carnage but no clean lines either.
syoar,
Bill
JulieKeller.com
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ALF

Post by JulieKeller.com »

Richard it was great to see you and all my old paddling friends at ALF. It was also delightful to meet lots of new open boater friends. It had been so long since I paddled that I wasn't sure that I would still be able to make my boat go where I wanted it to go. I have determined that it is just like riding a bike - you just get back on and ride.

Bill M - I'm so sorry that I didn't get to paddle with you. I really would have liked the Clear Creek trip on Friday and am sorry I couldn't have stayed longer. But I left ALF after five great days of paddling some of my favorite rivers. I got to paddle the Noichucky, Tellico, Whites, Crab Orchard, and Crooked Fork.

I had a great time at ALF!

Julie
Last edited by JulieKeller.com on Tue Mar 24, 2009 12:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
billcanoes
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Richard!

Post by billcanoes »

Dang the Devil -I can't believe I didn't see you up there-

AND I can't believe I was talking to the infamous Julie Keller at Whites on Tuesday. Fortunately, no one to photo my swims.
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Post by oopsiflipped »

The quote of the day for me was:

"If you can brace you don't have to roll. If you can balance then you don't have to brace. If you can read water then you don't have to balance."

It was great to meet you Richard and everyone else at ALF
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Julie

Post by Bill M »

I'm glad you got on Whites . I was surprised it held that well. It's one of my favs lots to surf, nice scenery and not to hard. Hope to see you next year.
Bill
vzap
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Camp Stinking Eagle?

Post by vzap »

I thought mine name for Soaring Eagle was pretty good (Camp Roaring Eagle) but your's is better.

What a hoot paddling with and meeting all you guys. Looking forward to meeting all again on the river somewhere.

Vince
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Oci-One Kanubi
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Re: Richard!

Post by Oci-One Kanubi »

[quote="billcanoes"]Dang the Devil -I can't believe I didn't see you up therequote]

That's what happens to people who camp in hotels, Bill!

See you this summer, I'm sure.
-Richard, His Kanubic Travesty
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