Wes Gentry & John Wood - Steele's Creek (NC) 2010

bathond · Post by **bathond** » Wed Aug 25, 2010 1:27 am

Some fun canoeyoneering pictures from today. This was a possible first open boat descent of upper Steel's Creek north of Morganton, NC. Anyone have any info on the history of boating on upper Steel's Creek?

Also happened to coincide with a first descent of Linville Falls by a K1 boater named Pat Keller. A lot of good boating going today in the Linville Gorge area!

click here to check out the Flickr album of the day.

photo credits D.H. Bathon

oc1kcwlkr · Post by **oc1kcwlkr** » Wed Aug 25, 2010 10:48 pm

nice pics man. That looks like quiet a mission. Have always wanted to learn how to repel

Craig Smerda · Post by **Craig Smerda** » Thu Aug 26, 2010 12:50 am

There's a gunnel grabbing river monster in the bottom right corner of pictures WES_182 through WES_185

So I've gotta ask... is Wes Gentry related to the infamous Wayne Gentry?

driftwood · Post by **driftwood** » Thu Aug 26, 2010 2:21 am

yo

check the video http://vimeo.com/14434443

John

P.S. the gunnel grabber is there to make sure you don't drop the 50 footer

Craig Smerda · Post by **Craig Smerda** » Thu Aug 26, 2010 4:08 am

driftwood wrote:yo

check the video http://vimeo.com/14434443

John

P.S. the gunnel grabber is there to make sure you don't drop the 50 footer

Hah... that's a technique we use as well in certain circumstances. Just funny to spot it in the pictures.

On one particular section of the Silver the trick is... the lead boat had better make the eddy.

One time (same river at flood above a really ugly drop/hole) I was clinging to a cedar root for dear life... literally praying it didn't break... apparently the eddy you want to be in was on the opposite side... that was a long day.

What's this run look like with more water in it... and what does that big slide run into?

crawpappy · Post by **crawpappy** » Thu Aug 26, 2010 12:36 pm

idiots

AJ · Post by AJ » Thu Aug 26, 2010 8:26 pm

And I thought we paddled some low water stuff, that is some ridiculously boney paddling.

driftwood · Post by **driftwood** » Fri Aug 27, 2010 1:11 am

Craig

At higher water it is serious class V, the eddies above the big drops are probably tiny. There are 100 yard long "rapids" that are giant sieves. I know it is run by some kayakers but I am not sure what goes and what does not.

If you are referring to the slide in the video it stuffs under an under cut, at big flows it may be ok if you can get far right.

If you are talking about the one in the pics that we repelled it drops into a deep pool that is about 8 feet across.

J. wood

and no Wes and Wayne are not related

FullGnarlzOC · Post by **FullGnarlzOC** » Tue Aug 31, 2010 2:56 pm

real nice. would u go back with more water? that sieve looks runnable? ahaha