C-Forum

Here's the latest of my ALF videos. This one is footage from the Laurel Fork of the Doe in TN. Paddlers are Matt DeVoe, Dooley Tombras, Mark Scriver, and myself.

It was a very committed run that had me sweating a few times. Scouting was impossible for most rapids and Darwin's was a mandatory cV with no option to portage. We decided to drag and slide-in after the entrance but it still necessitated running a sticky hole that had no place to set efficient safety. I wish there was footage of Matt and Dooley rescuing me from it but Mark decided to hold a rope instead of a camera. I sure appreciated the help guys!

I think the scariest part of the day though was the portage around the big waterfall. Slippery, steep, and very awkward.

http://www.vimeo.com/21619272

Enjoy!

Johno Foster

I came soo close to cursing.. I saw a section of the greenbriar this day.. the laurel is really close too. Have yall paddled the doe gorge? This l'edge video made me think the doe was harder~ tog

I haven't paddle the Doe gorge so I can't compare. Dooley and Matt probably have though. They've been looking to do the Laurel Fork for a while now and all the conditions turned out to be just right: someone had been down it the day before and we heard that there wasn't any wood in play; it was sunny and warm; and the level was low. Good thing too as the river is surrounded by thick bush and steep canyon walls, making scouting impossible for most drops. The video doesn't show the countless cIV rock gardens that you end up heading into blind. Once you are on the river you're pretty well required to run everything except the 60' waterfall.

Johno

Great video. Glad you made it out of that hole ok!

The Doe Gorge is significantly easier than the Laurel Fork. It is still a nice run but, in my opinion, much more open with none of the big drops as in the video.
Bill