Open Canoers on the Green River Narrows

Eli · Post by **Eli** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 1:15 am

Congratulations are in order for Zach Dean who became the 3rd canoer to paddle through the notch and over Gorilla this past weekend. Zach is only the 2nd open boater to race the Green Narrows. I know there are enough of us with the skills to field a full class of 5 next November. Let's plan on some training time during the Ain't Louiefest gathering.

Atucky · Post by **Atucky** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 2:10 pm

I was definately shocked to see two open boats at the put in for the race this weekend. I was taking out from my upper green run (was in my spanish fly). I managed to walk out to my car, drive over to the trail to the narrows, and walk down (didn't realize how far that walk was). I missed you guys run gorilla, but did see the guy in the spanish fly run sunshine, and that was well worth the walk.

Glad to hear you weren't the only open boater racing this year, and congrats Zach!

Adam

Atucky · Post by **Atucky** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 3:24 pm

Here are some great shots of the Zach and Eli at Gorilla

http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/OrderPa ... 172&po=172

http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/OrderPa ... 272&po=272

Nice shot of Will also:

http://www.photoreflect.com/pr3/OrderPa ... 0059&po=59

squeakyknee · Post by **squeakyknee** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 3:57 pm

SWEET!!! perhaps one of these days I will have the skill/balls to take on the Narrows.
Glad to see more than one OC in the race this year.
Do they group you guys with the rest of the C-1's?
Maybe I can get down there in the Spring for a Green "Light" run and see if my nerves can handle it...
May take the Zephyr to the Upper Gauley this weekend for a low water run..

Alden · Post by **Alden** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 6:04 pm

Will, you went really fast! Great run. As for the open boats, I'm a little surprised that more guys haven't run the Notch. Three, four guys -- ever? Weird. It doesn't seem that hard to keep the bow up and stay relatively dry through there. I don't know. I mean, I won't be doing it anytime soon in open boat, but I'm still surprised.

Alden

CosmikDebris · Post by **CosmikDebris** » Mon Nov 05, 2007 7:17 pm

Thanks Alden, it was fun. I couldn't believe that Hepp came in having been to the green a handful of times since the '05 race and did so well!
will

Open Gate · Post by **Open Gate** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 2:33 pm

Looks like a fun run, a lot of OC paddlers from Qc would run this !!!

Distance beying the main factor... and having so many awsome runs in our backyards keeps us away from your good stuff.

We'll get there some day, don't worry !

c1swim · Post by **c1swim** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 2:47 pm

I remember a photo of someone running Gorilla in a Viper 11.
It was part of Mohawks' literature that they sent me in 2000.
Can't seem to find it, but I have it somewhere.
Who was it? anyone?

Randy Dodson · Post by **Randy Dodson** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 3:03 pm

I remember that photo.

For some reason the name Dale Johnson comes to mind.

Post by **sbroam** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 6:19 pm

Yep - that was Dale. Nice a guy as you would meet, in other words a typical C-boater

squeakyknee · Post by **squeakyknee** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 10:05 pm

sbroam wrote: Nice a guy as you would meet, in other words a typical C-boater

Does that mean that Marshall and I are Atypical

the great gonzo · Post by **the great gonzo** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 10:50 pm

it all depends on your definition of 'Nice'...

...

martin a.k.a. the great gonzo!

cheajack · Post by **cheajack** » Tue Nov 06, 2007 11:14 pm

So not to hijack the thread but I have been wondering about the Open Boat history on the Green Narrows. I know Jimmy Holcombe, father of this year's winner, Andrew, ran the Green in the early 70's in a 16' ABS open boat carrying Sunshine and the Monkey but running the rest of the meat. It wasn't racing and I'm sure it was bank scouted to the max. Should we start another thread along these lines or continue it here?

CosmikDebris · Post by **CosmikDebris** » Wed Nov 07, 2007 1:24 pm

We should start a new thread. I'm curious too, especially if anyone had ever OC2'd it before us...

Dooleyoc-1 · Post by **Dooleyoc-1** » Wed Nov 07, 2007 3:58 pm

Green River Canoeing History

Back in the day (1970's?):

I think Jim Holcombe and Frank Bell and others attempted to canoe the Green but the version of the stories I heards was that their boats got pinned/destroyed/trapped under undercuts on all of their attempts and they never really made it past Frankenstein.

After this the river was pretty much written off as un-runnable

Rediscovered 1988(?)

Around 1988 or '89 a hard core group of kayakers from NOC discovered that there was a dam release class V steep creek that runs almost all year. The second group down in this period included David "Psycho" Simpson who was padlding a 13' 6" Dagger Encore canoe at the time. Psycho was boating with Woody Calloway. When they got to Gorrila they determined it was runnable but they portaged and Woody said "whoever runs that will have to have balls the size of a gorilla" hence the famous name of the rapid now.

Psycho ended up running the Green over 100 times and was the first canoeist to run the majority of the rapids including Gorrila and sunshine. Psycho led other canoeists like Bailey Johnson and Louie Lewis down the river in this time period during the Green Summer of 1991.

Mid 90's
During the Mid 90's canoeists Marshal Fox, Jeff Richards and Dale Johnson ran the green in their white viper 11's and fired up the monkey (minus the notch). Jim Little ran it a bunch in this time period too.

1997? Around this time Mark Scriver came down from Canada and fired up the notch for the first time in a cut down ocoee. Around this time Eli Helbert also raced the Green in a Viper 11.

2001 Psycho led me down for my first run of the Green in December. I ran the monkey for the first time in 2004. I think I have around 25 Green runs.

2007- Will Lyons paddles the Green tandem and styles Go Left. Zach Dean becomes the second canoeist to compete in the Green race. Very sick.

C-Forum

Open Canoers on the Green River Narrows

Open Canoers on the Green River Narrows

very nice

link to pics

boatin