Christmas in January

Today, it was like Christmas all over again. I took delivery of a brand new 2008 Jackson Mega Rocker. I had purchased a 2007 model back in the fall but had a warranty issue on December 29, 2007...the hull cracked under the seat. I had called Jackson and talked to Mark about the issue. He informed me there would be no problem with replacing the boat but it would be a few weeks since Jackson was in the process of making some outfitting changes to the 2008 models. They wanted to wait till they had everything dialed in just right before releasing the 2008 product to the public. I was patient but felt like a kid being deprived of candy. My good buddy Gary was good enough to let me borrow his Liquid Logic Jefe Grande for the time being since he dislocated his shoulder on the same day my boat broke. He is unable to paddle since he has some nerve damage in his arm and needs time to heal. I'm still trying to figure out if his dislocation was bad for him or good for me;-)

So here it is, the 2008 Jackson Mega Rocker!

At 8' 6" long, 27" wide, and 93 gallons of volume, this boat is ready to boof, drop, or to just keep going when the situation gets crazy.

Though it's a large boat, it turns with ease and doesn't paddle like the Titanic.

The biggest 2008 improvement is the new seat tray. Previous models only had a small support beam that ran the length of the boat. When running the rapids, every time I slide over a rock, the pressure was put on this 1 inch wide beam. That' just not enough support. The 2008 models kept the 1 inch beam but also added a 6 inch wide support tray under the beam. This will support the boat much better by distributing the weight over a larger area. I think this was definately a positive step for Jackson Kayak. They also added a hose clamp on the front of the seat to really lock it into place.

This has to be the shiniest kayak I've ever seen. JK claims to have polished the molds...well they sure did. I'm gonna work on trying to keep the bottom side down so I don't scratch the shiny surface of the top. We'll see how this 2008 Jackson Mega Rocker holds up.

Till next time...pray for rain.

Low Water Cheoah

With no natural flow close to Knoxville, Anton, Todd, and I decided to go do a low water Cheoah run at just under 600cfs. With the water being low, we chose to only run the last 2 miles of the run from the forestry service road to the lake. This section of the Cheoah channels well to provide some technical creeking. The Big Un's middle double drop line was still runnable at this level and that seemed to be the line of choice for most boaters.

Brandon running the middle double drop line of the Big Un

Anton running the middle double drop line of the Big Un

This day I borrowed Gary's Liquidlogic Jefe Grande again since Jackson Kayak still has not replaced my broken Mega Rocker. I hope to get a new boat later this week. Even though the water temperature was quite cold, it was a great day to be on the river with many friends including a large crew from Knoxville (Tera, Tony, Tom, and too many others to mention).

Till next time...pray for rain!

Plateau Creekin'

On Saturday, there was still plenty of water on the Cumberland Plateau. Anton and I headed to Crooked Fork near Wartburg, Tennessee. This run offers the 20 ft LaMance Falls, 18 ft Potter's Falls, and the 10 ft Lower Potter's Falls. While scouting LaMance Falls, we were joined by another group of boaters that included Mark Hammock, Owen, Hunter, and others. After scouting the drop for a while we decided to fire it up. Anton went first with a line to the right of the rock finger. Owen sailed it straight down the middle without any effort boofing hard and landing flat. Mark got pushed left and went off the falls on the left landing on the rock shelf that lurks below without injury. Then, it was my turn. I entered a little too far left, then the current pushed me further left. A quick backstroke to bring the bow around and one final boof stroke and I was off the lip a little to the left of the rock finger. I cleared the rock shelf at the bottom but only by a small margin. As I was landing, my left paddle blade slid down the rock shelf.

Brandon running LaMance Falls 1/12/2008

Anton and I continued down to Potter's Falls for a launch then portaged Lower Potter's Falls. The rest of the crew took out here while Anton and I continue down to our shuttle vehicle at Camp Austin on the Emory River.



Sunday, Anton, Caleb, and I went to paddle Daddy's Creek. This was a first run for me and Caleb and the second run for Anton. We met up with Mark Hammock and Owen at the takeout and shuttled to the put-in for a run. The gauge was 1.9ft on the put-in gauge which is just over 600cfs. I was thinking that this "low flow" surely wouldn't be difficult but to my surprise, Daddy's Creek is a stout run. There was some big holes and Rattlesnake was very constricted which brought strong eddy lines, boils, and swirls. The water was very blue and the scenery was amazing. Daddy's Creek gorge is lined with steep cliffs on both sides. It's an amazing place!

This past weekend brought plenty of water to the Southeast. I just hope the weather pattern keeps up as it's brought some great creeking opportunities to the boaters of the Southeast.

Island Creek Creeking

I got up this morning thinking about the ton of rain East Tennessee and the Cumberland Plateau received thinking that there was no way I would be able to leave work and go boating. After a few phone calls, I was able leave work just after 1pm to go to Island Creek in the Obed/Emory System. Anton and I showed up at the bridge gauge to find a nice level.

Gary came along to run shuttle as he is recovering from a shoulder dislocation a few weeks ago. With my Jackson Mega Rocker having some warranty issues, I borrowed Gary's Liquidlogic Jefe Grande...and what a sweet boat it is.

We headed downstream to find a quiet narrow gorge with clear water and nice slides into holes. We scouted the class IV Compound Fracture and scouted the sliding ledge near the end of the run.

Island Creek is a crown jewel of the Obed/Emory Watershed. It's full of slides and non-stop creeking action. I am home now with a big smile on my face just thinking about what a great creek Island Creek really is.

2007 Year End Review

2007 has come and gone. I decided last January to start keeping up with every day that I paddled, what river I ran, and other key information. Looking back, it was an amazing year for me even though most of the Southeastern US was in a severe drought. I paddled 54 days and 318 miles. I had 5 swims and 4 personal first descents.

2007 also rung in a 1 year anniversary since having shoulder surgery in May 2006 to repair a torn labrum. The year proved a much stronger shoulder and an ability to boat class IV whitewater again. Looking back, I am very glad I had the surgery. September brought a return trip to the Upper Gauley since my personal first descent of the Upper Section in September 2005 which was prior to my injury. October also brought back a return trip to the Russell Fork Gorge since prior to my injury too.

2007 brought 4 new personal first descents. January brought my first adventure down the Suicide Section of Little River Canyon in Alabama, September brought the Upper Youghiogheny in Maryland, and December brought the North Fork of the French Broad in North Carolina and the Middle Fork of the Little Pigeon (Greenbriar) in Tennessee.

November 2007 shocked the paddling community. Georgia Power decided not to release water for the November releases down Tallulah Gorge State Park due to a severe drought in the area. The Tallulah River was only running 25 cfs.

March 3, 2007 brought back memories and completed an adventure that had started in September 2006...the first known completed descent of Saint Mary's River in Virginia. Adam Goshorn and I did the first descent in September 2006 but found the river's major rapids too high to run. In March, Adam Goshorn, Dustin Bunch, John Howard, and myself went back and ran all the rapids.

The First Ledge on Saint Mary's River, Virginia

In 2008, I am looking to strengthen my paddling skills toward more consistent class IV and class V rivers. I am hoping to return to North Chickamauga, in Chattanooga, Tennessee, this year and to run the Tiney Piney near Rockwood, Tennessee. Well see what the water brings our way!