Raft the Big South Fork of the Cumberland

For as long as I can remember, my father has always talked about wanting to take a raft down the Big South Fork of the Cumberland. Being a native of the Big South Fork area I suppose had sparked that interest. I grew up in Robbins which is only a few miles from the put-in and take-out. I didn't realize what was in my backyard until I moved away to Knoxville and got into whitewater kayaking. Wanting to help my father achieve his dream meant finding the perfect time to accomplish the task. Over the years, it had been difficult as it was either too cold or the water was too low. Today, Sunday, April 26, 2009 was the perfect day. Water levels were around 1200cfs and the air temperature was well over 80 degrees with not a cloud in the sky. What a perfect day to go rafting down the Big South Fork of the Cumberland. I borrowed a raft from a friend along with with paddles, pfd's, and helmets and headed out for our adventure. The participants included my father Carlie Hughett Jr, my two newphews Cody and Josh Hughett, my brother-in-law Nicholas Botts and his girlfriend Joanna. Steve Krajewski came along also with his kayak to be our safety boater. We would put-in at the Confluence of New River and Clear Fork and our take-out would be the O&W bridge. We would paddle about 4 1/2 miles.



The first big rapid was Double Drop which we decided to run backwards...well...we made that decision when we clipped a rock on the right and we spun off the drop backwards. We had a good recovery and we ran the rest of the rapid fine. Next up was Washing Machine which sent the bow high into the air. Then finally, the Ell would finish the big three with a great line. Other rapids were to follow like Punch in the Nose, Honey Creek Rapid, Ass Kicker, and others. We had a great day on the river. I am extremely excited that I was able to help my father fullfill his dream of running the Big South Fork of the Cumberland in a raft. It will definately be a time I'll never forget.

Till next time, pray for rain!

Easter in the House of Tallulah 4-12-2009

What a great place to spend a beautiful Easter Sunday on the river...Tallulah Gorge State Park in Tallulah Falls, Georgia. Anton Stevens, Tom Rannells, John Eskew, and myself met up for an Easter run on one of the South's crown jewels. This would be Tom's first run of the gorge.

Tallulah Gorge, Photo by Anton Stevens

Put-In, Photo by Anton Stevens

Oceana Falls, Photo by Anton Stevens

Over the years, Tallulah has dished out it's share of beatings and this day would not be any different. Tom's "Last Step" would prove to be more than a baby step and the Gautlet didn't let up for him either. Overall though, we all had good lines and sunny warm skies on this Easter Day.

Our Stunt Boater...Tom...on the last rock at the lip of Bridal Veil Falls. I know this rock well as it was a last resort for me last year, Photo by Anton Stevens

Till next time, pray for rain.

The Return to Cain/North Chick! 3/27/2009

The first time I had ever paddled Cain/North Chick was about 5 years ago. It was probably the most challenging run I had ever paddled. Adam Goshorn, Todd Scott, and Mark Woods were along for what would be a very strenuous day for me. That trip included me running all the rapids including Vortex on Cain Creek but I ran the sneak at North Chick Falls. After putting on late in the day and blue angeling almost the entire run, we made it to the takeout as it was starting to get dark. Adam and I have talked ever since that day that someday we needed to get back in there to see what we blasted by. Well Friday, 3/27,09, was my day to make by second descent of Cain/North Chick. Adam had to work and was unable to come but there was plenty of folks along. Tony Robinson, Justin Cullars, Tera Wilson, Robert Keeble, and three paddlers from Indiana were along for the ride. Several others from Knoxville were also on the river in a seperate group. The level was perfect at just over 800cfs.

Brandon running North Chick Falls. Photo by Kemper Begley.

I had forgotten just how beautiful Cain Creek is. With it's sliding ledges through the woods and it's big drops, it just kept going and going. I ran Big Splat but decided to portage Vortex. We paddled on down to Drain Pipe and I saw some very interesting lines. My favorite was when Tera had a tango with the entrance drop, rolled up at the top of Drain Pipe and launched off the drop blind. Venturing on down North Chick, we dodged massive holes and saw some good carnage of other paddlers. We all fired up North Chick Falls but my line was probably the worst. I flipped in the landing and got pushed into an undercut ledge and was unable to roll up. Yes...I swam. We ran the main lines of all the rapids. I even ran the hero line at Cyclops. I am very happy that I got to run Cain/North Chick once again and can't wait to go back. It's a long challenging run but well worth the effort.

Here's a Facebook video that Tera took of me running Big Splat on Cain Creek.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1645624&op=1&o=global&view=global&subj=1468250667&id=741873363#/video/video.php?v=1123604051387&subj=1468250667

Till next time, pray for rain!

Little Clear Creek and Crooked Fork 3/16/2009

After running Little Clear Creek at at juicy level on 3/15/09, myself, Steve Krajewski, Ken, Mary Ann and Doug headed to Little Clear Creek for a lower level run at 1.8ft. It was a much less pushy level but still a lot of fun!Brandon running the first drop of Triple Drop. Photo by Doug and Mary Ann.

Brandon running the third drop of Triple Drop. Photo by Doug and Mary Ann.

Brandon seal launching Novicane. Photo by Doug and Mary Ann.



Brandon running Oh Yeah! Photo by Doug and Mary Ann.




Brandon flying off Oh Yeah! Photo by Doug and Mary Ann.



Brandon landing after boofing Oh Yeah! Photo by Doug and Mary Ann.



Brandon running Boofalicous. Photo by Doug.


After a great run on Little Clear Creek, Steve, Ken, and I headed to Upper Crooked Fork. We put-on at LaMance Falls at 5.5ft and paddled down to Potter's Falls. It was a great level and we had great lines off Potter's Falls. That was all the day light we had and we headed home.

Till next time, pray for rain because it's really working!

Island Creek and High Water Little Clear Creek

Today was a good day for plateau creeking. With a lot of plateau creeks flooded, I headed to Island Creek to see if was running. To my surprise, it was running just below 0.5ft on the put-in bridge gauge.

What starts as a calm, mellow creek turns into a fun class 3 continuous whitewater run after the first mile or so. Photo by Steve Krajewski.

Island Creek was a zoo with so many boaters, many of which I knew. We briefly scouted Compound Fracture and all ran it with descent lines. This is Brandon entering Compound Facture. Photo by Steve Krajewski

Kemper completing Compound Fracture. Photo by Steve Krajewski

Jim entering Compound Fracture. Photo by Steve Krajewski

After running 2 laps on Island Creek, several of us headed to Little Clear Creek. We were told it was too high and pushy. We decided to put on anyway with thoughts that we could hike out on the adjacent trail if we got in over our heads. The level was 2.7ft on the put-in gauge. Triple Drop was very pushy and fast but runnable. There was so many rooster tails and water flying, I had a complete whiteout upon entering the second drop. The rest of the drops were good to go. I'd definately run Little Clear Creek again at this level but not sure if I'd run it much higher.

Till next time, pray for rain!

Johnnies Creek Fun

It had been Spring of 2006 since the last time I had paddled Northern Alabama's Johnnies Creek which is a tributary of Little River Canyon. The last time I was there was shortly after my shoulder dislocation. That was when I had my famous shoulder strap to keep me from redislocating my arm again. Up until Saturday, I had never paddled Johnnies above 0" on the put-in bridge gauge. But on Saturday, February 28, 2009, I paddled it at 3" above 0.

I was a little nervous at what I might find on this whitewater gem this day. I was expecting massive holes and out of control rapids. But upon further inspection, it was a very manageable level. Lines opened up more clearly as the boulders that I used to dodge were all covered and the famous slides of Johnnies went from being scrappy to being down right fun. There were a few holes to contend with but most were avoidable and some rapids even had alternate lines to avoid the toughest parts. The main event though had to be the Big Slide. At levels below 0", the Big Slide was a scrappy, bouncy slide to the bottom. But on this day, it was a smooth FAST blazing ride that I didn't think would end. Let me say that again, it was a FAST ride to what seemed to be a never ending slide. I portaged the class V Gorilla Constrictor but think I will run it another day with similar water levels.

After running Johnnies at 0" and below and now +3", I don't think I ever want to run it at 0" or below again. This run needs water to make it fun. I can't wait till the next time it rises to 3 or 4" again!

Sorry I didn't get any pictures. I was having too much fun on this non-stop whitewater creek. But you can look at some low water pics on American Whitewater at http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River_detail_id_2897_.

Till next time, pray for rain!

Mexican Whitewater Adventure

Thanksgiving Day brought more to me this year than having turkey with the family. It brought a 30 hour drive to Ciudad de Valles, Mexico to go kayaking. Matt Wallace and Alex Zendal joined me for the drive across the border to meet up with Adam Goshorn, Jon Crain, Jordan, and Leigh. We ran several rivers over an 8 day period including Cascadas Micos, El Salto, Gallinas, Santa Maria, Ojo Frio, and El Rio Verde. This would be the first time I had ever left the borders of the United States and what a trip it turned out to be. Just for your information, if you ever drive to Mexico, you should learn the spanish word "Tope." If you don't, you'll soon find out what it means when your vehicle goes airborne on the highway and your head hits the ceiling after you jump a speed bump or should I say a speed mountain.

Upon arrival, we did some laps on Cascadas Micos. I then collapsed in the bed of my truck for a nap since I hadn't slept much during our 30 hour drive.

The next day we went to the El Salto where we ran El Luminosa and other travertine drops. El Luminosa is probably the highest drop I've ever ran but the landing was very soft.

Another drop on El Salto.

While Adam, Matt, Jon, and Jordan ran the upper sections of the Santa Maria, Alex, Leigh, and I ran the 12-mile Gallinas which consisted of a lot of flatwater through sugar cane fields with waterfalls scattered throughout.

Shuttles were quite interesting sometimes. This was the shuttle to the Upper Santa Maria where we overloaded my Nissan Truck. We managed to load 7 boats on top, 6 people inside, one person in the back along with all our gear. This shuttle took nearly 3 hours one-way.

This was one of the larger rapids on the Santa Maria. That's me dropping into a rather juicy hole. I hate to admit...it got me. As I was swimming out of this hole, Alex threw me a rope to pull me away from the undercut rocks everywhere. He instructed me to not worry about my boat and just grap the rope. I yelled to him, "I gotta have my boat!" I did not want my boat to go in a cave or under a rock because down river was the only way out of this canyon. I managed to grab my boat and he pulled both of us in.

This was the takeout for the Santa Maria. It was probably the most impressive waterfall that I have ever seen. From left to right is: Alex, Leigh, Adam, Me, Jon, Matt, and Jordan.

Then for the climb out which involved wooden ladders up the 300ft cliffs beside the Cascadas Tamul.

The next day we did the Ojo Frio which was a fun class 3 travertine creek through sugar cane fields followed by us running the Rio Verde the following day. Matt and Jordan fired up a 40 footer on the Rio Verde.

We ran the Cascadas Micos on the morning of our departure back to the US.

One of the last drops on the Cascadas Micos.

Our trip home took a little longer than our trip to Mexico. While we were in Mexico, my truck lost a lot of power. I decided to try to make it out of Mexico with the truck and hope to get it fixed in the US. On our way home our top speed was 60-65mph on level ground or down hill. We did 45 up-hill. It took us over 38 hours to get home. I put the truck in the shop to find a clogged fuel filter. The truck has 220,000 miles on it and it did great until we drove the bumpy roads of Mexico. I feel the rough roads knocked a lot of dirt and sediment loose in the gas tank and it stopped up the fuel filter.

I am glad to be back in the English speaking United States of America but I am sure I will return to Mexico someday to try what little spanish I know with the Mexicans. Until next time, continue to pray for rain because it's working!