We just got home from a wonderful end of season adventure. While none of our visits were on Wild and Scenic rivers, much fun was had.
The adventure began with me driving from Clayton, Georgia to Confluence, Pennsylvania. I got a later start than I wanted on Monday, so I stopped off in the Cherokee National Forest to sleep for the night. No need to setup camp, I slept in the back of my Xterra and snuggled with the rolled-up raft. I woke up the next morning, made a cup of coffee with my Aeropress and boogied down the road. A quick stop in West Virginia near Fayetteville for a bike ride to break up the monotony of driving, and then the final push to land in Confluence. Not that long of a drive compared to some I have done but I was not mentally prepared for nearly nine hours cumulatively in the car. Felt good to land at a lovely Airbnb and see some beautiful smiles from friends, Chip and Scooter, fellow Chattooga guides.
The plan: R2 with Chip down the Upper Youghiogheny River, a Class IV-V run through boulder fields. Chip and I had never R2’d together and neither of us had seen the river before. With fast, technical whitewater ahead, I was nervous, excited and calm. The Yough is the first technical Class IV+ river I have paddled other than the Chattooga. I had no idea what to expect and had doubts of my knowledge and skill outside of the Chattooga.
The day starts with two or so miles of flat water. A gentle float on a wide shallow river. Conversation between boats, a few old Southeastern guides spotted the borrowed raft and started discussions of whitewater and what fun we were about to have, being the first time down The Upper Yough. About the time your brain has completely let go of the anxiety and accepted the gentle float we turn a bend and see the beginning. Boulders strewn all over the river, water vanishing below the horizon line, the fun begins. Immediately, Chip and I are communicating with minimal words and relying on reading and running the same lines. We sync up and stomp the day. Six miles of boulder fields, twisting, driving, dropping, slot shooting madness. After running it two days in a row I still have no idea where “Charlie’s Choice” rapid is and I’ve been told it’s the only proper Class V on the run. Absolutely incredible river to play on.
There are no words that describe the flow state I achieve while paddling whitewater. Alas, I must try. Everything in the universe disappears except what is directly in front of me. Intense focus committed to reading water on the fly and allowing my body to thoughtlessly paddle the boat. Normally, the adjective “Thoughtless”, is of negative connotation. In these moments, it is beautiful, tranquil. I am not thinking about what I need to do with my paddle or what the water is doing, my body and mind meld into one powerful tool, and I get to go for the ride. The catch: The Upper Youghiogheny River is dam release. The water is released for three hours on release days, which in peak season is on weekends and for one week a year. It is beautiful that we have access to it and makes me wonder what the Youghiogheny River would look like if it was a wild river, no dam to control the flow. With most of my time on the Chattooga, it is fascinating to see and experience a river that has an on/off switch. For dam-controlled rivers, the flow is governed. Release days send a prescribed amount of water down stream, the same cubic feet per second for the entirety of the release. And then, the water disappears, and the river returns to a mere trickle compared to release flows.
After seeing and paddling the Chattooga at low-ish water one day and then paddling flood stage a couple days later and experiencing the many personalities Mama Chattooga has, it saddens me to know the dam released rivers such as the Upper Youghiogheny have been stripped of their personalities.
My time on the Upper Yough taught me a few things. Most importantly, the skills I have acquired guiding on the Chattooga absolutely translate to other rivers. I know that may seem obvious; however my brain can instill doubt in the unknown. I now know that I can indeed paddle big, technical whitewater safely and have a blast doing it. I’m stoked on purchasing a raft and playing on more rivers and sharing it with you.
More to come on the rest of the trip! Keiko comes to play!
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