Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Wolf Creek, AL 2020

Wolf Creek flows east off of Lookout Mountain, one drainage south of where Little River exits the mountain and makes its way into Wiess Lake. Just like Little River itself, Wolf Creek also now ends up in Wiess Lake, but historically, before the lake was built, it would have been a tributary that confluenced with the Little prior to Little River’s confluence with the Coosa.

This short, 1.7 mile run, starts out as a mostly flat, meandering stream through farmlands for about a half a mile before a massive horizonline indicates the arrival at a huge monstrosity of a rapid that begins the whitewater section. Although the big drop does get run in its entirety occasionally, more conservative boaters can slide into the second half and still enjoy the less dangerous part of this twisting, bedrock flume. Below the big drop there is about a mile of quality boulder gardens before the creek flattens back out in the last 0.2 miles before the take-out bridge.

There are two Wolf Creeks in the area, so to avoid confusion, this one is often referred to as “Wolf outside the canyon”, or just “Wolf Outside” as opposed to “Wolf inside the canyon” which flows steeply into Little River Canyon on river right about half way down the Upper Two section. Wolf Outside is also a step down in difficulty in comparison, being mostly Class IV, except the obviously huge Class V option of running the big drop from the top.

This run can be a great option for paddlers arriving in the area to run Johnnies Creek and finding it on the high side. Anytime Johnnies Creek is over 2” on the painted paddlers gauge it is very likely Wolf Outside is running… and it is a short, 5 minute drive away.

Until Next Time...

-adam

kayak session

Friday, January 15, 2021

Russell Fork 2020

The annual October migration to the Russell Fork was one of the only things that has felt normal in 2020. I ended up getting nine runs over the course of two different weekends, including a run at low flows on a Friday when there was not a scheduled release. So, rather than an edit that just showed all of the rapids in order, it seemed a lot more fun to just mix everything up into a short, booftastic, highlight reel that showed various lines at various levels with almost none of them in sequential order. Check it out!


Until Next Time...

-adam

kayak session

Colorado Quickie 2020

With our original summer plans upended, it was beginning to look like western paddling just wasn’t going to happen in 2020. However, after an uncertain May came and went, Mikel Carr and I starting kicking around the idea of a short to CO in late June. It all came together at the last minute and our mutual friend Edgar Peck was able to join us as well. The three of us enjoyed 8 days of quality boating bookended by two, 24-hour straight drives. 

Being in CO well past the early peak flows this year meant we did a lot less driving around the state than many years and ultimately decided to basecamp just outside of Buena Vista and day-trip out from there to hit a variety of different runs within a two-hour radius of our campsite. Not moving camp resulted in the whole trip having a much more relaxed pace and really feeling more like a vacation than some years, with plenty of time to enjoy beers and hang out together.


Until Next Time...

-adam

kayak session

Daddy-Daughter Fusion Duo - Part II: Hiwassee River, TN

Lulu and my second time out in the Pyranha Kayaks Fusion Duo was a fun day on the Hiwassee River in Tennessee. I continue to be impressed by how easy to paddle this boat is. Even with Lulu being so much lighter than me it handles great and we're becoming more and more comfortable with trying more difficult ferries, surfs, and even a few spins in a hole.


Until Next Time...

-adam

kayak session