“I Really Want to Run This”
| River: | Little |
| Skill: | Advanced |
| Trip Date: | 06/07/2013 |
Paddlers: Jonathan Micancin, Adam Rieth, Morgan Randell
Tropical Storm Andrea made the Little River in Durham jump it’s banks on Friday, June 7th. Jonathan and I arrived in the middle of the day while it was still raining and the USGS gauge was headed straight straight up up. There is a description of this river on AW, but no named rapids.
On our first run we decided to scout the first big rapid as a precaution because the water level was higher than we were accustomed to and there were a lot of branches and logs floating down the stream. There is a nice cliff on river left and for some reason there was a yellow soccer ball up there. Jonathan launched it into the rapid which I thought was strange because he is a trash picker upper, but my focus quickly returned to the task at hand. With a nod of agreement we headed back to our boats. In the top eddy there was a circling barge of floating debris that had dislodged from the rocks just while we had taken the time to scout. The water was rising rapidly. We ran big rapid#1 and big rapid #2 with no trouble and that is all there is to the Little River in Durham. We took out and began the trek through the woods trails back to the put in. When we got back to the truck and checked Jonathan’s smart phone the level turned out to be about 5 feet. We got a text from our dedicated paddling friend Adam saying that he wanted to join us after work and not to get too tired.
Jonathan and I returned to the river and watched even more wood float by in the current. The water level was up to 6ft, a foot higher from our first run. We paddle together a lot and really considered not putting on because of the risk. Jonathan told me he didn’t think I realized the seriousness of the situation and I told him that if he didn’t want to put on that I was ok with that and didn’t want him to feel pressured by me. We decided on a game plan of staying in the main of the current avoiding the strainers on the sides and bombing the run with the exception of the one 30 yard eddy which is river right at the bottom of big rapid #1. The plan was good and we executed the run with a sense of awe for how big the Little had become.
We drove out to find some grub and wound up at The Dog House drive through which did not live up to the hype. Their hot dogs are the red food coloring cheap style ones you could buy at any old grocery store. When we got back to the put in, Adam met us and had this excited look on his face. “I really want to run this” were the first words out of his mouth. He had brought his creeker and we told him it would be a better choice compared with the playboats that we had brought. We briefed him on the game plan of staying away from the sides of the river. I took lead and Jonathan sweep. We all caught the one big eddy under the first big rapid and swirled around the tree trunks there for a moment. I took note of the water level in relation to the one remaining big rock to remember it by. Peeling back out into the current we dodged some holes and were doing fine until big rapid #2. I remember dropping into a trough and facing into a boiling thing that was about up to the level of my chest. I tried to punch through but it kicked me straight back over my stern. I felt myself wash out of it and initiated a roll attempt that failed but did give me enough daylight to see that Adam had been flipped by the same feature. The second time I hit my roll but found myself in immediate and pretty powerful side surf in another big hole. This is the kind of stuff I really like to do on any normal day on any river. But today it was just a lot more hairy. I surfed my way out the side of the hole and found that our group had reformed and now Jonathan had lead, Adam was upright in between and I had sweep. We had completed the main meat of the river and now just had to take out. It was a minor adventure in itself, but we all wound up on dry land and agreed that we had better know when to walk away. The riverside trail was knee deep under flowing water which was a novelty as we began the hike back. The Little had peaked while we were out there at 6.5 feet (which is about 3000cfs).
It was only 6pm, so we went to the Flat River which is just a couple miles down on the same road. It has a splendid playspot called Bunny Hole. The level was about 5 feet and climbing. We got to see a full size tree come down the river roots first and impact against a big log that was pinned sideways on some rocks. I imagined the wild improbability of somehow winding up between the two at the exact moment of the crash. Adam showed us some quality 720 spins. We got done and all went for dinner to Los Comales (which does live up to the hype).
The next morning Adam and I returned to the scene of the crime while Jonathan stayed home doing fatherly things. The level on the Little was about 4 feet and falling. The difference was night and day. The river had gone back to being the place I would recommend anyone with a roll checking out. It is scenic and friendly at the 4 foot level. Adam and I spent almost an hour playing around in the hole at the bottom of rapid#1 and were soon joined by Eric Bortell, John Grimes, Mort Borlaz paddling C1, Bobby Simpson in his OC1, Reed somebody and somebody else. It was the most people I have ever seen on the Little river. Rapid#2 was now just a toy compared to the day before. At the takeout there was a nice riverside path again. And there at my feet lay the yellow soccer ball that Jonathan had chucked into the rapid the day before. Upon seeing it again in the back of my truck Jonathan explained that he had tossed it in to see if it would get held up in a hole and get an idea of its holding power.
After paddling the Eno with Ron Bodkin I headed out to the Haw River to complete my check off list of things to do with this weekend. The days that followed included a lot more Haw trips and many good friends. Jonathan managed to paddle 5 days straight. It was nice of you to visit Andrea.