Ocoee Weekend
| River: | Ocoee |
| Skill: | Intermediate |
| Trip Date: | 05/13/2022 |
I’ve had a long Spring, and was looking forward to my first chance on the Ocoee this year. While we started out with eight signed up, we lost three in the last couple of days to other causes. One due to a sudden onset of Mother’s Day, another for reasons unknown. While I’ve been on Ocoee trips with up to 17, 5 is a much better number.
The weather forecast for Saturday updated to 57 degrees and raining. I pulled into Thunder Rock early Friday evening to find Joe camped on my left, and Mike and Mark on my right. They’d managed to time their earlier arrival to torrential rain. I had carefully planned my arrival (meaning my plan is often relying on dumb luck) on a break in the weather. Jasmine and Marlys wandered over, camped just across the way. Marlys, not paddling, offered to assist with shuttle in the morning. We all chatted a while before more rain drove us to our tents.
Due to the cooler temps, we gathered up and headed over to the put-in at 10 am Saturday. With a plan to launch at the Rails, we juggled people and cars to let Mike, Mark, and Joe drop their boats directly at the Rails as we set shuttle. Marlys headed out to a day of hiking.
While we had a roll right after we put on (one of those trip coordinator, “Oh no this is not off to a good start” moments) we had only a few rolls here and there. We took a break above each rapid to discuss lines and alternatives. Raft and private boater traffic was surprisingly and welcomingly light. Until we wanted it.
Enough fun was had the first time that four of us (Mark, Joe, Jasmine, and myself) ran a second lap. Most people eddy out river left below Moonshoot. Leaving that eddy there’s a small curler that looks like nothing (nearby playboaters will change that impression). I typically warn people to pay attention to the curler as “really flippy”. Someone didn’t listen to me.
The most eventful moment of the run was Jasmine’s successful roll in the meat of Tablesaw, after a solid hit on Ejector Rock. A nearby raft broke into wild applause.
Ironically, the warmer air temps on Sunday made the water feel colder. Starting an hour earlier to give folks a head start on their trip home, we repeated the shuttle plan from the prior day. Marlys headed over to the lake for some flatwater paddling.
On the first Sunday run, in Staging Eddy a raft paddled over to ask Jasmine, “Was that you yesterday in Tablesaw? That was awesome!” Well-deserved praise – she has a gash in her helmet from that roll.
Jasmine ran a second lap with me on Sunday as Joe, Mike, and Mark headed home.
I think across the four runs we had three swims (along with a fair number of rolls). At one point Mike looked at me meaningfully and said, “Well, only one more roll to go”. I thanked him for volunteering.
The most notable swim was Sunday morning at Gonzo Shoals. Mike missed the middle eddy and headed over the ledges. Turning to Jasmine, I told her I was going to follow him. As I went over the ledge I saw Mark flip and swim out of his boat. Joe, as sweep, managed to work Mark to nearby rocks. Mark’s boat pinned just before the middle eddy. From Jasmine’s position, there wasn’t much she could do to free the boat. Everything stable, we waited. Another 3-person crew followed shortly thereafter, and assisted in boat recovery. We took a break after that and shore scouted Broken Nose.
My other thought from the trip relates to Double Trouble. Double Trouble is three huge waves. It’s not uncommon for people to flip there, and roll up, only to get caught by the small hole (which Ian nicknamed Ninja years ago) just downstream river left that sneaks up on people as they roll back up. Just past Ninja on the river left bank is a very large, very undercut, rock. I’ve run the Ocoee many times, yet the first time I ever recall seeing it in play wasn’t until last year at WOR, where we lost a boat (and almost a person) to it. Last fall someone else also came close to going under the rock.
Nothing nearly so dramatic this time, but for people eddying left, if they catch the eddy low they’re REALLY close to that rock, with a tricky exit. I feel like there’s now a bit more water headed into (and under!) that rock from the tail of the river left eddy. Eddying out river right instead will leave the group more scattered, but stay away from that rock.
As the sun finally came out, I headed back home. Jasmine and Marlys stayed to enjoy one more day.
Thanks everyone!