The Bama Boys

Sand Mountain Tornado Update

2011-12-05T17:04:00.000-08:00

The weekend started as all good paddling weekends do. Friday was filled multiple phone calls speculating on levels and discussing meeting times. By that evening, I had put together a tentative plan to hook up for 3 runs on Little River Canyon with 3 different crews. All of that changed when the phone rang at 7:30 that night. It was Tyler Phillips asking me what my boating plans were for the weekend. I told him what I had in mind and his answer was, “C’mon man, the canyon, really? Isn’t anything else running?” I was a little confused. Surely, nothing else was running. It hadn’t rained in several days. I looked over the gages, saw that Town was at 600 cfs, and came back with, “We might be able to get a low water run on Flat Rock/Coon but the tornado went right through there.” We made the decision to go check it out and scope out the damage. We made a few calls to see if we could talk anyone else into going with no luck.

For those unfamiliar with this run, it is long. By the end of the day, you will have paddled about 12 miles, 7 of which are flatwater. The drops are characterized by steep congested chutes in large boulder gardens. It has been the site for multiple epics, overnighters, and hike-outs. Tyler had done the run twice and I had done it 3 and a half times (did I mention it is known for hike outs?). We had no idea about the wood situation but were hoping that the high water we had earlier in the week cleaned it out.

We set shuttle and put on at 9:00, prepared for the worst. The level at the put in was scrapey but we were happy to have low water in order to scope out the tornado damage. Within the first mile, we hit the first part of the damage. It was unbelievable. Every tree within sight was snapped off or uprooted. The character of the gorge was completely changed. You could easily see all the way up to the pasture lands on top of the gorge. We continued downstream, able to pick our way around, over and under wood only getting out twice. Once, to portage a log that was there prior to the tornado. The other wood was in a junky class III that pins most boaters. This wood is not visible from the top so approach with caution.

That old log gathered a little bit of debris

Amazingly, the wood cleaned up as soon as approached the steep section. We cautiously picked our way down the rapids, scouting everything we could.

A fun one on Flat Rock

The only wood in play on Flat Rock was in the spout line of eye of the needle. This is not the piece that was there last season and you cannot get around it. It is visible from the top and the right line is still open.

Getting turned around on the right side of Eye of the Needle

Once we got to the confluence with Coon, we felt better about our undertaking. We had made good time, the wood wasn’t as bad as expected, and the level was still low. We walked around the next rapid (landslide?) due to low water.

Sneaking some wood below the confluence

The main portage on the run looked more runnable than it has before. Less water was sieving out at the bottom and more water was in the good line. Even though it looked more doable than ever, we didn’t even think twice before walking.

Tyler drops into the pocket

I chose an alternate line

Another chunky boulder garden near the bottom

We finally arrived at my favorite rapid on the run. It is very out of character with the rest of the river. It starts off with a 4’ boof onto a big boil then slides into a clean, river-wide, ten foot ledge. This rapid had a serious piece of wood in it this is visible from the top. The portage looked miserable so we debated about ways to get around it. Tyler went first and was able to run the first ledge, drive right, wheelchair around the wood, and drive back left for the bottom drop. I followed suit with but had a little wrestling match with the wood on my way by.

The bottom of my favorite drop

With higher water, it might not be avoidable. Immediately below here, we walked around Captain Sherm’s Rapid. It needed more water.

Lead in to Captain Sherm's

We cleaned up the rest of the drops and soon we were exiting the Cave Rapid on our way to the lake.

Typical Coon Creek scenery

Into the abyss

In the backwaters, we entered more tornado damage but, again, were able to make it down without getting out of our boats. We hit the take out at 2:00 and home in time for dinner.

There is a lot of wood in Flat Rock and Coon right now so be careful in there. It will be doing a lot of moving around over the season. Also, with all of the blow down in the area, hiking out would be ridiculous. Huge thanks to Tyler for shooting pictures and getting me motivated. We will definitely be going back soon.

Sam England

Two New Kayaking Videos.....check it out

2011-03-23T07:29:00.000-07:00

Check out "killing time"- a whitewater kayaking short with footage from the southeast united states. Featuring a little obligatory Green River Narrows footage, Big Scirum Creek, Rock Creek, Tallapoosa River, and The Locust Fork of the Warrior River. See it all here creek boating, freestyle boating, and even some head cam action.

Music:Pretty Lights

Paddling:

Charlie Simmons, Ray Morton, Zach Sanders, Sam Casuey, Collin Hunt and other riders.

enjoy!

Dropping H20 - Whitewater Kayaking in Gorges State Park, NC from charlie simmons on Vimeo.

Check out some class V kayaking in western North Carolina's Jocassee Watershed (Gorges State Park Area). Including Horse Pasture River, Upper and Lower WhiteWater River, plus a little freestyle footage to glue it all together!

Music: Pretty Lights

Paddling:

Charlie Simmons, Charlie Mix, Sam England, Sam Causey, Zach Sanders, Andy Hobson, Collin Hunt, Jordan Sherman, Tyler Phillips, Will Dowling, King Charles, Ben Bernhard, and other chargers.

-enjoy

2011-01-12T10:45:00.000-08:00

The 'Bama Boys searching for goods.

2011 has started off well here in Alabama. It began with a 12 hour moving ordeal New Year’s Eve involving Andy Hobson and myself into our new house in Jacksonville, AL. Andy is here for nursing school and I am here to finish my Master’s. A solid prediction of rain in the forecast was enough motivation for us to do two days of moving in one. After a fun night of celebration and unpacking, we awoke to more rain and rising rivers. We loaded up my V-Dub and off we went for some charging.

We met up with Adam Goshorn for a quick lap down the local favorite run, Johnnies Creek. After we were warmed up, we headed up to Little River Canyon Falls for a run on the center line. The level was somewhere around 5,000 cfs, probably the most water I’ve seen in this waterfall with my own eyes. The line involved negotiating a class IVish rapid above the lip, breaking over some big holes, standing waves, and a curler above the just before lining up the horizon and boofing the 40 feet through the air over one the biggest holes I’ve ever seen. Burly indeed. I went first, and stomped it. Andy went second, over boofed, landing stern first, and looked at me with pain in his eyes. I remember him saying to me, “I can’t tell if I’m hurt or not, I’m getting out.” He paddled on down while I set safety for our boys Kevin Schaffer and Ben Bernhard who had good lines as well. After the falls, Kevin and I went back to Johnnies at sundown, which was juicing around 4 or 5 inches (the high side of almost epic) and still rising. We finished the last half in the dark and good lines were had.

LRC Falls at 5K. No other pics thanks to a dead battery.

Just so this doesn’t get too long and boring, here are the highlights that followed after New Year’s Day:

-Getting shut down on Rock Creek, scouting DeSoto Falls, and then bagging two laps on low water Johnnies.

-A quick lap on the home run, Little River Canyon, at 12 +/- inches. (Best level for the run in my opinion.)

-A solo run down Little River Canyon the following day, including the falls. I haven’t done much solo paddling, so this really sticks out to me.

After a couple days for rest, and Andy concluding that his back was not broken and was well enough to go kayaking, we went back for a chill day on our beloved canyon which was running on the low side of 0”. Once we got up there, Sam had already been looking hard at the far right line of the Falls. This line has been run several times, mostly back in the day. Local knowledge says Corran Addison knocked off the first D back in the mid ‘90s or so. More recently, a year ago some slalom boaters fired it up . These are really the only two stories that I myself have heard of people running. If my understanding serves me correctly, they both occurred a nice cush 6” or so on the former Hwy 35 Bridge gauge.

I’ve always wanted to run this line and felt like it would go at an extreme low level, like around 0”. It is however very marginal. One must start his approach and negotiate and tricky entrance that has a weird S-turn with a curler that tries to kick you off line. And you better be online, because you have about a two foot window to hit. The crux involves boofing a small kicker at the lip and landing flat in a shallow pool from the 35 feet up. The landing zone itself probably is not more than 5 feet wide with a car sized boulder to the right, some more broken rocks to your left, and the pool is no more than 4 or 5 feet deep. Marginal indeed.

Sam and I both agreed both to fire it up, with Andy opting to shoot photos and motivating obscenities due to his back injury. I volunteered to go first. I was kicked off line a bit by the curler, corrected best I could, boofed the kicker and twisted in in the air. I landed flat and my right side, and felt the rock with both my torso and my boat. Although not a direct hit, it was just enough for the rock to remind me it was there.

Sam went making corrections accordingly to the line we had discussed and he crushed it. We paddled on down LRC on a sunny beautiful Alabama winter’s day stoked not only by the previous week, but what is for sure to come this season.

Charlie Mix on the right line.

Sam crushing a boof off the kicker.

A note about the right line: Yes it obviously goes at low water, but do not even consider it unless you are prepared for the consequences if something goes wrong. These include a broke back, neck, or legs etc.

Hope everyone has good lines in 2011.

-Charlie Mix

Winter Weather Advisory

2010-12-20T12:17:00.001-08:00

Typically December is great month to be a kayaker in Alabama. Frequent rainfall and mild temperatures usually result in lots of river days without much discomfort. However, December 2010 started out with a deep freeze that swept mercilessly across the southeastern United States. Alabama is typically around five to ten degrees warmer than the rest of the southeast paddling scene, but even here nighttime temperatures dipped into the single digits and daytime temperatures stayed below freezing for days on end.

What’s a paddler to do when the water is low and the weather is unkind? The same thing we do the rest of the year, of course! Go kayaking! The lack of rainfall has left many rivers too low, but Little River Canyon in the northeastern corner of Alabama remains runnable at quite low flows. A trip down Little River Canyon at higher flows is usually characterized by pushy water and big holes (lots of fun in its own right). However, at low flows it channelizes between the huge boulders and creates a run that is more the style of a low volume creek and is a local favorite when most other rivers in the region are too low.

The follow video features Little River Canyon at around 250 CFS. This is about the minimum flow that all the rapids can still be paddled, portage free. Although Terminal Eddy is often walked at such low flows (risk to reward ratio is a little off on that one). The video also features all the mandatory elements to EVERY paddling video you’ve EVER seen… sped up footage of the sky/shuttle/hiking, shameless gear plugs, slow-mo boofing, post credits bonus footage, and even a little carnage. Formulaic, I know, but there is a reason paddling videos follow such a predictable path, because paddlers like them that way.

Additional footage of winter paddling in Alabama is featured in latest issue of LVM, which is available now. See a preview and order LVM 35 “Love Thyself “ here.

Until Next Time…

-Adam Goshorn

Alabama Awakening: Fall 2010

2010-12-02T15:53:00.001-08:00

The fall of 2010 has been especially dry in the southeastern United States, leaving boaters to rely on dam release runs we waiting for the rains to return. For north Alabama, the fall of 2010 has been the exact opposite of the fall of 2009. In 2009 the rains came back in force in mid September and provided consistent natural flow into early June 2010. However, at the end of the first week of June, things dried up and there have been very few natural flow events since… until this week!

Early this week, northern Alabama received around four inches of rain over the course of two days. By Tuesday morning the ground was thoroughly saturated and the rain was still coming down in copious sheets. Despite the formerly low water table, rivers and creeks everywhere sprang to life. Flows in Little River Canyon went from 50 CFS to 8,000 CFS in less than a day. As the rivers emerged from there long hibernation, so did the network of boaters across the southeast. I think I received more calls, e-mails, and text about boating in two days than I did in the previous two months combined; everyone was beyond amped!

Leaving work a little after noon I met Cliff Knight at the put-in for Chinquapin Creek, AL. The classic section of Chinquapin drops a whopping 350 feet over only 0.75 miles as it falls into Little River Canyon. The last time I had paddled Chinquapin, I wondered about what the creek may contain in the couple of miles upstream of the traditional put-in. The gradient was milder, but the upper sections other local creeks all had favorable bedrock features so I had to wonder why no one had ever checked it out. Cliff and I debated for a few minutes before concluding that anything was worth doing once and the only way to really know what was there was to go paddle it!

My expectations were pretty low as we put on, but I couldn’t help but feel that excitement that always comes from paddling into the unknown. I love exploration and finding out what is around the next bend, especially when you really have no idea what you will find (in this situation, I was fully expecting to find a tree choked portage fest). As it turned out, we were presently surprised to find that Upper Chinquapin was a fun class III-IV run with no portages for wood. A mix of bedrock slides and small boulder style rapids reminded us both of the characteristics of Johnnies Creek AL (only a couple miles away), but significantly easier.

We made our way down in less than two hours, mostly boat scouting with a couple of bank scouts at blind rapids. After our successful run of Upper Chinquapin Creek we followed it up with a quick sprint down Upper Teddy Bear Creek (just a couple of miles north), finishing shortly before dark.

The following day my friend Kim shot a little video of me taking my lunch break from work…

Until Next Time...

-adam goshorn

California 2010

2010-07-29T10:27:00.000-07:00

Early Season California 2010 from jordan sherman on Vimeo.

Check it out in HD!

California...Alabama Style. Luke, Crisler and I had a fun time shooting this. We don't take ourselves too seriously, and I think it definitely shows at moments. Thanks for watching.

Extra... Extra...

2010-07-26T15:56:00.001-07:00

I've got a couple new videos in the works, but in the course of making them there was some pretty good footage left over that I didn't use. I hated to not use some of it, so I put together this little video with all the extra stuff. Its just compiled from some filming this past winter/spring on the Tellico, Johnnies and Little River Canyon. Enjoy!

Winter B-Roll from Adam Goshorn on Vimeo.

Until Next Time...

-adam

A December to Remember. Part 2: From the Grand to Mexico

2010-04-15T09:12:00.000-07:00

Below: Owen Lucas by Jon Miller

We awoke before dawn, packed up camp in the dark, and put on the river in the first few minutes of daylight. It was our final day on the Grand Canyon and the short float to the take-out went smoothly, but the rest of the day was a harsh baptism back into the outside world. As we began the arduous process of de-rigging everything, the shuttle service arrived with our vehicles. As they pulled up we could immediately hear the air escaping from one of the rear tires on my truck. Apparently sharp rocks in the final creek crossing had cut my tire just as they arrived at the take-out. Welcome back to civilization.

Below: Christine Boush by Adam Goshorn

Eventually we managed to pack everything into our two trucks and we made long drive up Diamond Creek Road reaching the pavement an hour later. Not wanting to be driving around without a spare, I stopped by the Hualapai maintenance department to have my tire repaired. Somehow our second vehicle missed our stop and with no cell service in the area they started back towards Flagstaff planning to meet us there. With my tire repaired we were about 30 minutes into the drive to Flagstaff when one of my trailer tires shredded. Not only was the tire destroyed, but since it happened at about 70 miles per hour, it also badly mangled the wheel well. We finally got back on the road after an hour of beating, banging, and bending the wheel well back into place and then putting on the spare trailer tire. Welcome back to civilization, part two.

Below: Adam, Chris, Owen and Jon by Kim Rudge

We met up with the rest of the crew in Flagstaff, unloaded gear, and took our first showers in two weeks. We hit the town for a celebratory dinner and by the second beer of the evening we were laughing off the troubles of the day. The following morning we said our goodbyes and the various factions of our group went our separate ways. Two headed back to Utah for the winter, two heading back to Virginia for family holiday celebrations, and three of us drove all day and into the night to reach Austin Texas the first stop on the next leg of our journey, Mexico.

Below: Adam Goshorn by Christine Boush

Below: Owen Lucas by Adam Goshorn

In the earliest hours of the morning we dropped Chris at his brother’s house in Austin where he would catch a ride back to Birmingham for the holidays. From there we drove directly to the airport to pick up another friend Jon, who flew into Austin to join us for our trip south of the border. Kim, Jon and I drove through the rest of the night to meet two more friends in Brownsville Texas. We crossed the border together and reached our campsite along the Rio Valles just after dark that night after around 35 hours of continuous travel after leaving Flagstaff the previous day. Welcome back to civilization, part three.

Below: Owen Lucas by Jon Miller

Below: Christine Boush by Jon Miller

We knew that water levels would be low over the holidays in the SLP region. The best water is almost always October through November and even in a good rain year it is quite low by late December. However, during the fall, the deeper we got into planning our December trip down the Grand Canyon the more we started kicking around the idea of heading south afterwards for some warm weather creeking. What could be better after two weeks in a chilly Grand Canyon than sunshine, blue water, and travertine?

Below: Jon Miller by Adam Goshorn

Below: Christine Boush by Adam Goshorn

Low water or not, Mexico was just what the doctor ordered! We spent nine days in the region, ate a lot of great food, and ran a lot of the classic runs in the area (albeit lower than I had ever seen them in my five years of visiting the region). Despite the water levels, every day was filled with laughter and good vibes from the whole crew. What we lacked in water levels we made up for with multiple laps, good times, and silly antics. We made endless failed attempts at rock spins on the grippy travertine ledges and developed new freestyle-creek moves like our patented “rock stall”. This impressive maneuver involves a kayaker paddling downstream and who drives up on a midstream travertine formation and comes to a complete stop. The boaters who are best at this move can stall totally motionless, sometimes for days!

Below: Owen Lucas by Adam Goshorn

Below: Crew on the Rio Valles by Jon Miller

Until Next Time...

-adam goshorn

Below: Adam Goshorn by Christine Boush

kayak session

A December to Remember. Part 1: The Grand Canyon

2010-03-18T18:06:00.001-07:00

The final month of 2009 certainly turned out to be one worth remembering. Departing Mentone Alabama December 1st the thirty-three days that followed were full of good friends and good times on and off the river. The first leg of the journey began with three of us making the long drive to Flagstaff Arizona to meet up with the rest of our seven-person crew for an amazing float down the Colorado River.

The Grand Canyon of the Colorado River is a special place and it is the setting that ultimately draws us to run the river. The logistics, the permit system, the stress and toil all fade away as you lose sight of the put-in and the walls begin to rise. By day two the endless red walls and strong current have refocused our life on the basics. Eat, drink, travel, laugh, sleep… what else is there?

For all seven people on our trip it was our first time to run the Grand Canyon and I can say that without a doubt that that was one of the things that made are trip feel so special. With no one with previous experience there was no one to defer to for the endless number of decisions made daily. We all experienced every bend in the river for the first time together, with no preconceived notions about what we would see or encounter next. Having completed the journey I must admit I am a little saddened by the fact that none of us will have that same feeling of discovery on our next trip.

The crew consisted of a mix of friends with various degrees of river-running experience, but this was the longest any of us had spent floating down any single river, but such a statement is likely true of almost every boater I know. It is a rare and special thing in this modern day to paddle for weeks without seeing a car or road. Such opportunities are growing even rarer as the world continues our perpetual expansion of population and our endless network of roads. However, places for escape still exist and the Grand Canyon in winter might be one of the better ones that I have experienced.

Prior to our departure many friends and family, paddlers and non-paddlers alike, seemed convinced that the Grand Canyon in winter couldn’t be anything except miserable. However, their fears couldn’t have been further from the truth. In fact, there are a lot of great reasons to go in the winter and over the course of our trip we developed quite a list of the best things about a winter Grand Canyon trip, here are 10 of them…

10. Only having one launch a day makes the put-in ramp and rangers relaxed and chill.

9. The cold water is less of a safety concern when you’re already wearing a drysuit.

8. The food won’t spoil, but you may have to put produce in the coolers to KEEP them from freezing.

7. The groover doesn’t stink very much when it’s contents are frozen.

6. The cool weather is ideal for hiking.

5. No helicopter shuttles whizzing overhead.

4. Collecting driftwood for fires is allowed.

3. The booze is always cold.

2. No motorized boat traffic.

1. Solitude, plain and simple. Traveling down the length of the canyon from Lees Ferry to Diamond Creek we saw three other groups, got every campsite we wanted, and felt wonderfully alone for most of the time.

Until Next Time...

Adam

kayak session

Mulberry Races 2010

2010-03-08T20:05:00.000-08:00

Luke Scott on his championship lap and taking home the most gold medals at this year's race. Photo by Tony Diliberto.

The Mulberry Fork Canoe and Kayak Races (MFCKR) have been in existence for nearly 30 years now with this past weekend marking its 29th anniversery. It might not be the paddling community’s most well-known event—but at least not down here in Cullman County, Alabama. This year marked my fifth race since 2005, and each year just keeps gettin' better. The MFCKR is part of a three-series tournament for the Alabama Cup. Each Alabama Cup race occurs on a separate weekend during February and March with the other two races held just minutes away at the Locust Fork of the Warrior River. Separate classes from OC-2 to K-1 and even a head-to-head boatercross are sure to make a great weekend of competition no matter what type of craft you’re paddling. The rapids may be II-II+ but the slalom and downriver portions of the competition are always challenging. Not to mention, the Boatercross and the new King of the Hole comps are the weekend show-stoppers. In my opinion, this is the perfect event for paddlers of all abilities—whether you’re novice or advanced.

On a side-note, the last Alabama Cup race will be at the Locust Fork as part of the Alabama Mountain Games (formerly NAWFest) on March 18-21. Check out these links for more info about the mountain games as well as pictures and race results from this past weekend:

http://www.nawfest.com/
http://www.alabamacupraces.com/

Here are some cool photos shot by fellow Bama boy Tony Diliberto and Bama gal Christina Metcalf:

Boatercross Comp. Photo by Christina Metcalf.

Troy Biggs in the OC-1 comp. Photo by Christina Metcalf.

Luke, Zach and Vander discussing gate set-up the weekend before the race. Wouldn't be possible without the hard work of these guys and other volunteers. Photo by Tony Diliberto.

Dooley Tombras attaining with focus. Photo by Christina Metcalf.

Charlie Simmons rocking the stand-up board. I believe next year calls for a SUP class! Photo by Christina Metcalf.

Charlie Mix during one of his chamapionship laps. Photo by Christina Metcalf.

The first ever King of the Hole comp brought to you by TeamScum. Photo by Tony Diliberto.

The hole comp definitely got messy. Photo by Tony Diliberto.

Photo by Tony Diliberto.

Tyler having a blast with Zach and I dueling in the background. Photo by Tony Diliberto.

One word: Classic. Photo by Tony Diliberto.

Nothing but smiles all weekend long. Photo by Tony Diliberto of Mike Shales.

Late night fire. Photo by Tony Diliberto.

See ya'll at the Mountain Games in two weeks!!

Jordan Sherman

Sand Mountain Video

2010-02-11T08:17:00.000-08:00

Having been on a kayaking hiatus since I broke my boat and tore my drysuit, I have had time to edit some video that I have been sitting on for a while. It showcases whiteoak falls, triple drop on the Cullasaja, Miller Creek, and Jones Creek. Enjoy.

Alabama Sieve Boating Update from sam on Vimeo.

or

http://vimeo.com/9379177

Kayak Little River Canyon- "Suicide Section"

2010-02-10T15:38:00.000-08:00

Kayak Little River Canyon - "Suicide Section" from charlie simmons on Vimeo.

Danny Flynt, Charlie Simmons, and Charlie Mix....

kayaking Little River Canyon- Suicide Section rapid by rapid
Filmed by: Charlie Simmons
Music: Pepper

Little River Canyon has it all big water, big moves, and more- here is a taste of what its like to go in at a lower level which offers technical concentrated lines exposing sieves and undercuts that are normally out of play

-enjoy-
Charlie

The South Platte

2009-11-11T07:47:00.001-08:00

In August I did a write-up and posted some pics from out time on the South Platte in July (see orginal post here). I finally got around to editing some of the video...

Colorado 2009 Part 1: The South Platte from Adam Goshorn on Vimeo.

Until Next Time...

-adam

More Bama Boys in Colorado: Part 3

2009-10-29T14:46:00.000-07:00

After spending two days in the headwaters of the Crystal River we made our way back to a local cafe in Carbondale to contemplate our next move. While enjoying some breakfast burritos and wireless internet access we called Charlie Mix who was living in Durango for the summer. Charlie explained that water levels were dropping fast and that if we wanted to catch Vallecito, we should come quickly. Vallecito had been high our hit list in 2008 and was again for 2009 too, but so far we had yet to catch it on either trip. Vallecito has been described by many as “the best mile of creeking in Colorado”. With that in mind, we loaded up and hit the road arriving with enough daylight to meet Cruise Quenelle for a run.

In my opinion Vallecito is one of those rare rivers that lives up to the hype that surrounds it. It is truly beautiful creek in a tight gorge with smooth boulders and a seemingly endless number of fun rapids and boofs. We followed Cruise’s lead, rarely slowing down enough to document the run, but emerged from the depths of the gorge with ear to ear smiles that nothing could dampen. We spent that evening at Cruise’s house catching up with the rest of the Alabama boys who were living there for the summer. Late into the night we watched each other’s video footage, sharing all the stories from a summer of running rivers.

Although it was very tempting to stay another day for more laps on Vallecito, the next morning we decided to turn our attention to a different run on our list, the Big South. We left Durango mid morning and made it back to Aspen in time for another run on Castle Creek and the Roaring Fork before finding a beautiful crash and dash spot to sleep for the night. The following day we drove towards Denver and spend that afternoon and the following morning running the Upper and Blackrock sections of Clear Creek before continuing our drive north to the Big South.

The evening we arrived at the Big South take-out, the last group was still hanging around after their run and invited us camp with them that evening for the first of two nights we would spend camping in mosquito hell. The following morning as we drove to the put-in we found another crew of southeasterners camping along the road. We pulled over to greet these friends and ended up catching a ride with them to set shuttle. The put-in for Big South is actually on Weird Creek. We had been told that Weird Creek is actually fun at high water, but what we found was a bang fest that continued to abuse our already heavily used boats. Luckily the flow doubled at the confluence and soon the fun rapids and drops began.

Lot of rapids and a few flat stretches spread throughout the run make Big South a long day by most people’s standards. Including the mileage on Weird Creek it is a twelve-mile run, but very rewarding, especially for groups like ours scouting their way down for the first time. We rotated boat and bank scouting as necessary throughout the day, occasionally getting cues from other groups we caught up to then while they were scouting or portaging. The larger named rapids were certainly fun, but one of the unexpected highlights was how many really fun read and run sections we encountered. A perfect example was what is known as the Prime Time Gorge, a section where the river narrowed between tight cliff walls and containing several rapids in quick succession. Boat scouting our way though this section felt more like Vallecito than the rest of the run on Big South. After reaching the take-out we found another great free campsite along another tributary of Cache la Poudre, Joe Wright Creek.

Joe Wright Creek enters Cache la Poudre above the Spencer Heights section and we decided to spend our last day in the area checking out both runs. We had planned to run Spencer Heights ahead of time, but I have to admit that I had never heard of Joe Wright Creek. I guess that it will always overshadowed by its close proximity to Big South, but it turned out to be a great run in it’s own right. The run is mostly non-stop with very few eddies. It’s the kind of run where it really isn’t practical or necessary to scout and know the lines because all you can really do is follow the water and charge. We knew from talking to other groups that the run was free of wood, but it sill made me nervous charging around blind corners and into the tight gorge known as Carnito Canyon. However, our beta on the wood was correct and we emerged unscathed from what turned out to be our final river day of the trip.

The following day we made our way back to Buena Vista to take care of a few details before departing for Chattanooga. A good meal followed by hot showers at the laundry mat prepared us for the long drive that was ahead of us. The non-stop marathon drive was as brutal as can be expected, but a necessary evil to maximize trips such as this one. That that end, we arrived back in Chattanooga TN after twenty two hours on the road just in time for Matt to start a twelve-hour night shift at his job. I’m sure during that night he might have felt otherwise, but in retrospect… it’s always worth it!

CO 09 Part 3: Clear Creek and Big South from Adam Goshorn on Vimeo.

Until Next Time...

-adam

More Bama Boys in Colorado: Part 2

2009-10-21T15:12:00.000-07:00

After a long day on Cheesman Canyon we had collapsed into our sleeping bags at the Corral Creek Trailhead. The next morning, day three of our trip, we packed our gear back into the truck and headed to our next stop a short drive away. Eleven Mile Canyon of the South Platte is mostly a class III run, but just below the normal take-out is long, continuous, class V rapid. After about twenty minutes of scouting and discussing lines I was feeling hesitant and Jordan was feeling fired up and ready to go.

Below Jordan heading into the last drop on 11 Mile Canyon...

He geared up and the rest of us assumed positions at different points of the rapid with ropes and cameras at the ready. Jordan charged the entrance and cleared the first tier of the rapid and then a bounce sent him upside down into the next tier. He rolled up only to be knocked over again and repeated the process a couple more times, but stuck it out and emerged from the bottom of the rapid upright and unhurt.

Below Matt running the last drop of 11 Mile Canyon...

Despite the results of Jordan’s run, Matt had his own line sorted out in his head and was ready to go. Again we set up with ropes and cameras and watched as Matt began his descent. Entering more slowly and slightly further left, Matt proceeded to smoothly descend the entire section without a flip or mis-stroke throughout. After a little more discussion, Joey and I both decided not to attempt a run. We loaded the truck again, got back on the road, and drove over Independence Pass and down into the town of Aspen.

Below we successfully cross the creek that shut us down trying to drive to the North Fork of the Crystal in 2008...

After a quick run of Castle Creek we met up with Anson Fogle for a late afternoon run on the Slaughterhouse section of the Roaring Fork. We spent the evening of relaxing at Anson’s house and he joined us for the next two days of exploring and filming in the upper drainage of the Crystal River. We had attempted to drive into the forks of the Crystal in 2008, but the road to the North Fork was flooded at the time and the road to the South Fork was still snowed in. This failed attempt is one of the reasons we had decided to plan our 2009 trip for July and the plan was working out nicely.

Below Matt and I scout the first drop on the North Fork of the Crystal...

We spent two days we spent rock crawling through the beautiful and remote landscape of the upper crystal river drainage. While our driving to boating ratio was skewed in what I would normally consider the wrong direction, the scenery and quality of the drops made it more than worth it. Despite the slow travel, looking back the two days in the headwaters of the Crystal River were some my favorite on the trip.

Below is a great pic Matt took of me on #2 on the North Fork of the Crystal...

Below Anson films Matt running #3 on the North Fork of the Crystal...

Below are a couple pics I took of Matt on the South Fork of the Crystal...

Below are a couple pics Jordan took of me on the South Fork of the Crystal...

Below is a great pic Joey took of Jordan on Crystal Mill Falls...

Here's a little slow motion action from the Headwaters of the Crystal River...

Crystal Headwaters 2009 from Adam Goshorn on Vimeo.

Until Next Time...

-adam

The Sleeping Beauty Awakes

2009-09-30T08:19:00.000-07:00

I've been in a 2 month kayaking hiatus since returning from an incredible summer spent in Colorado. This is probably the longest I have not been in a boat in 10 years of kayaking. It was a much needed break and with recent rains in the southeast, our local jewel came back to life along with my reborn enthusiasm to gear up and get after it. It was great seeing familiar faces on a familiar run and I'm super excited about the coming season of kayaking in Alabama.

Here's a few shots we took this weekend from Little River Canyon:

Charlie Mix entering Terminal Eddy-pic by Ben Bernhard

Daniel Tuck running PinBall-pic by Charlie Mix

Charlie Mix on PinBall-Pic by Ben Bernhard

Tyler Phillips-pic by Charlie Mix

Tyler Phillips on the Bottom Drop of Humpty Dumpty-pic by Charlie Mix

Tyler on the classic Humpty Dumpty Boof-pic by Charlie Mix

-Charlie Mix

The Secret Stash

2009-09-10T07:22:00.000-07:00

The Secret Stash was first run in the mid to late 1990’s, but then was off-limits for over a decade until recent changes opened it back up to paddlers. The Secret Stash isn't much of a secret anymore. The word is out on this one, but I'm still not going to mention it by name. The Secret Stash cannot be run without crossing private land to portage the 90 foot waterfall you see in the video. Access is currently being allowed, but could be hurt by overcrowding or by careless boaters who are unaware of the expectations of acceptable behavior. One of those expectations is to NOT run the first waterfall you see run in this video. This video was shot and edited prior to the new rule asking boaters to portage this waterfall. After much internal debate I decided not to re-edit the video and to leave the shots of the first falls in, so that those who see the video will know what it looks like and know to portage that drop.

The Secret Stash from Adam Goshorn on Vimeo.

Putting back in after portaging the 90 footer. Photo by Mark Travis

Ted midway through one of the portages. Photo by Mark Travis

Ted dropping into the steeps, Photo by Adam Goshorn

Until Next Time...

-Adam Goshorn

Spring Update!

2009-08-28T08:07:00.000-07:00

The whitewater riches of the northern Alabama region don't stop at the state line. Here's a video update from a fun weekend in the spring of 2009 featuring two of the more obscure, but really great creeks that are less than an hour from my house.

Allen Creek falls off the east side of Lookout Mountain just over the GA line and Fallingwater Creek is one of the many quality runs that surround Chattanooga, TN. I originally edited this up for LVM an it can be found in the DVD Bonus Features of the LVM #31, which is the Spring Issue of the Season's Series. You can purchase individual issues or subscribe to LVM at http://www.lvmvideo.com/

Enjoy the show...

Spring Update! from Adam Goshorn on Vimeo.

Until Next Time...

-adam

WESTERN EXPANSION 2009

2009-08-27T10:32:00.000-07:00

So the water has gone till the monsoon season and I finally finished some stuff Ive been working on. The summer started out great with a place to stay and all the glowing smiles of the local Durangatangs. Other than the nine Micro-Brews in town, the rivers kept us pretty busy most of the summer. The local Boaters in town were full of knowledge and were very willing to share some with us. Props goes out to Four Corners River Sports for everything from jobs to letting us snag some Stand Up Riverboards in the afternoons. Enjoy Western Expansion its got some never before seen or done for the matter Alabama stuff too. See ya soon. Cruise Q.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=123933361940&ref=mf

Check out "Wet Dreams" from the Shasta Boys

2009-08-13T11:48:00.000-07:00

Sick new video from some of my boys on the west coast:

http://www.youtube.com/v/VV3eenZiQ88&hl=en&fs=1&">http://www.youtube.com/v/VV3eenZiQ88&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340">

-charlie mix

Bama Boys Westward Expansion

2009-06-15T10:46:00.000-07:00

pic by Charlie Mix

Ah Colorado. The land of Mountains, rivers, bears, and good beers. I got out here a week ago and met up with Bama Boys Danny Flynt, Andy Hobson, and Cruise Quenelle. They've been on a rampage getting goods such as Oh Be Joyful, Lime, Stupid Falls, and high water Yule Creek to name a few. Unfortunately I missed those exploits because of school back home, but I have been able to sample some of the "best mile of creeking" that Colorado has to offer. Valceito that is. It's a little gem about 45 min of where we are living for the summer. It requires a mile hike to the put in, where you drop into a box canyon. Once you're in, there's no way out. Something we're not quite used to back east that adds another dynamic to Class V creeking. There's really no way to scout or portage. Welcome to Durango!

Hiking in

Cruise dropping into the putin rapid. photo by Charlie Mix

Andy Hobson and Charlie Mix down in Valceito

Charlie Mix on the delayed boof-18 foot entrance Falls. pic by Cruise Quenelle

Cruise on the classic "Fuzzy Bunny" pic by Charlie Mix

Charlie Mix charging Fuzzy Bunny. Sequence shot by Cruise Quenille

(Fuzzy Bunny really reminds me of Gorilla minus the notch.)

Andy Hobson-Fuzzy Bunny pic by Charlie Mix

Crusie Entering "Paddle Bitch." Pic by Charlie Mix

Charlie Mix on Paddle Bitch. Shot by Cruise Quenille.
There is a cave on my right that water is pushing into. That's why it's known as paddle bitch. It can be a bitch to paddle!!!

Andy Hobson Freewheeling the last drop in the canyon. pic by Cruise Quenille

Charlie Mix stomping the last drop. Pic by Cruise Quenille

Cruise getting old school on the last drop. pic by Charlie Mix

The Bama Boys boater Crib. It's going to be a good summer.

Until Next Time,

Charlie Mix

Team Fluid (still waiting on a M Solo)

BTW, props go out to Fluid Kayaks, Ophion Paddles, WRSI Helmets, Astral Boyouncy, Shred Ready Helmets, Skirt Works Spray Skirts, Alabama Small Boats, and Four Corners Paddle Sports for supporting the Bama Boys.

"Fired Up!"

2009-04-29T12:02:00.001-07:00

So i have SOOO much footage i finally put some together.

Padding footage from the last several months (dec 2008- march 2009) from all over the southeast U.S.- while primarily based in Alabama
Both creek boating and play boating

Paddled and Edited By Charlie Simmons
also featuring
Adam Goshorn
Jeremy Adkins
Danny "Hands" Flynt
Zach Sanders
Mark Travis

Music: Modest Mouse
so with out waiting anymore time...
check it here:
http://vimeo.com/4396730

-Charlie Simmons-
Team Wavesport

2009-04-28T09:08:00.000-07:00

this is sam's entry for the Werner Paddle Wet Kayak video contest presented by LVM. It should be in the bonus features of the next LVM issue.

Alabama Kayak Club Entry by Sam England from Lunch Video Magazine on Vimeo.

2009-03-24T17:34:00.000-07:00

Jordan Sherman with a nice paddle toss-pic by Rob Beckman

Ah, NAWF. A fun time of year in Alabama and a great way to end my spring break. Spring break started with a trip chasing grey foxes down Jones Creek on Sand Mountain. More about that w/pics and video can be found here: http://www.granolapaddler.blogspot.com/

Jones Creek-pic by me (Charlie Mix)

I then worked, and was lucky enough to catch LRC Tuesday evening/night at 5" with Dave Levvitt and Ben Davis. I got on the canyon again Thursday with Bama Boys Jordan Sherman, Sam England, Luke Scott, Zach, and was joined by Jake Greenbaum, Matt Fithian, and Andrew Robinson. That night, the festivities began.

Jordan plays Jinga better after a few beers and some shots of corn whisky.

Friday Started off with the Freestyle Huck Jam off short Creek Falls, which is my favorite event hands down I've ever competed in. Saturday was the day of the Hole Riding Comp and big party that night. Good times were had by all and I can't wait until next year.

Results off my the top of my head:

Men's Pro Short Creek Huck Jam

1. Dane Jackson

2. Nick Troutman

3. Charlie Mix (Bama Boy)

Men's Expert Huck Jam

1. Andy Hobson (Bama Boy)

2. Danny Flynt (Bama Boy)

3. Jordan Sherman (Bama Boy)

Women's Pro Huck Jam

1. Samantha Brunner?

Men's Pro Hole Comp

1. Nick Troutman

2. Billy Harris?

3. Eric Jackson

Men's Expert Hole Comp

1. ?

2. Andrew Koch

3. Andy Hobson (Bama Boy)

Overall Champ: Nick Troutman

check http://www.nawfest.com/ for official updates and results

Here's a random photo dump:

Jon Reynolds with a nice pan am-pic by Rob Beckman

Camp Renoldo

Me wowing the judges with this incredible rail grind-pic by Anne O'Conley

Jake Greenbaum, Katy Bransetter, and my self resurrecting the head band.

Charlie Simmons with a nice righty freewheel-pic by Casey Jones

Andy Hobson about to unload-pic by Casey Jones

Me throwing a kick flip-pic by Casey Jones

Danny Flynt with a very nice hand paddle kick flip-pic by Rob Beckman

Dolla Dolla Bill Yall. Me and Jordan after the award ceremony

Until next time,

-Charlie Mix

Low Water LRC

2009-02-22T17:21:00.000-08:00

Charlie Mix on Pinball

It hasn't been raining much, but just enough to keep the canyon at a boatable flow. At low water, the canyon takes on a whole new personality and is completely different than the normal lines that most people are familiar with. We had a nice sunny 60 degree weekend, so we took advantage and ran suicide paparazzi style.

Enjoy the photo dump:

Entering Terminal Eddy. It doesn't look like much from the pic, but it has a scary pinch at the end-pic by Lauren Smith

Low water line at Avalanche-pic by Lauren Smith

Crusie illustrating the common technique for the slot move at avalanche-pic by Charlie Mix

Lauren coming out of her two year hiatus by running suicide for her first time-pic by Charlie Mix

Cruise catching some air on mushroom boof

Lauren threading the needle on the top drop of cable-pic by Cruise Quenelle

Lauren on the bottom drop of Cable-pic by Cruise Quenelle

Cruise given 'er on pinball-pic by Kenny ?

Lauren running pinball for her first time-pic by Kenny

the canyon it self-pic by charlie mix

Until next time,

-charlie mix

Little River Canyon Helmet Cam - Take One

2009-02-21T06:09:00.000-08:00

Below is a video of my first (and only thus far) weekend with my helmet cam. It shows most of the rapids on Suicidea and Upper Two at a level of about -3". Enjoy...

Little River Canyon Helmet Cam from Adam Goshorn on Vimeo.

Until Next Time...

-adam

High Water Pics from LRC Area

2009-01-07T09:14:00.000-08:00

Johnnies Creek Put-In Falls at 1.5'...

Grace's High Falls, Bear Creek Trib...

Rt 35 Bridge at 3.5'...

3.5' on the Rt 35 bridge gauge...

The lip of LRC falls at 3.5'...

LRC falls at 3.5'

The lead into desoto falls at 1600 cfs...

The lead into desoto falls at 1600 cfs...

Desoto falls at 1600 cfs

The run-out below desoto falls at 1600 cfs...

Mexico Part I

2008-12-23T10:28:00.000-08:00

Matt Wallace hurls himself into Puento de Dios on the Rio Tamasopo

John Crain enters the Cave below Puento de Dios

Greetings

I just got back from San Louis Potosi, Mexico with Adam Goshorn, Leigh Knudsen, Jon Crain, Matt Wallace, Brandon Hughett and Alex Zendel. Within the epic 3 weeks of our journey we fired-up many creeks and rivers--taking only one off day during our time down there.

During our stay, we found ourselves in remote canyons often confronting obstacles such as massive waterfalls on the canyons of the Rio Verde, sieved-out boulder gardens and big water within the upper canyons of the Santa Maria, low water travertine drops on the Minas Viejas and a night paddle/hike out of the Gayenes. We climbed, hiked and rapelled around unrunnable rapids often putting ourselves at risk outside of running the class 4-5 and 5+ rapids, but ultimately we worked together as a team and got the job done each day. Here are some photos of our adventures.

A sequence shot of me on Puento de Dios

Photos by Leigh Knudsen

Among the easiest runs in the area (logisticaly speaking) were the Salto and Micos sections of the Rio Valles. Our base camp was nestled right by the Micos, and both of these runs offered plenty of gradient with minimal consequences. Adam even stated, "It's creeking made easy." Also, due to the nature of travertine rock these sections of river could be run at fairly low flows. Fortunately, subprime flows were never a problem except for the Minas Viejas run.

El Salto...The take-out for the Salto Section of the Rio Valles
Photo by Alex Zendel

Matt Wallace and I looking down at El Salto

John Crain by the last drop of the Micos Section
Adam Goshorn boofing through El Nemo

Adam on La Luminosa (El Nemo is above right)

John Crain on La Luminosa from a different angle

Me on another big drop on the Salto

Matt Wallace on the same drop as above

Leigh Knudsen boofing a ledge

I'm running another killer drop (Photo by Leigh Knudsen)

Leigh on the same drop as above

We fired up the Salto Section over a dozen times during our 3-week stay. It was a great stretch of water with big fun drops and an easy bike shuttle...very similar to the Micos Section of the Rio Valles. Unfortunately, many boaters tend to overlook other steep whitewater in the area and many Texas boaters stick to the classic runs such as the Micos & Salto Sections as well as the Ojo Frio (another great river we hit several times).

The Minas Viejas is a particular run that Adam explored last year that many boaters have overlooked. Adam completed the second known descent in November 2007 and since then this river has only been run just a handful of times. Here are some photos of this soon to be classic run.

Put-in Waterfall (Photo by Adam Goshorn)
Adam running the first ledge of the Minas Viejas

John Crain negotiating another low-water drop

Me running the big slide (Photo by Leigh Knudsen)
Me on another slide
Adam fires-up the 30-foot slide (Photo by Leigh Knudsen)

Me runnning the same slide. Really big and really clean...photos can't serve this justice.

Me and Adam on the Lower Canyon of the San Nicholas. Another great but overlooked run.(Photo by Leigh Knudsen)

Stay tuned for more photos of Puento de Dios, the 4 Canyons Expedition of the Santa Maria and the Rio Verde adventures in Mexico Part II!

Signing off for now,

Jordan Sherman

Jones Creek

2008-12-18T18:29:00.000-08:00

Dalton Creech and I ran Jones Creek today. I didn't get many pictures but here is what I got.

Sam England
Team Eskimo Kayaks

First Big Rain of the Season

2008-12-15T12:11:00.000-08:00

The time has come once again to dust off our creek boats and head out for some action on the steeps. 6 inches of rain came over the past few days and many a good boof followed. Here are the pics and video from the week.

The Crew

Me hucking Photo-Cruise

Keith Yell

Charlie Mix Master

Danny Flynt with the hand clap Andy Hobson launching a freewheel Cruise droppingJordan decided to go spelunking below Cable All emerged OK Danny flying through Pinball Adam Goshorn

Earlier Charlie, Danny, Cruise, and I got a chance to run Wolf Creek in the Canyon. Low water, wood, and the fear of running deep throat at 50" forced us to hike out after the first big drop. We did get some video from the day though. Enjoy

Wolf Creek in LRC from sam on Vimeo.

or if the that doesn't work here is the link.

http://vimeo.com/2536209

Signing out,

Sam England
Team Eskimo Kayaks

2008-11-14T07:27:00.000-08:00

I guess late is better than never. I've been having issues with the computer and just now got the pics and video uploaded from the green race. We had several of the Bama Boys firing it up on the race weekend. Danny Flynt, Charlie Simmons, Luke Scott, Ryan Snodgrass, Andy Hobson, and I all raced. Sorry I didn't get video of everyone, Zach was shooting. Here's what I got though.

Green Race 2008 Video

"The Ronin Sessions"

2008-10-14T07:35:00.000-07:00

http://www.vimeo.com/1960832 So I've been backed up on footage, and all the while wanted to produce a LiquidLogic Ronin 59 video. Its a great compact areal machine. The Ronin is great on waves and holes capable of combination moves, but also does wonderfully on big water river running, making it a stable all around bad ass(and so is the outfitting.)
If you search online for Ronin reviews or videos, there just isn't whole lot so here it is for viewing pleasure........"The Ronin Sessions"

Featuring: Zach "hardhat" Sanders, and me Charlie Simmons

Rivers featured: Tallapoosa, Coosa, Locust Fork, Ocoee, and more.

check it out here:

http://www.vimeo.com/1960832

peace,

-charlie simmons

LRC Photo Tour

2008-10-06T12:42:00.001-07:00

Since moving to Alabama, Little River Canyon and its tributaries have become my home runs and the center of my kayaking life. Although my travels and kayaking experiences have continued to expand, Little River Canyon remains one of my all time favorites. Despite how many times I have traveled through it’s spectacular gorge I never seem to tire of the quality rapids and amazing scenery.

It seems like where ever I go I meet people who, upon finding out I live in northeast Alamaba, ask me about Little River Canyon. "What's it like?" they say, "How big is Pinball?", etc. etc. I love sharing my love for the Little River so I thought I'd give a little photo tour for all those who haven't had the pleasure of paddling the upper stretches of Little River Canyon.

When the water is up, Little River Canyon starts off big with "Little River Falls". Here's Charlie Mix and I (Adam Goshorn) scouting the falls in January 2008 at twenty-four inches...

The standard river left line is about thirty-three feet and involves boofing twelve feet onto a rock shelf before dropping the additional twenty-one verticle feet into the pool below. Although the falls has been run as low as two inches (on the route 35 bridge gauge) it has dished out its share of injuries at levels below eight inches. Above eight inches, the landing on the shelf is much softer and more forgiving. Here's Charlie Simmons on the left line of the falls at ten inches, photo by Adam Goshorn...

The center line off "Little River Falls" is done much less often and requires much higher water than the left line. While it has been run as low as fourteen inches, it is much safer over twenty inches. Andy Hobson reports have scraped some leading up to the lip at around seventeen inches and scraping at the lip could cause you to pitch through the curtin and hit the shelf underwater so higher is better. Here's me (Adam Goshorn) on the center line of the falls at twenty-four inhes in January 2008, photo by Joey Jarrell...

When Little River is too low to run the falls, the standard put-in is on river right and requires a short hike down form the parking area at the Little River Falls overlook on Canyon Rim Road. Here's Joey Jarrell putting in at the standard spot, photo by Adam Goshorn...

After the standard put-in there are several easy rapids that allow boaters to catch eddys, make ferries, and get loosened up before the bigger stuff downstream. Here's Joey Jarrell making his way through the "Warm Up Ledges", photo by Adam Goshorn...

The next rapid of note is rightly named "Are You Ready" because if you have trouble here you better hike back to the car because this rapid is nothing compaired to what is downstream. Here's Joey Jarrell entering "Are You Ready", photo by Adam Goshorn...

"Blue Hole" is a popular swimming spot in warm weather and a fairly easy five-foot tall ledge drop at most levels. Here's Joey Jarrell boofing near the right shore, photo by Adam Goshorn...

"Mammoth Rock" is one of the harder rapids in the canyon that you never hear anyone talk about or see photos of. At high water there are some holes to dodge, but it is fairely straightforward. Here's Andy Hobson exiting "Mammoth Rock" at ten inches, photo by Adam Goshorn...

At lower levels "Mammoth Rock" is much more technical and generally harder by most accounts. Here's Joey Jarrell running the low water line, photo by Adam Goshorn

"Terminal Eddy" is another rapid that is much easier at high water, but can be downright mean at low levels. Here's Joey Jarrell entering the main line, photo by Adam Goshorn

"Avalance" has a nice line down the left that opens up at higher water. Here's Jon Miller on the first part of the left line, still capture from video by Adam Goshorn...

Several boulder gardens seperate "Avalance" from the next big rapid, but one of the best boofs on the river is located here at medium to low levels. Here's Joey Jarrell about to air it out at the "Mushroom Boof", photo by Adam Goshorn...

At levels of three inches and up, the center spout at the first drop of "Cable Falls" opens up and provides a nice ten-foot drop into the pool above the second drop. Here's a still capture from video of me heading off the spout...

The second drop of "Cable Falls" is a more complex ledge that requires good boat placement to drive off the end of the finger ledge without falling off the left. Here's Jon Miller going for it, still capture from video by Adam Goshorn...

At low levels (below two inches) the left line at the first drop of "Cable Falls" provide a very unique move that requires paddles to slowly drift into the left slot and explode right with a good left boof to avoid the rock. Here's Joey Jarrell about to make the move, photo by Adam Goshorn...

"Pinball" is by far the hardest rapid in Little River Canyon and perhaps the most concequenual. A long complex enterance rapid contains many hidden hazards before going off the main drop into a meaty hole. Here's Joey Jarrell on the main drop, photo by Adam Goshorn...

After a couple of miles of easy water paddlers will pass the put-in for the Upper Two section and soon find themselves at "Screaming Right". Recent changes allow paddlers to stary straight at levels over zero, but below zero the move right is still required. Here's Brandon Hughett about to make the hard right in front of the slab rock, photo by Adam Goshorn...

At higher levels, "Roadblock" has a terrible pocket hole that can kill, however at moderate levels it is just a fun boof next to the rock on the left. Here's Shannon MacMichael getting the boof, photo by Adam Goshorn...

"Humpty Dumpty" is located just downstream of "Roadblock". This two part rapid is the hardest on the Upper Two secion, but one of the most fun on the entire river in my opinion. Here's Brandon Hughett boofing the first drop, photo by Adam Goshorn...

Numerous other boulder gardens make up the Upper Two section, at low levels the "Push Button Boof" gives boaters another chance for some air time. Here's Joey Jarrell at the "Push Button Boof", photo by Adam Goshorn...

The last big rapid on Upper Two is "Deep Throat". This one can be big at high water, but even at low water is a fun way to finish the secion. Here's Brandon Hughett on the last ledge of "Deep Throat" at lowish water, photo by Adam Goshorn...

The rapids of Little River Canyon will always remain beautiful, challenging, and often humbling, even for those of us who paddle there regularly. For over thirty years paddlers have been exploring the rivers and creeks of this region, yet Little River Canyon is still and will remain the center of the Alabama paddling community. Whatever it is about this special place it continues to draw paddlers to it and keep calling to us to return. As fall sets in and I look forward to another creeking season there are few places I'd rather be than floating into that magical place agian and again.

Until Next Time...
-adam

The Truth About Carnage

2008-09-12T09:51:00.000-07:00

Below is a short video of many friends and I taking some beatdowns and hits all around the southeast. I edited this one in early 2007, but it was filmed mostly in 2005 and 2006. I thought I'd repost it for a good laugh and to remind everyone that... "What goes around comes around".

Until Next Time...

-adam

The Lost Session

2008-09-06T07:29:00.000-07:00

Charlie Mix checking in here. School is now in full swing and I'm loaded with plenty of work to keep me busy, but I found the time to put together a little bit of video from King's Hole I forgot I had on my computer. I think the footy is almost two years old, it's from one of the first sessions when Kings Hole was finally finished and tweaked out, back when I was rockin' the Wavesport boats. There's random creeking footage thrown in too. Check it out....here: http://vimeo.com/1674432

the lost session from charlie mix on Vimeo.

If you'e still bored at your desk, read my summer update on WRSI helmets website: http://wrsi.blogspot.com/2008/09/from-sweden-with-love.html

-Charlie Mix

Carnage Video

2008-09-04T18:19:00.000-07:00

Hey this is Sam checking in. I'm back in Tuscaloosa for the semester trying to finish up my senior year. I figured I'd update this thing with some of my media. I mixed a carnage video up from the footy I have. Here is the link to it. It might not have the cleanest language. There you were warned.

Flaming Cheese Carnage Reel

In other news, I spent the last 3 summers in Fayetteville, WV videoboating on the New and Gauley rivers. I put some pictures from last summer down below.

This is the Ram's Head formation on Endless Wall of the New River Gorge, WV.

Here Justin Kleberg shows us how not to run Initiation on the Upper Gauley at 200 cfs.

Mike Tyson's Punch Out, Raven Fork, NC
Photo by Joey Jarrell

Jackson team member Justin Owen dropping a fun slot on the Upper Yough, MD.

Big Splatt, Big Sandy River, WV

Videoboater Alicia with a huge seal launch on the Big Sandy.

During the summer I fell off of a truck at work, split my foot open and had to take 2 weeks off.

I flew home through D.C. and managed to get a shot out of the plane window of Great Falls of the Potomac.

Todd Bitchenholler firing up Goliath on Decker's Creek, WV.

John McConville and I dropping Mill Creek Falls on our local backyard run Mill Creek, WV. Photo by Justin Kleberg.

Looking foward to hurricanes, we got some first D's to bag, be ready.

"A Long Time Coming" - Hucking Chewacla State Park Falls for the Firts Time Ever!

2008-09-01T19:14:00.001-07:00

Check out the video and more great pics at

http://www.vimeo.com/1648150

For at least a year now Andy Hobson and I have had an eye on Chewacla state park falls, and its probability of successfully running it in our kayaks. Its a 25 to 30 foot drop that lands in a very shallow pool, about 2-3 feet deep at extremely high water(shown here). That leads directly into another 25ft off vertical waterfall/slide we call "Stidham falls"(below). Together dropping 60 vertical feet in about fifty yards.
The Lower falls/slide known as "Stidham Falls" has been run for a few years now but still remains one of the few class 5 drops in Lee county, not to mention one of the southern most class 5 rapids in the southeastern United States. Its a technical drop that can be nothing but fun when run correctly, however deal out a great bit of carnage to those who don't. If you look at the top of the frame of the these pictures you can see the upper falls in the background.

The pictures on the left where taken at a minimum runnable level for the lower falls, which is WAY too low for the upper falls(as shown). The pictures on the right side of the screen where taken at a high flow for the lower falls, which is the minimum flow for the upper. When Andy and I ran it on Sunday, it was higher than the photos shown here on the right.
Wanting to safely run the upper falls meant waiting on the right timing. We had scouted out all possible lines of the dam, but between waiting for an ideal flow and knowing the landing was so sketchy, the factors had never aligned together resulting in a run straight out of the 26 acre Chewacla state park lake.
But fortunately tropical storm Fay brought lots of water our way, and on the weekend, nonetheless.

Brittany and I met Andy at about 8:30 Sunday, August 24 2008 with intentions of going straight to Chewacla. The state park has lots of cool features, including class 5 park and
huck.... the catch, a $3 entry fee on the weekends and $2 on the weekdays and a two hundred yard walk from the truck.
Upon our arrival we could hear the water from the parking lot and suddenly a great feeling came over us. We quickly suited up and hiked the 1/8 mile trail down hill to the falls. Walking straight to the upper falls, we had high hopes of a large enough flow to run it. And it was BIG. The highest I've ever seen it. But that's what we needed to see, honestly. We ran the lower falls at the highest flow it's ever been run, I'm willing to bet. Andy fired it up first and it was amazing, flawless. With a class four plus lead in, this drop falls about 6 feet vertically before driving over a super fun auto boof/launch dropping about ten to twelve feet into a large hole. Then about a ten foot pool into the last lead out hole, also beefy(lower falls shown here with Andy standing by). We each ran it several times with all smiles.

Pumped from our good lines, we had to go take a second look at the notorious upper falls. This time thoroughly scouting out the river right line. The landing was actually more shallow, but all other aspects of the line where much more inviting than the river left one. After rigging up a sweet little boat saving system we launched Andy's boat, filled with about 15 gallons of water, off the drop for a test run. As soon as we saw how well it took the drop we both knew it was on......
And so we ran the shit.

I ran it first, and Andy soon there after, and it was all goooooood.

The following photos were caught by an Auburn/Opelika news photographer, William White. He happened to be at the park on his own account, and this is what was in the newspaper. More to come he says on a CD he plans on mailing me.....
For some reason i couldn't load the video straight to the blog so...

Make sure to Check out the video here: http://www.vimeo.com/1648150

Well, thats it for now but PLENTY more to come. I added it up, and that sunday alone Andy and I dropped 800ft. in our kayaks. One hell of a first day on Andy's new rock colored Magnum 80!

-charlie simmons

The Final Final

2008-08-31T19:12:00.000-07:00

Check out the new vid from Paresthesia Productions of Ryran Moore's adventure around North America featuring sum a dem 'Bama boys:

http://www.vimeo.com/thefinalfinal

-Charlie Mix

Thanks Fay!!!

2008-08-31T17:57:00.000-07:00

Andy Hobson stompin' the shit out of the spout: pic by Adam Goshorn

So I get back from Sweden and just as I had promised Adam, I brought the rain with me. No more than 24 hours after getting off the plane, I was meeting Andy in my old teenage stomping grounds of Heflin, AL for a run on Cheaha Creek thanks to remnants of Hurricane Fay. I had not run Cheaha since I was 17 years old and forgot how much fun and how scenic it is...and how much water it takes to get it running. We yanked some wood out and ran it a couple times.

Andy about to boof and rally at the Alabama Six Pack, Cheaha Creek-pic by: Charlie Mix

Charlie Mix on the same drop-pic by: Andy H

We went back to the car for a break and got a message from Adam saying the canyon was going big and Johnnies was about to run. We looked at each other and an hour and half later we were at the falls gearing up. For some reason Johnnies didn't run, but LRC was 18 inches. I have a shiny new Magnum...in Asheville, at the infamous Spencer Cooke's house, so me and Andy had to take turns with his new Mag 80 because I wasn't feeling big headed enough to venture into the canyon in my Astro at flood. The Mag 80 paddled exactly like the Magnum 72, only bigger and surprisingly it didn't swallow me as much as I thought it would have. I was super stoked to be back on the canyon and especially in August at high water. Any way check out the pics while we wait on Gustav!!!

Charlie Mix in the new Magnum 80- pic by: Adam Goshorn

Adam about to fly-pic by: Charlie Mix

Charlie Mix thinking, "this is a lot of water." pic by: Adam G

Till next time,

-Charlie Mix

Team (shamless sponsor plug) RiotKayaksWrsiSkirtworksALSmallboats

From trailor parks and pawn shops to castles and cafes

2008-08-21T05:24:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the new Bama Boys blog!!! This is a work in progress, so check back frequently for updates!!!

I left Dixie about 3 months ago to come to Sweden to stay with my girlfriend. For now instead of writing a long and boring article, I will treat you to a 3 photo essay of my Swedish Summer. When I'm back state side in a few days I'll post more. Until then...

I love fika (Swedish coffee break.) The best damn espresso I've ever tasted along with a traditional negerbollar (pronounced nig-gar boll.)

Swedish 8.5 percent beer makes the taste buds happy...and numb

...And of coarse we can't forget the scenic paddling spots...

peace,

-Charlie Mix