Update on Big Creek

By Eric Stalowy

February 18, 2008

There are few rivers in the South East, and I dare say the entire U.S., as amazing as Big Creek. When it’s, as my buddy Jeb says, “On the high side of hell-yeah!” it will keep you on your toes all the way to the take-out. Big holes, great boofs, pushy moves, and it’s an all you can eat buffet. You hike up as far as you want, and for the most part, the higher you go the harder it gets. The day we put on was a bitter sweet day because we were saying good bye to a friend who was moving out West. We threw our boats on at the put-in and began the hike up. For me the hike is a big part of why this run is so great. You work for every mile you paddle, and the average hike is about three miles. Jeb, Jenn Cribbs, and I hiked up above the bridge to a rapid called Superman. It was nice having just the three of us, we were able to move along at a great pace and we were the only ones up there at the time. We met the rest of the group at the bridge, about a ½ to ¼ mile below superman.

The level that day was perfect for a mellow fun day of creeking. We all tried new lines and alternated taking the lead through rapids. For those who have never done this run, its kinda like the green in that there are so many rapids that you have to run it a lot to memorize the river. Jeb showed me a lot of new lines and I ran Monster for the first time. All I have to say about that is, GOOD LORD THAT IS SKETCHY!
I also ran Action-Alley for the first time and that is one of my all time favorite rapids. In my opinion, when you scout this rapid it is definitely as challenging as it looks. The rapid is very continuous, especially at higher levels, but the moves are of the highest quality. Big boofs, big holes and one amazing drop called “Baby Gorilla”, need I say more. The level was great for a first timer and I felt more than comfortable in my Rocker. The Rocker is perfect for steep, bigger volume creeks. Its stability, agility, and boofing make it an ideal creeker. I love it.

We only had one swim for the day which is pretty good considering that some of us hadn’t been in our boats for, in a few cases, months. The photo that is included was taken by someone from another group, who was hanging out at Midnight Hole. This drop is really fun, and scary. The line is small and the rock on the left is really undercut.

It was really great to be out and paddling again. Big Creek showed us love that day and it was a great way to send off our friend Dave.

Hope to have more updates in the coming months, school is almost over in May, and after that I am going to hit it wide open!

Peace,
Eric