Friend Jimmy,
My hat iz off ta anyone who kin paddle the Ocoee in any canoe. I rafted it once, paddled it a few times in a ducky 'n tried to study it every time I drove past it on our way to 'n frum the Nanny. I gave it a try one day in my Dagger Impulse. While puttin' on my wetsuit, Payson come in. I asked him which rapid wuz the worst sob 'n how ta run it. He looked kinda puzzled 'n sez "all of 'em wuz purty dang bad" 'n left.
Some kayakers I met up top (jest below Grumpy) sez ta follow 'em down if I didnt mind the slow pace...they aimed ta play their way downriver. That wuz fine with me til I got bored. My mind wandered off 'n the next I knew I wuz out in the middle of Gonzo Shoals by myownself. I blew out there twice cuz I wuz lookin' downriver ta see what wuz comin' instead of at what wuz rite in front of me. Got some bruises there.
Then I come upon some fellas jest above a bad sob. I tole one of 'em that I wuz kinda lost 'n asked what wuz next. He sez a purty bad one, so I asked him how ta cheat. A strange look come on hiz face. He sez there aint no good cheat route on this one, but way over ta the rite it wuz boney, but mebbe a bit eazier. After some bad paddlin' (in Gonzo Shoals) I done some of my best paddlin' ever. I got past that sob 'n past the roar where I asked what wuz next. This fella sez "some worse stuff 'n some ya caint cheat at all".
I didnt come in on a load a watermelons, so I figgered that wuz enuff. I pulled off 'n then hurt my back draggin' my boat uphill thru the woods. I found a 37" wide strip of asphalt where I wedged my canoe in. I sat there with the 18 wheelers so close I coulda touched 'em. My shuttle bunny had her camera downriver.....scairt that if she left, I'd come by. Thirty minutes later she give up 'n come a runnin'. I hurt my back some rasslin' my canoe over ta the side ta make room fer the pickup. There wuz enuff room ta git the pickup near bout off the road, so I had ta hurry loadin' my boat 'n hurt my back some more.
I reckon that wuz it fer me. I got ta see it 'n feel it 'n touch it....hard.
Our group always took out 'n toted our canoes round Bull Sluice, so I never gave it a try. I kinda regret that since at higher water levels I dont figger it would done more'n tighten up my arsehole. :wink: At the low levels when I paddled it, Decapitation Rock scairt the bejesus outta me.
I have an old Blue Hole, made in Sunbright, Tennessee. Dano iz keepin' it over in the Ozarks. I hope he will git some use out of it.
All this talk haz me wantin' ta paddle. I bet runnin' shuttle iz good therapy fer the stroke folks. :lol: :lol:
regards
bearridge
Everything in Los Angeles is too large, too loud and usually banal in concept . . . The plastic asshole of the world. William Faulkner
