Rainy and warm this weekend!

Everything is primed here. See what the rain does. Hopefully Greenbrier and the Little will come up. Otherwise, I could do the Nolichucky again or perhaps the Watauga. Supposed to be 68 degrees in Cosby TN on Sunday.
Brent

Drizzled all night here in Cosby, but nothing too much. Even that caused a small bump in the Little. Looks like rain will be spotty today so I don't expect things to come up much in the next ten hours. The Pigeon just turned on, so it will be running a bit today. On the other hand, from looking at weather maps and the quant precip forecast, Sunday looks almost guaranteed to have a Greenbrier run. Saturday, it is hard to say at this point. But, the Little will likely be in play on Sunday, if not Saturday afternoon as well. Will not take much to get it over 2.4 as it is at 2.10 now. As such, I am planning on staying around here. Anyone interested in doing either of those runs this weekend in the Park? I am pretty sure they will come into play, so come on down. I should be out there on one or the other, depending on water levels. Also, Big Creek will probably run on Sunday. I suspect that the Pigeon will run every day like it has been, with the water turned on and off per the Duke web page generation schedule.

I have plenty of camping space and shelter, indoor kitchen and bathroom/shower, hot tub, and it looks like warm and wet this weekend. Just how we boaters like it! (Side note, if you come, bring coffee, paper towels and toilet paper along with food and booze to pot luck/share with hungry dirt bag boaters). Skobotin!

Brent

Looks like Sunday will work out good for me. Anyone from Lex interested in riding down to the park Saturday evening or early Sunday?
Can't wait to get back on the Little or Greenbrier...

Dang, looks like I'm going to be stuck in Lexington on Sundat. Might push for a RFG lap tomorrow if rain doesn't slam the Smokys. I would love to hit the Watagua soon too.

If you can't boof it, squirt it! If you can't squirt it, are you even wet?

Mike D

Cool Ben. Come on down. I understand Majick! I have Chief and Mark Singleton in for a Sunday run on the Greenbrier. I also think we may see the Little tomorrow afternoon, perhaps rising enough. I am meeting Amelia in four hours, at 3 p.m. in Hartford today to paddle the Pigeon. If you are in Lexington, you would need to leave right now to join us. Come party and boat this weekend BWA people. I got some time on my hands this weekend and next week so this would be a good one to do nothing but paddle and eat and drink with friends.

For those that have not done the Greenbrier, it is a mostly Class III run, with some III+ and some easy IV action in a few spots. It starts off with a bang and about a quarter pile of steady continuous class III and then it is one nice class III after another until you get to Billboard and Pillow, which are more in the class III-IV range, water level and line dependent. There are class III lines through both. Then several more miles of class III interspersed with Class II, pretty continuous, until you get to the last two picturesque class III drops at Wedding Beach and the takeout. Go get some great barbeque two minutes away on Hwy 321, come back and repeat. Pretty scenery with very clean water to play in. Hard to beat something 10 minutes from my door step.

When I first bought the property down here in 2000, I had been hearing about the Greenbrier for years, mostly from Mike Molnar who claimed at one point it was his favorite stream in the Smokies. After I got the land here, I first got on Greenbrier and fell in love with it. A true Smoky Mountains classic. Come check it out!
Brent

I am driving to South Carolina on Sunday and plan to catch a couple of laps on the Pigeon on the way. Should be in Hartford around noon. Have fun on the Greenbriar...maybe I can catch you next time.

Joe W.

Joe, the Little and/ Greenbrier are going to be in tomorrow since it is still raining, has been all day at least drizzling, and I see the Little is already at 2.47 as of 6 p.m. reading. That means everything may go tomorrow if you want to meet up. I imagine the Pigeon may get bigger than normal so if that is all you can do, it ain't bad.
Brent

Brent,
I would love to jump onto the little or the greenbriar tomorrow. Let me know what the schedule is.

Robert W.

Cool Robert. I am helping a friend in the morning drop off their car with a mechanic do probably won't paddle until noon. I now think Greenbriar will be in tomorrow and the Little will be big. Text me in the morning and I will know more.
Brent

So, it appears that this is going to be one of those perfect weekends for the Greenbrier and the Little. Warm conditions and just the right amount of water. I have 1.1 inches in my rain gauge over the past thirty hours. Looks like another half inch in the next 12 hours. Things will not get too high. Little is currently at 3.14 and dropping. I do not have a visual on Greenbrier yet, but am sure it is running. Lou will probably go have a look this morning. Should be a party here tonight. Great conditions! I will be out there by noon.
Brent

What a great weekend! Big crew here enjoying warm wet conditions on fun class III/IV creeking action on the Little and Greenbrier. Little was over 3' both days and the Greenbrier was about 1.9 on Saturday and 2.2 on Sunday which provided a Ramsey's run for Clay and a new buddy while the rest of us, like more than 20, did laps on the Greenbrier section with temperatures near 70 degrees. Bunch of new first time runs by folks. Now y'all see why MikeMolnar (one word), always crowed about it back in the early 90s...
Sure was fun to get to know some new folks this weekend. Y'all come back now, ya hear?
Brent

Brent! I have such a great time on the Greenbrier! Thanks for the unending hospitality and for a serious Sunday funday! Send my thanks to Lou for lines at the big ones!

Looks like warm and wet this weekend again. So, probably going to boat the Greenbrier and Little all weekend and party and eat good food with friends that show up. So, yeah, this is another invite to come hang out this weekend. Scotty has a new Phantom and is loving it. I have been on the Little the past two days and everything is primed. Park boating is getting ready to happen again over here.
Brent

So, I have only had a trace amount of rain, but we are supposed to get at least an inch over the next twenty four hours. The Little is actually still in right now, running 2.42. Everything is nice a primed for Greenbrier, probably Ramsey's and Tremont, Big Creek, and for sure the Little. Come down and let's potluck a big feast of burgers or something more creative! High of 60 tomorrow and 50 on Sunday, with lows only 44 Saturday night. Rain all day Saturday it looks like. Should be some great options close to the house...
Brent

Sadly, we did not get the rain hoped for today. I do not see much coming in tonight or tomorrow, but we will see what the morning brings and reassess. So, no Greenbrier run tomorrow and the Little is going to be low at best. As such, Plateau runs like Daddy's or BSF I would consider tomorrow. Also the Noli is running about 2200 and going up a bit while the Watauga is too high for my taste. If Big Laurel came up a little bit I would not mind doing that. Been awhile for that one, for me. Spring Creek might be a fun option and I only paddled it once, back in the early 90s with Mike Clark (and boy what an adventure that was) and it would be cool to see it again. I also see that the Chattooga is running a very robust 2.26 right now on the gage, so it is about 2.1 I would say...then there is the Linville Gorge, ah... once there was a day...
Brent

Ok, here is the morning skinny, at about 7:45 a.m. as I type. Jason Squatch is now driving to TN, sans Josh, he just texted me. Told him I did not know what I was doing and had not heard from Chief. I have about .2 inches in my gauge, not enough to get Greenbrier going good. The Little is running low, and seems to have just now peaked at about 2.56. Caney Fork is running, probably on the lowish side and headed down. Too much shuttle and effort for me today. Looking for the easy button. Daddy's Creek is lowish but going. Maybe not make the drive for a low run. BSF is big - 7550. Looks like Little Clear may be going and Clear Creek itself is big at 2260 but dropping 90 per hour. Adam Leftwich would have beta on that. Could be a really good option. Nolichucky went big and is 6740, so I ain't going there. Pigeon is at 1720 and going up. Good level for that. Watauga is 1300 and too much for my taste. Russell Fork is stomping at 2266. I really don't feel like driving anywhere. Rain forecast looks negligible and iffy. Nice warm day today though. Hmmmm...

I am going to see who is up and at it over the next hour and then decide. Might just hang on the Little and/or Pigeon a bit and call it a day of exercise and good.

Brent

I may have spoke too soon on the Little. It is now 2.71 and going up. Think that may be my plan for today. Tomorrow would be a good day for the Big Laurel if it comes up like it looks like it is doing. They got more rain over there it seems.

Brent

Great day on the Little yesterday with Scotty and Lou. I was surprised to find that most of the flow was on the main stem rather than the Tremont (both upstream from the gage), so it was running bigger than the gage was reading. Instead of 2.7, it was actually about 2.8. Log is still in the Sinks so I didn't run it. Saw Flunker out there after the first lap. That brother is a driving machine! One of the locals noted: "he is out here all the time". I explained it was all in one day trips from Lexington, to their amazement.

Turns out, the Greenbrier was running 2' yesterday. I didn't even stop to look, but that is because I did not think it through. The half foot of snow on top of the mountains had melted with the light warm rain, explaining the bump there and the Little.

Little is still in the 2.5s, and I see the Pigeon is running 3600 which is a fun level and a quick jaunt. Not sure what Chief or folks are doing on the Plateau today. Ya'll have fun out there!
Brent

Pulled into the take out of the pigeon just in time to attach myself to a run with Brent and Scottie. Had an awesome couple of laps in my play boat at 3500 cfs. Could not have ordered up a better trip if I tried. Great seeing you on the water Brent!

Joe W.

I know Joe! For sure! Hope to see you some more soon. Gotta love these big water Pigeon days. Gone from the house for four hours and that included the drive to and from and two laps. Bit cooler today with temps in the 40s. Just beautiful wave trains akin to the lower Gauley and real easy to run quick laps. I got to try out Scottie's new Phantom on the second lap and it is pretty sweet. First time in it. Think I am going to borrow it a few more times to see what I think. Seemed faster and a bit easier to turn, but very similar up front to what I am used to on the Newmad. Need to get it on a creek and see what it's like there. I think I like it. Next rain event, at this time, is Thursday. I sure do like it here this time of year.

Any of you all out there in BWA Forum land ever boat on Christmas Day? I plan to. It has become a tradition that I have really enjoyed over the past ten years or so. One day it was with Rebecca, Jo Jo and a crew of kayaking misfits at the Little. That is a story unto itself. One year it was on Section IV of the Chattooga in a long day trip. One year I did a nice solo Greenbrier lap in under an hour and a half, door to door. Pigeon is almost guaranteed this time of year. Of course, it is nice to come home to a nice warm kitchen with friends around and decorations and hot toddies, and well, other things. Not really into camping in the winter as much. That mostly ended with the conclusion of Gauley and Russell Fork seasons.

I can arrange indoor floor space for migrant paddlers floating through this area. Helps if you have a vehicle to run shuttle with me if Scotty is off to work, as usual during the week. Sometimes we got Lou or Amelia in the holiday boating mix. Sometimes we don't. So, come down and boat with me. I will be pretty much in free floating boater mode until after the New Years... and I will keep posting on this forum. So cool we have our own forum...

Brent