Six GWS paddlers enjoyed the shoals and rapids on the Chattooga River. The weather and river were wonderful. We missed the peak of the leaf turning season by about a week, but lots of good color could still be seen in many trees. There are two pages of photos from this trip....link at bottom of this page to the next.
Curt cruises down a flat spot on the Chattooga as Rosemary and Terry watch.
The Chattooga River is a nice drop and pool, drop and pool, drop and pool river. Although some sections contain serious whitewater, we did the milder Section II.
Below, Marsha watches from a boulder as Terry and Rosemary recover from the eddy after going down this drop.
On the left, you will note the mandatory after-lunch nap being performed by several paddlers.
We camped at the "River Rat" primitive campground where we enjoyed a big campfire, smores, and good company. Then Sunday morning, we packed up and drove over to Dahlonega to paddle the Etowah River
Terry and Rosemary couldn't make it on Sunday, but we added Bud, Jack, and Ed for a total of seven paddlers on the tunnel section of the Etowah
The water was up a little in the Etowah, which moved us along quickly. We scooted over most all of the rapids and small drops without any problem. The first two paddlers who entered the tunnel, Chris and Jack, were not so lucky. They got sideways in the tunnel and ran up on a rock and flipped. You know that emptying a boat full of water and recovering gear in a fast moving stream is tough. Try doing it in the near total darkness of the tunnel. They got back in the boat and made it out....but with a good bit of water still in the canoe...which didn't help as they did the little drop at the end of the tunnel. Fortunately, nobody got hurt....only wet. One paddle and a couple of hats were lost. A spare paddle stayed in the boat, so it wasn't a major thing.
The remainder of the trip was very nice, with the rapids being lots of fun.
