Wanted to comment from the perspective of someone who was on the first descent (I think?) in either
1986 or 87. Saw that the big falls near the end was called Compression Falls - we named that
Whammer Falls after Brian Wham who was first off that drop on that trip. At the bottom his helmet
was blown off and floated up first prompting Dale Adams to comment something like "it tore his
f-ing head off". I think Dale was 2nd off the drop. We had a large group that day and had a great
trip ! I will never forget it ! Bob Vernon

We had some hard times on the lower Elk yesterday. We tried to portage Twisting Falls on the narrow
goat trail but didn't realize it was icy until we got up there. We wound up dropping our kayaks
into the falls and had to hike out of the gorge. I wanted to post this in case anyone sees our
kayaks or gear to let everyone know that we are ok. If you happen to find a couple of wavesport
diesel kayaks (blue and citrus) or some paddles, please email me (calebbrauer@yahoo.com)

If you want to see some great photos of this amazingly scenic, spectacular and only Class 4-5-minus
river gorge, check out my friend Woody DuBois's photos and videos at
http://picasaweb.google.com/tm.dubois/20090618ElkRiverNC# These are from our June 2009 trip. This
is one of those trips-of-a-lifetime that will not only thrill you, but that you will never forget.
P.S. I'm in the orange Prijon Hercules.

Robert Farmer---The waterfall near the end is not 33 feet---it is definitely closer to 45 feet,
although only the last 25 feet or so are totally airborne, the first 20 feet or so being only about
65 degrees, but still plenty fast.

Hey Kevin, The falls near the end of the run, which I am calling "compression falls" can be run
anytime even when the gorge is not going. We found a trail that hikes down the side of the mtn and
almost right to it. You will still have to portage twisting falls due to the fact that is is almost
right above the drop. We go in there late november just to huck it for fun. Lowest ive went off is
58cfs. The pool is always good. Just remember to tuck!!

Robert Farmer---I took a group down this @June 2009, for my third trip down. Some of the boaters
were around the Class 4/4+ level. The logs in the first drop are gone now, and it's 4+/5-, a fairly
easy move, with some consequences on the left for unimaginable screw-ups. This is possibly the best
collection of Class 4 slides anywhere!!! Only 2 drops really approach Class 5, and they are
portageable. There is one really big slide that many people portaged, but it's not really hard,
just intimidating, as long as you're on the right line. Thrilling, but without much cost. There is
one rapid where we did the in-boat portage; with more water, you can "wheelchair" across, but on
this trip, to speed things up, I got out and dragged the other boaters across the rock, so they
didn't have to get out, dropping off the ledge into a slide. There are a lot of blind horizon
lines; it's great to just bomb down on your second run, but the first run requires a lot of
scouting. The price that you pay is the horrendous portage. It was a lot more overgrown than I
remembered (different time of year, maybe?). We cleared it out a bit, but you need to have a sense
of adventure, and start your day early. You can take about 3 different variations, depending on
whether you want to run the last 45-foot waterfall; I ran it on my second trip, accidentally
boofed, and had a very painful paddle out and couple of weeks after. It is so beautiful, though.
There is a rope hanging next to this falls, I noticed, too late. I don't know if it's for
portaging, though---it's probably for cliff divers in warmer weather, but it hangs into the water,
so it would be hard to use, probably. One of our boats got dropped about 60+ or so feet. If you're
portaging the falls, stay high and left, or there was a lower way, too, but it was pretty airy, as
well. Anyway, this is a 5-star run, a great classic, with esthetic quality comparable to Linville
Gorge or the Blackwater, or Tallulah Gorge. Sure the portage is bad, but you can do it once, right?
Bring a saw and do a little volunteer trailwork, and for crying out loud, don't be one of those
boaters who doesn't carry a throwrope, ok? You need to do this one at least once in your life.

Could anyone tell me whether the 33 footer near the end of the reach runs regularly or only when
it's high enough for the rest of the run? Also, is it possible to hike up from the take out to this
falls?

It's mostly fun Class 4+, with some 5. The first major drop has two logs in it. My first time, they
were underwater and not visible. My second time, I got briefly stuck between them--very scary;
watch out!
-At the mandatory portage, don't run the last 10ft ledge, just go straight up the hill and cross a
very large log. The rest is more obvious. To avoid the big drop here, keep going left, around the
corner, and up a bit. Cross a muddy, slippery drainage above a cliff. Use a rope to drop about 20
feet into a gully.
-And it's not "Sone" mtn church--it's "Stone" Mtn Church.
-One of the street signs is missing, up the hill a bit, complicating the shuttle, as of 2003. The
shuttle's not too bad if you know where to go, but that's a big if.
-This is a super-beautiful, most-excellent, one of the best-on-the-east- coast runs, even though
it's achievable for mere advanced or beginning-expert boaters. Probably runs rarely, though.