Pocket Creek,

Kirk on Hot Pocket

Kirk on Hot Pocket
Photo @ 1 foot

River Description

Pocket Creek is hands down one of the best runs in Tennessee. Every rapid is runnable. The creek has smooth lines and seems to have been made for whitewater paddling. The run is located towards the southern end of the Sequatchie valley. It flows through a winding canyon studded with arches, cliffs, and old growth forest as it cascades into the valley. The water quality is decent, and the scenery is top notch.

On the difficulty, the creek is mostly class 4 drops, with several sections that have class 5 attitude. The continuity of the bedrock stretch and the stacked move intensive nature of the boulder sections create reluctance to rate this a class 4 run. It is harder than Cain/Chick, and is more on par with Little Possum perhaps. While you may not be running lots of class 5 on this creek, class 5 eddy hopping and boat scouting skills are highly recommended. At 0.5 feet the run is probably slow enough to be class 4. Above 1 foot the run is solid class 5.

The run from the gauge down starts with a short stretch of flatwater. There is one 2 foot ledge in this stretch. After a few more bends, there is a constriction and steepening of the creek as it enters the first bit of bedrock. Get out on the left ASAP to scout and likely portage. There has been a terrible large diameter hemlock that has been blocking this spot for some time. This starts whitewater on the run.

What follows is roughly a mile of excellent bedrock rapids. This section wraps around the chimneys formation, which can be seen from the park on the rim. This whole stretch is 80% low angle bedrock, and while it is super cool, you have to keep an eddy in sight at all times, because many of the big drops are preluded by these nonstop affairs, and most importantly a logjam around a blind corner could really spell disaster. Don't be brave, scout. Amidst the bedrock back and forth are 7 or 8 distinct rapids. 3 of these are slightly bigger. 2 of them are big cascades, and one of them is a clapper drop. Some of them have more than one sizable slide as entrance moves, and can take some time to determine to be clear from the bank. Enjoy this stuff. It is some the cleanest and more sustained bedrock action in the SE arena. Think Island Creek/Little Clear Creek on steroroids. It is also similar to the bedrock sections on Rock Creek and Roaring Creek, but better in every way. At high flows some holes could get sticky, but everything is pretty reasonable at 1 foot.

The last of the bedrock is where boulders have started falling in at the last long sliding rapid. Change out your guns for the boulder garden section, which is another mile or more of stout boulder and ledge gardens. There are some classic big hole moves, some stacked ledge sequences with demanding lines, a few sweet slots, an epic s-turn or two, a wonderful double drop, and near the end lurks a VERY steep and chunky double ledge that is official gnar.

After the wonderful double drop described above, there are 2 or 3 more smaller rapids before the hike out option on river right. Below double drop there will be a sizable tributary bouncing down a jumble on river left. At this pool there is a faint jeep track on the right that heads out of the gorge. As I have not explored the valley section yet, I will describe the hike out.

On the Jeep trail, you will go 100 yards and intersect a much more defined jeep trail that runs the length of the gorge along river right. Turn right here. The trail makes a long switchback at this point, and immediately on the left is a atv track-turned mud bed that you can use to cut the switchback. Not recommended, but it goes. Back to the switchback. A faint trail may spur off to the creek soon, just stay left. Then the trail will gradually wind back to the left and soon the atv hill climb will come in on your left. Now all you have to do is keep trudging up the increasingly steeper trail. A side creek will eventually become visible on the left. Keep hoofing it steeper and steeper, as the rutted out cobbly trail eventually gains substantial flow as well. At the top of the rim there is a little roundabout turnaround. The hike out is around a mile and gains 700 feet. This is a good place to leave the takeout truck (serious clearance and/or 4x4 recommended). If you don't have 4wd, not to worry. It is a flat and easy 0.8 mile hike to the paved road. Go with the trail, veering left and then right at two subsequent splits before hitting the road.