Citico Creek

Pigs in Space. ALF 2019

The namesake boulder for Gorilla Face. The line is to the right of the boulder.

The gradient figures are right, but from the putin to just below pigs in space, which is what the reach is, is not 4 miles. It is 1.65 miles. Big difference.

on Jan 31 2006. I was driving by after a low flow tellico and saw trees that had fallen across 3 sections above pigs in space. Check from car and walk if needed. Still fun no matter what

The first significant rapid (large boulder on the left) has recently been referred to as 'Boulder Dash' (a good name, BTW). However, the name 'Gorilla Face' has been in use by some of us since the late '80s. This name is derived from the gorilla profile seen in the rock when viewed from the road. Also, the rapid above White Rabbit in the noticible right turn in the river (right and left lines as well as a middle boof if the water's high enough) has been called 'Go Ask Alice' for several years now.

Ken

We ran Citico at low water this weekend (water below the top of the bridge). It's still a lot of fun at this level. I just wanted to point out that there is a bad pinning spot in the far right slot of the 3-slot rapid at this level. There is a piton rock below the slot center or left-center. At the low water level, the tendency if trying to boof off the rock is to get up on the rock and get turned back left and into the piton rock. Quite a few of us pinned their briefly this weekend. I personally pinned and was stuck head down (but with a big air pocket) until my friends could yank me out (yikes!). Be careful on this one at low water.

Put-in level info from boatertalk:

\* If the water is lapping over the bridge, it is a low doable level.

\* 10-12 inches over the bridge is ideal for a fast fun ride(roughly 1500 cfs on the tellico gauge, if the rain fall is spread evenly throughout that region)

\* 24 inches over the bride is fast, hole dodging action.

Lots of people are speaking highly of the half mile hike above the put-in to where the north fork comes in and floating down from there.

This is the runout portion of Gorilla Face, the first major rapid (but not the first rapid) below the put-in. This rapid is recognized by the large boulder that sits to the left at the beginning. A distinctive gorilla profile can be seen in the boulder from the roadside.

The low water bridge at the put-in can be used to
gauge flows:
\* If the water is lapping over the bridge, it is a low
doable level.
\* 10-12 inches over the bridge is ideal for a fast
fun ride(roughly 1500 cfs on the tellico gauge, if
the rain fall is spread evenly throughout that
region)
\* 24 inches over the bride is fast, hole dodging
action

Jim Leutenegger running the first rapid after the put-in bridge.
Jim Strickland runs the bottom drop of Boulder Dash as Duncan Cottrell scouts from shore. Boulder Dash gets its name from a large cottage size boulder on river left at the top of the rapid. The boulder makes the rapid seem more intimidating than it is since you can't see around it.
Jim Strickland runs one of the many unnamed, fluffy, friendly rapids on Citico.
Citico is one of the more picturesque runs in the southeast.
Jim Leutenegger runs the left line at the bottom of Pigs In Space.
Marshall Fox running the top part of Pigs In Space. This photo makes Pigs look easier than it is since you can't see the holes at the bottom of the rapid.
Jim Leutenegger running the last ledge hole in Pigs In Space.
Kirk Duchow boofing a slot on one of the many unnamed rapids.