Clear Creek

Ran this section for the first time on March 6, 2021. Level was about 6ft on the Lilly Bridge or approx 450cfs. I routinely paddle class 3 and 4 in my kayak and would normally be running the Lilly to Nemo section. I recently acquired a Star Slice cataraft and my goal that day was to evaluate the Barnett to Jett section, at 6ft Lilly Bridge, for suitability for a cataraft. I decided that this was enough water with the possible exception of two, perhaps three, spots where the creek is so narrow that a short 20-30 foot portage or 'drag cataraft over the rocks' may be required. A brief observation about the hazards mentioned by so many of the other comments. As a very experienced class 3-4 kayaker I saw that I could boat-scout and identify all of them rather easily with the exception of one-- the undercut rock & strainer about 1 to 1.5 miles (my guess) upstream of Jett Bridge. That particular hazard was partially or completely obscured to me and my boat-scouting and I was glad to have the guidance of 4 other paddlers with me who knew this section. They recognized the spot from well upstream-- an island/shoal in the center with water channeling both left and right of the island. To my boat-scouting eyes river left and right channel both looked reasonable. The correct line was to follow the left channel bordered by heavy evergreen & Hemlock trees with a short section of near-vertical rock wall on the left. In March 2021 taking that river left line kept me away from the more dangerous channel on the right with a messy strainer and current that flows into the undercut. I still had some work to do, to stay safe in the river left channel, but in my opinion competent class two kayakers would be OK. Overall I found this section quite scenic despite the large sections of trees, in the first 1.5 miles, blown down by the 2019/2020 tornadoes. About halfway through the run there were several short class 2 rapids with very long and deep pools downstream which would lend themselves quite well to instructional trips. I plan on future trips paddling my Slice solo with my water-loving retriever.