Pigeon

A few additional notes on the Pigeon:

Powerhouse rapid, the first ww after the putin, is a 100 yard stretch of solid Class III. Just after that is Full of Water, a short Class III drop that is playable.

Lost Guide is a Class III rapid with a Class IV slot (raft line middle, just left of the pourover). I've seen kayaks and people held and recerculated in the hole and a number of commercial rafts flip there. The hole isn't as sticky now as it once was 5-6 years ago (spring floods shifted the rocks there) when a raft guide had to be resusitated on the rock just below the rapid.

The other 2 rapids which, along with the Guide, constitute the Big 3 on the Pigeon are Double Reactionary and Accellerator and you'll find them around 3.5 miles down. On Double, the entire river is pushed through a 15-20 foot slot on river left, where Tombstone rock creates a 4-5 foot curling wave to the right. There is also a hole in the entrance that slows you down before getting to the curler. The rapid is III+/IV depending on level.

Just after Double, on river right, is a great P&P surf spot for advanced paddlers called Super Glue. It's very surfable, but there is great potential to smack the rock that causes the hole if you flip...quite a few teeth have been lost there.

Accellerator is about 75 yards after Super Glue. It is a 25 yard stretch which loses 12-15 feet of elevation, with a river wide horizon line. The kayak line is right-to-left, skirting the Class IV President's Hole at the bottom. The raft line is to barrell over the hole. The good thing is either way you will hit it with a lot of speed. The bad thing is it is the worst swim on the river (Powerhouse is bad, too, but the rock aren't very sharp...Accellerator is lined with some cutters). There is also significant foot-entrapment risk here.

Summer releases are usually between 1,000-1,200 cfs which is pretty tame. If you get the chance to go 1,800 to 2,000, it'll be a pushy, fun ride. 2,500 and up starts washing out the drops but still makes for a fun raft trip.

BTW, the river has really made a lot of progress returning to health in recent years. According to TWRA it is again supporting a significant fish population and is on par with most other area rivers as far as pollution levels (thanks for your work, AW!!!). However, it still has a brownish tinge and some suds from the Canton, NC papermill releasing color into the water.