Clear Creek

This is a trip report from Chota Canoe Clubs listserve about our trip last weekend:

The Mission: a route typically used for an overnighter

The Crew: Duckie Boy and The-One-Who-Needs-A-Real-Helmet

The Setting: Clear Creek from the 127 bridge to Barnett

The Level: 350 cfs at Lilly (consider it minumum for a day paddle). It had

peaked two days earlier

at around 750.

A beautiful Saturday dawned with a plan to meet at the Ranger Station in

Wartburg.

We knew there might be a little paddling involved (about 20 miles) so the

meeting time was set for 8am.

Put-on time: 9:23

The first several miles were very pretty although scrapy (lots of

wheelchair boating). The highlight

of that section was about 50 yards of the river where you ran under a wide

rock shelf (think of a taller

version of the cave on Island Creek)). Lots of scenic camping areas and

small waterfalls joined the

river, slowly raising the river level. Lots of dogwood still blooming and

the wild azaleas were thick

with white and pink blossoms. We had heard that the first few miles

dropped about 15 feet to

the mile, then went to about 40 before settling back down. The steepest

section had some pleasant

class 2 stuff.

A few areas had some portages. There were two rapids in

the first 8 miles that could

cause trouble with more water. Easily boat-scouted, but no obvious lines

at the low level we were using.

The toughest part was the '10 Mile Lake' in the middle. Although not much

more than one mile in

length, there is little as demoralizing as a long stretch of flatwater

followed by several more in

succession.

Around mile 16, we ran into 5 canoeists who had been on the river for two

nights and were going to

spend another night there. They were a little amazed at the distance we

had covered. Would have liked

to chat more, but we had a schedule to maintain. At this point, my

shoulders were starting to complain.

Around mile 19, we hit the only significant rapid on the stretch; Monte

Smith has a picture of it in

at least one of his books. A class 3, the biggest hazard is that you run

it blind. The river turns

to the left for about 30 yards and then turns back right. At that point,

you finally see the double

drop. Not a problem in a kayak, a loaded canoe should have everything tied

down. Plan on hitting

the line on the right if you can.

3/4 miles later, we were at Barnett bridge, a mere 6 and a half hours after

the put in.

The whole trip was like a wilderness hike where you could sit down the

entire time.

Recommended for strong paddlers who need a break from steep creeks, also

suitable for flat water

folks (easy portages except for the last rapid). If you do an overnight,

you can probably run it a lot lower

although the first four miles will take longer as you hike alongside your

boat.