Big Coal River, Marsh Fork

Ran this section this spring solo and it was some of the most fun I have ever had on the water. It definitley deserves the class IV rating but it is very forgiving class IV. Strong boaters will never need toget out of their boats. One thing I liked was that there are numerous horizon lines that hide rapids from view but once you are over them lines are straightforward. You get the rush of running rapids semi-blind, but without the consequences. I bank scouted every drop on my first trip down and this would be the safest thing to do because of the possibilty of wood but at lower flows there would probably never be enough force behind the water so as to create a life-threatening pin situation. I ran it at 11.3 and was scraping a bit, I would say 11.6 would be easiest and that at higher flows there would definitley have to be more caution taken. One interesting rapid to note is the one right below the Peachtree Rd bridge. All the water funnels down into a bottleneck and forms a high-energy rooster tail. I got some serious air there. Great fun! Im surprised this section does not see more boater traffic, as its like a VERY forgiving Cranberry. Note: At the time I ran it this run was the hardest I had done, I have since ran the NRG, LG, and UG. The guys I paddle with ran this section and it did not impress them much. I would probably have to agree with them after the harder water that I have seen now, but I would still have to recommend this run if you have never done it.