Little
2. Sinks to the Elbow(Lower Little)
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportJust wanted to clarify the description about the Pin spot in Meanies 1st Drop. The original AW description mentions a 'pin spot right in the middle of the rapid'. Not sure if there is a 2nd pin spot, but this slot on river left is a pretty good one, and the current pushes you right into it if you don't drive hard enough right. Recommend hitting the boof on river right, and either catching the mid-rapid eddy and peeling out, or just keeping your bow pointed right through the whole rapid. Sorry I do not have photo credit, I stole this picture off of A Wet State and marked up to show the dangerous slot.
Medium flow at the middle line
I drive by the sinks today and there is wood at the bottom of te drop on the left that I've not seen before. I've been out of the area for a while so this may be old news.
Matt DeVoe in the Elbow
first drop of the sinks
Should be out of play at runnable levels.
rapid above tunnel rapid @ 3.2 ft
end of a great day on the water!
log still in the rapid at the time of this picture use caution make sure to scout at lower levels would recomend cheat route left or a portage don't want to be out of boat or upside down through this rapid!!
This is a pothole that is found just below the Elbow rapid on the Little River, Townsend, TN. This picture was taken with the USGS gauge reading 1.85'. This should not present a hazard at regular flow levels, but please be aware that it is there. Thanks to Karl Whipp for the photo and info.
This is a pothole that is found just below the Elbow rapid on the Little River, Townsend, TN. This picture was taken with the USGS gauge reading 1.85'. This should not present a hazard at regular flow levels, but please be aware that it is there. Thanks to Karl Whipp for the photo and info.
Rick on the sinks 2.89 ft
Be aware that there is a cave/sieve/undercut-like death trap underneath the water at the landing on the left ('main') line at The Sinks. Swimming over the drop or swimming after being stuck in the hole could easily be fatal. Here's an article about a non-boater that died in this hazard on June 4, 2007. http://www.knoxnews.com/kns/local\_news/article/0,1406,KNS\_347\_5572290,00.html. If I remember correctly, one of the local rescue squad members, who's also an accomplished boater, said that the submerged log referred to in this newspaper article was not a major factor in the accident - the lack of wood in the future does not mean that the danger is gone.
Consider setting safety at The Meanies (directly upstream) - boaters frequently swim out of the bottom hole, which can be rather sticky at most levels.
Have fun, be safe!
The below comment about taking the online gauge with a grain of salt is true, but not due to any technical error. The reason is that the online gauge is 25 square miles downstream and that the watershed triples at that point due to all the valley tribs coming in. If the little is at 3.3 and the online gauge is at 500, it must have just rained and the bubble hasn't reached the gauge. Sometimes the Little at Maryville can be at 2000 and the little only at a low level if it was mostly valley rain(rare but it happens).
The key to not getting skunked is to look at the whole picture. How much rain fell where and when and how dry was it prior. Streamflow gauges are but one small component in predicting streamflow.
Besides, there is an online gauge for the Townsend site now anyway:
Copy and paste if you have to.
Click 'See The Original File'. This is an animated GIF picture.
Nice roll by Roger, my camera ran out of fast recording memory there at the end.
Gauge was 2.22' when we checked it before dropping our shuttle car off and went up to Meanies. We worked our way down river having a great day and when we left we checked the gauge again and found it now running at 2.35'. The undercut rock is the large one just right of the 'safety's' head on river left.
elbow rapid on the little river.
boof line at silver diner on the little river. landing zone is near an undercut boulder on river left.
pin rock on river left after 1st Meanie drop at very low water
Sinks with wood at low water.
ran this today real gauge reading was 3.3 below the Y. 12-07-2004, this online gauge is way off! been there before with this online gauge reading in the 500's and real water level was 3.8, take this online gauge with a grain of salt.
David was pumped up & ready for the big stuff after 2 easier runs that day! Nice run through meanies then missed eddy & had to run backwards! The river gods were smiling!
Im pointed a little left...which gets me worked in the next picture.
I was pointed a little left on the right line at the sinks, then I missed that last stroke. Doh!
Josh lines it up nicely
Josh punches through the hole at the bottom of the sinks, right line
Karl & Josh chat before the Sinks
Heavy Hofung going for the middle line
high water and falling snow means no waiting at the Sinks
high water and falling snow means no waiting at the Sinks
Make sure you turn up your speakers :)
Sean had to redeem himself. With my boat.
It was a little pushy that day.
Milton Wicker boofing the second sink at Little River in the Smokies. Still capture from video.
Milton Wicker running the sneak at the main drop of The Sinks. Still capture from video.
Typical rapid between the sinks and the elbow
This is a good line at Elbow: come off the pourover angled toward the rocks and let your momentum carry you across the current so that you miss the elbow outcropping.
Boofing over the hole.
If you don't want to run the Sinks, or it's too low, put in like a champ...drop the seal launch! A clean 15+ footer into deep, cold, water...
Photo courtesy of and copyright by Julie Keller.
The park's paid boating entertainment
The deceiving drop...
Safety Meeting
A SIK Boof smackdown on the the left side of
Sink #1