Long Swamp Creek

USGS gauge 02390475 is 10 miles down stream at Reavis rd. This is a 2006 gauge so no correlation is known. It was 7' on this gauge when we ran it at 1' on the damn. It felt like a good low-medium level... ie just right.

I was looking on the USGS page for georgia to find a potential gauge for Long Swamp and think I may have found an indicator. USGS 2381600 is Fausett Cr. which is about 10 miles away, but is on the other side of the mountain. It spiked to over 300 on Monday when Long Swamp was pumping. Most importantly it does have a rainfall gauge which may be more valuable.

The gauge does not correlate like it used to...They diverted most of the water around the dam which is where the gauge is so it needs a new correlation or a new gauge below where the two channels join again

'The first is an eight foot tall ledge with a pretty scary notch on the right. At lower flows you have to run thru the notch. Bring your elbow pads.

Next is an eight to ten foot tall ledge that can be boofed right off the middle. After that the river flattens out until the takeout. There is probably a mile of good whitewater followed by a mile and a half of flatwater to the takeout.'

I think that is mixed up. The notch rapid is the last drop on the run. And the other one 'Exit ramp' is before this one. The scary notch one has a bad sieve/pinning spot on far right. So you want to boof the rock to the left of it (but if u dry out and slide to the right then you are in the sieve.

This weekend I put a gage up on Long Swamp Creek. The gage is painted on the river left side of the dam at the Cove Road take-out. It is easily seen from river right. 10 inches is minimum. 1

The slide above the drop that makes it an auto-boof. Awesome Run over all but could have used more water.

At the take-out there is a white line scratched above the dam on the concrete on the river left side.

This is what the river looks like all through out, fun slides and good hole potential at high water. (The branch in the foreground is not near the water t all). The run looked clean
This was the first waterfall i saw (and only because i turned back) It is a slide that goes into a waterfall about 10-12 feet. At high it looks like a cool ski jump (or pin) on river right.
total drop was probably roughly 15-16 feet.
This is a view from directly in front, it looks like an auto boof at good water.
A little different perspective

Awesome run......
www.LithiumKayaking.com

The river was too low to be any fun, except for the falls and exit ramp....Goto http://filebox.vt.edu/users/cdgorman/index.html for more SE creeking videos

Mike McGhee running Grandview Rapid, the first drop on Long Swamp Creek / Cove Creek.
Milt Aitken running the second drop on Long Swamp / Cove Creek. Note the tire in the rapid. Don't you just love GA creeking! The tire has since moved down river.
Milt Aitken running the top part of Bump-N-Grind. The third rapid on Long Swamp / Cove Creek
Milt Aitken running the lower drop of Bump-N-Grind. The third rapid on Long Swamp / Cove Creek
Looking back up at Bump-N-Grind from down river.
Mike McGhee demonstrates how NOT to run Long Swamp Falls
Looking back up at Long Swamp Falls from down river.
Milt Aitken chases Mike McGhee through the top of S-Turn
Looking back up at S-Turn from down river
Milt Aitken running the dry line at Exit Ramp. The last major rapid on Long Swamp Creek.
Milt boofing a ledge near the end of the run.
Wood is a problem on the lower part of the run. On the other hand, I don't think I've ever taken a better shot of Milt!
The take-out dam at medium low.