Cullasaja

Forum: BoaterTalk

Date: Apr 20 2004, 3:24 GMT

From: wncpaddler

You can Park and Huck the two drops above T-Bone and run T-Bone itself as low as you want. Lowest I've done it is 3.21ft. and it was really scrappy. I would say optimum would be 4-4.5 ft. That really pads things out but make some other stuff really intresting. Watch out for what Newt calls the 'box' if you run the drop on the second. Running the slide keeps you away from this. (Newt got worked pretty hard there about 2 months back at 4.25) But you can run the drop with good speed and about 2 ft left of the curler at the top. At lower levels the second drop is pretty sketchy. You won't be able to get much speed and are sure to pin hard in the cave on the far left. It's not terminal, but still bad enough. (1st hand experience there) As for T-Bone you can see how it looks, just stay way left and pull yourself along the top part, at lower levels, and stay away from that huge pothole at the bottom. Pretty good recovery there though.

As for a max. level I wouldn't be one it above 5.5ft. There was an epic swim there last Tuesday at 5.5ft. The swim occured above the 1st drop and there were no eddies until below T-Bone, so the Huka went all the way down the 1st, 2nd, boogie water, and was recirculated in the hole below T-Bone for 20 min. Then pinned on a rock. Bad place to be at that level. I'm sure others will disagree, but for a 1st time run....that's what I would suggest.

Be careful, and know where you are and what's comming up on the Cully at high water. It can be a great place, but a deadly one too. Check out my photos on the AW page for a look at some of the bigger class 5's right above the big falls.