Toxaway River

from boatertalk:

Southeast creeking history made today on Toxaway... New

Forum: BoaterTalk

Date: Mar 29 2005, 5:03 GMT

From: ChrisG

Well, today was definately one for the ages. Tonnes of rain last night put the Toxaway at an upper medium level today at the putin, and a pretty high level after some tribs dumped in downstream. The general mentality was that it would be too high, and we were going to head to Silver Run Falls on the Whitewater instead, but we got to the bridge and found a perfect, choice level on the Toxaway. We were late putting on, getting on the river about 3:00, but his highness Pat Keller decided to run the sickest rapid I've ever seen done, ever. Video or in person.

For those familiar with the river, you know that Toxaway Falls is an absolutely gigantic(like 120 ft total) drop, and is riddled with potholes at the bottom that would mean certain death. This drop has been passed by without regret by the world's best paddlers. We had one camera, my beater one-chip JVC, but Pat was feeling good so I got set up to film and do what I could do for him in case. He got to the seal launch at the top, and a cop runs up on the road and starts yelling at him... 'you're gonna die, don't run it!' Pat's like no I'm good man, and pushes off, the cop running to call the ambulance. The only possible line for the drop would be to boof a 20 footer, land in a hole, and drive all the way to the left with tonnes of speed to dry out and miss the potholes on the right and a huge backbreaking ledge on the left. About a 6 foot wide line off of 100 feet of near vertical granite with a burly rapid at the lip. He peeled out and immediately was pushed into the centre of the river and flew off the twenty-footer charging left. I don't think I've ever been so scared filming someone, but he made the line back to the very left, and rolled off of the top. After disconnecting and bouncing twice on the way down, he hit the kicker at the bottom at 200 million miles per hour and flew almost all the way across the pool, landing sideways. Disgusting!

From there, we got moving down the river at like 3:25, a bit late for a non-daylight savings run, but were able to make it to the trail in about three hours, filming every big drop. What a run!

-Chris Gragtmans

P.S.- To anyone paddling the Toxaway in the future, the cops caught us at the take out, and although they didn't fine us today, they said that there is a relicensing going on for Gorges State Park, and they will enforce a 125$ fine for running the river. That really sucks, but the ranger said that we can voice our concerns, and hopefully prove that there is enough interest in the river to keep it open. I'll post more about that in the future because it is an incredible river, and I want us to be able to paddle it legally.