Clear Fork

I ran this section yesterday on 3/14/09 from 2PM put in at Brewster Bridge to 6PM take out at Burnt Mill Bridge when water levels had to have been nearly at or possibly even above flood stage and would like to remain anonymous here due to the fact that I broke the number one rule of whitewater paddling by going it alone with no support whatsoever. Water levels must have been about at the 2000 cfs not-recommended due to 'too high' at the time I ran it. 'Decapitation Rock' looked and sounded a whole lot more like 'Sheer Suicide Rapids' to me and I scouted it from river left after I heard the sound of the rapids coming up in front of me. At only mile 4 of an 11 mile run and staring at a rapid that I would classify as easily a III+++, I decided right then and there that I was not about to run this monster and risk my life and I portaged about 50 - 60 feet worth of some very large boulders to access the very tail end of the rapids formed by the funneling effect straight down river middle between rocks/boulders on both sides of the river at the rapids' starting point. From Decap Rock onto 'Swimmers', and before Decap Rock but just to a lesser extent really, the whole run was dispersed with very exaggerated sections of wave trains that kept me stopping several times along the way at the flat water sections to dump my open boat out due to it being splashed into and filled up in the bottom. When I finally got to 'swimmers' it was unrecognizable to me upon entry because the huge rock in the center of the river was completely invisible and the river center path looked eerily smooth as silk to me until I hit it head on and it flipped me. I didn't have nearly enough speed built up to jump the gigantic hole I was staring into for what seemed to be an eternity of a matter of only a split second or two in reality. Anyway, I swam and swam hard through the rest of the roughest wave train I think I saw on the whole trip after quickly catching up to my boat and finally getting to a place where I could kick my way to the side at river right and onto a very makeshift 'survival' beach to regain some body heat and at least enough conscious thought back to my brain to finish up the run. By the time I finally saw Burnt Mill Bridge come into my field of view on river left, my Left arm was so sore I could hardly paddle on that side anymore and was forced to paddle on my 'weak' side to the shore which was not the easiest of tasks with the water level well into the trees at that point. The motto of this story is to never ever, ever, ever, ever paddle alone people!!!! SF was still here to tell about it. Somebody up there must like me. You think??? Peace and safe paddling to all! 3/15/2009