Doe, Laurel Fork

I was fortunate enough to catch the Laurel Fork yesterday after getting off the Gragg Prong (12/1/2010). The good karma that surrounds rivers is no stranger to the Laurel Fork. A group of local TN boaters showed up at the put in just as I arrived. As it turned out, it's a good thing they did. It was late in the day in winter. 27 degrees. 15+ mph winds. 2-3 inches of snow on the ground. Doe was running 1400. Not the best time of day to be scouting down an unfamiliar and committing run. The TN boaters showed our group down and we had a stellar run. However, despite the fast pace and small group size (5 total boaters) it was sobering to reach the end of the rapids just as dark was setting in. I don't like to think about being half-way down that run and a cold winter night setting in.

At the end of the rapids, we (wisely) elected to hike our boats back to the car instead of fumbling down the runout in the dark. There is a lot of wood in this run and floating in the dark is not recommended. Instead we hiked through a silent forest, along a snowy appalachian trail, illuminated by starlight. Great end to a great day of boating.

Leland's description below is pretty spot on, but I think it makes the run sound a little too scary. I would say if you are comfortable running the green narrows, you will feel at home on this reach. None of the drops is particularly difficult, but the location, wood and steady pace make the reach veryy commiting--especially in winter when it most often runs. It's in a deep canyon, it's very continuous, and there are a lot of pin spots.

One critical piece of beta that I learned from the locals is that your best option is to put in and take out at the same point (the official put in). When you get down to the huge falls at the end of the rapids (and it does come up quick--watch out), you can hike back to the put in in about 30 minutes. It's a stiff 10-minute straight up climb on the AT out of the gorge, then you get up to the ridgeline and it's 20 minutes of flat ridgeline walking on good trail back to the put in. It is definitely faster to hike back to the put in, than to paddle out and run shuttle (similar to nffb). I am told that the runout below the falls is pretty flat and loaded with wood. If you get to the falls near dark, don't attempt to paddle out. It's much safer to hike in the dark. My advice is to leave a car at the take out since it is right on the way (AT trailhead in Hampton, TN) in case it's early in the day and you decide to paddle out. If you change your mind and decide to hike out, you will have a car at the top too.

The falls is pretty intimidating from up top, but looks more reasonable from below. To my knowledge, only Mac McGee has run it to date.

The AT trail hike out starts at the BASE of the big falls. The trail is a little sketchy getting down there so most people send one guy walking down from the top of the falls to get into the water in the lagoon below. Then, throw or belay the boats off a 30' cliff on river right of the falls just downstream. The guy in the water retrieves the boats, then everyone gets to the bottom of the falls and hikes up the AT trail. The AT trail starts in a long uphill vector headed downstream. When you reach the ridgeline, it zigs back and follows the creek upstream back to the parking lot. You will know you are close to your car when you cross a small foot bridge across the river (which you float under shortly after starting the run).

Catch this run if you get the chance, but go with someone who knows it unless you have all day to scout.