Eighteenmile Creek

On Sunday (5/23/04), while many intelligent FPC members were running

the Upper Green, two local yahoos decided to perform a low water

exploratory trip of Eighteen Mile Creek. Two small rapids had been

sited from various roads, although one, admittedly, was a one foot

drop over a deformed weir made of thick sheet metal. After leaving a

car at the takeout, Lake Hartwell, it was decided to put in at

Nettle's Park, two miles below the metal weir. Both adventurers were

claiming a personal first descent, PFD, for the run.

The water appeared quite passable, despite a few downed trees. It

was brown, and the bottom nor any rocks were visible--typical

indications of a heavy storm dumping water into the river upstream.

However, it was soon discovered that this river is an incredible

sediment transport system. Despite not being able to see the bottom,

much of the river was too shallow to float a boat. Nonetheless,

their was just enough water mixed in with the flowing sediment to

convince the adventurers to continue the expedition.

One party member (not the author) survived a swim while negotiating a

downed tree in some flippy class B flatwater. Both party members

survived the intrepid Pendleton Street Falls, a foot-tall class I

shoals, just upstream of the Pendleton Street bridge. Further

downstream, a low-head dam was discovered that created a water intake

system for the Milleken plant. A light on a sensor blinked in

conjunction with boater movement prior to a Milleken truck arriving

at the scene. Eighteen Mile Creek is considered a navigable river

and the boaters passed with only a friendly wave and no

confrontation. It is speculated that the gentleman returned to his

work post stating that the sensor was set off by a couple of kayakers

running the dam, although the more educated would have recognized

that t

...