Sope Creek

Forum: BoaterTalk

Re: Suburban Sope Creek Carnage - 2 need to confess their swims! by paddleman m Jun 19 2003, 0:52 GMT New

Date: Jun 19 2003, 4:51 GMT

From: Will_Gosney

AtlantaWhitewater@yahoogroups.com

I had quite the scary experience on Sope Creek this evening. There

wasn't room in that first eddy and I rebounded of a couple trees

pushing me away from the last chance eddy Louis was in. At this

point I new I was heading downstream and wasn't sure when I'd get my

boat, that was already 1/3 full of water, to shore. I knew there was

something big right behind me and as I got close there was a huge

rounded hump that sloped 45 degrees into a riverwide hole. I looked

for a week spot but didn't any within striking distance so I just

tried to point the boat downriver and punch it. I just barely turned

it downstream as I hit the hole. Without any momentum the hole

stopped me and brought me back for a window shading w/ my on side

upstream. I came out of my boat and popped up on the boil

line...then the hole sucked me back in, took me under, and I popped

up on the boil line again. I ended up recirculating 6-8 times. The

first two I kept thinking it'd spit me downstream, the next couple I

got worried and really thought I wasn't ever going to make it out of

the hole, then the last couple I was determined not to die without

giving a fight and starting really focusing on getting deep and

swimming underwater as I was recirculated. Finally, I was able to

make it over the hump of the boil line and start working my way to

shore, where Louis was. Louis had also run the ledge and spent some

time in it as well. I almost made it to Loius, but missed his hand

by about 6 inches. I used my last energy and grabbed on to a small

branch just below. I knew I didn't have the energy to last in the

hundreds of yards of IV(+) water below. Once on shore I was

lightheaded and a bit dizzy from the lack of oxygen and pure

exhuastion. There was a time I really didn't think I was going to

make it. It was easily my worst thrashing on the river. I'm still a

bit in shock, not sure if it's really hit me all the way yet. Thanks

to everyone on the trip for their help and support after all this.

Yep, the boat is probably gone, but really I could care less at the

moment...suddenly a boat and a paddle seem very small in the world to

me.

-chad-

--- In AtlantaWhitewater@yahoogroups.com, 'bigwaterbobby'

<bobby@n...> wrote:

> A bunch of us got together to run Sope Creek. Geoff Kohl, Martin

Wroe,

> Louis Boulanger, Tim Branscomb, Corey Lambie, Michael Stephenson,

> Chad, and I put on at Lower Roswell Rd, a few miles from my house.

We

> paddled down to the first ledge. The flat water was moving real fast

> and when we got to where it started dropping the waves got big. I

> flipped and missed a roll doing the same things that I had done

before

> when I swam on Little River Canyon. I thought that I had better take

> my time and roll, so I managed a roll. Just in time, too, because we

> had to catch an eddy above that first ledge. Chad tried to eddy out,

> but missed, and washed over. We couldn't tell what happened to him.

> Louis was next and I don't know what he did. Maybe he tried to punch

> the hole I don't know. He swam out of it. Chad did, too. The rest of

> us caught the last chance eddy, a tough one to catch, too. We

climbed

> out and were pretty much done for the day. We found out that Chad

and

> Louis were OK, so we went to the Bridge to look at the rapid with

> Milt. Yes, the same Paddlesnake Milt. He showed up and had been

> chanting, 'You're gonna get your ass kicked!!!,' over and over

again.

> Chad's boat was still in the hole. It was window shading,

> cartwheeling, and having a good old time. Most of us had decided to

> stay out and as we were going back to get our boats we saw Chad's

> canoe do some awesome flips, surf across the hole, and punch out the

> side. It probably is heading down the Hooch right now, but if not,

we

> are looking for boats tomorrow afternoon.

>

> This sounds like the Tiny Piney last year. How do I get tied up with

> people that do crazy stuff like this? It was fun,though.

>

> Bobby M