I had a hard time getting out of work on time Friday afternoon but luckily both Layla and Steven wanted to meet up at the Watagua for an evening run. They were able to get to the take-out at 5:30 and run shuttle and I met them to the put-in at 6:00 and poached. The level felt like 280ish to me and we paddled until dark. After the run Steven, Layla, and I got some grub at the Riverside then Steven and I headed over to the west side of Watagua Lake. We nite-hiked the AT in about a mile to a little site with a small fire ring and proceeded to enjoy a nice evening of camping. We got up early Saturday morning and got on the Watagua at 9 a.m. and took off at 10 a.m. I was late for a 9:30 meet-up but Steven and I quickly ran shuttle and I was able to catch up with Mike "Huggy Bear" Huggins and Bobby Bouche' for a second run. The level felt like about 240ish, maybe 2" less than the evening before.
On Saturday Bobby Bouche' and I packed our gear into a sweet sight on the lake right before you get to the dam. The sign at the shelter said it was 5 miles from 321 but it felt more like 4. Sunday morning after a campfire breakfast, we hiked the AT back to our vehicles and headed for the Nolichucky River. Bobby Bouche':
Watagua Lake
Bobby Bouche' surfin it up at Jaws with the train in the background, he was tearin' it up:
Kentucky girl winding it up to throw
Bobby Bouche' back blastin':
Kentucky crowd we met at Jaws. Good folks havin' a blast.
Bobby Bouche' runnin a drop and gettin' some in his face. Click on this one to enlarge:
Bobby Bouche' throwin' ends in a random juicy play hole w/pour over right below. No worries, BB's Momma said "as long as you gotta snappy roll, it's all good".
The pic below gives you and idea of the scale of the rapid. Bobby B. is in the middle foreground across the river:
Bobby Bouche' back blastin':
Kentucky crowd we met at Jaws. Good folks havin' a blast.
Bobby Bouche' runnin a drop and gettin' some in his face. Click on this one to enlarge:
Bobby Bouche' throwin' ends in a random juicy play hole w/pour over right below. No worries, BB's Momma said "as long as you gotta snappy roll, it's all good".
The pic below gives you and idea of the scale of the rapid. Bobby B. is in the middle foreground across the river: Check out the goose nesting on the rock to the right:
Our new friends from Kentucky:
As I climbed up on the rock to get this series of pictures, I heard something hissing at me but was already commited to pulling myself up onto the rock. Thankfully it was the mother goose and not a rattler.
The goose again; bottom middle of shot:
This gorge is spectacular!
Bobby Bouche'
A couple of pics from 226 on the way home: 
Bobby Bouche'
A couple of pics from 226 on the way home: 
Amos' Epics
