High Water on the Raven Fork
submitted by Chan Jones…
The Gauge/ photo: Chan Jones
Christmas came early this year to the mountains of North Carolina. A band of storms blew in from the west bringing several inches of rain to the parched southeast and causing paddlers to rejoice. After watching the front dump inches of rain on the Smokies through the radar map the whole day and night before, Pat, Toby, Drew, and I decided to venture into the Raven Fork for some high water action. With the Oconoluftee River in Cherokee over 2000cfs, we knew we were in for a big day.
Pat Keller, Raven Fork/ photo: Chan Jones
Typically this creek holds water very well and is runnable for days after a rain event, so often a Raven Fork trip involves bluebird skies. Even at lower levels, this creek is nothing to sneeze at. On this day, we drove to the takeout through pouring rain that continued to fall as we hiked and paddled downstream.
Toby McDermott/ photo: Chan Jones
When we passed the gauge on the way to the top it read 20 inches. Shortly after putting on it was apparent that the level was still rising, and was estimated at Mike Tyson’s to be around 24-27 inches. We moved downstream cautiously, running most of the enormous rapids but walking a few. This steep creek was a ridiculously steep river on this day but all of us were safe in our new Greenjackets. The new vest from Astral is an awesome rescue jacket. It has all the familiar features of the 300-R but with an improved fit - less bulk in the bottom front of the jacket, an improved strapping system, and added protection in the upper back. The result is a very low profile rescue vest that, once adjusted, does not move around on your torso.
Pat with the Greenjacket/ photo: Chan Jones
If you’re in the market for a new rescue vest, check out the Greenjacket. It’s a very well thought out rescue platform that I’d trust in any situation.
Chan at Big Boy/ photo: Mac McGee
for more pics from the Raven Fork check out the Gallery
