Fellas,
Aint much ta tell bout this trip. The leaves in the Smokey Mountains wuz nice, but nuthin' like last year. On the way up we passed by the Lodge place in South Pittsburg, but jest kept on drivin'. I hear they sell dutch ovens 'n cast iron skillets that come out jest a bit messed up, fer a good price. Aye Laddie!
Az we drove up inta the mountains it turnt chilly. We set up camp 'n barely finished before the sun went behind the mountain. It wuz cold most nites, but I only got cold the first nite (34)....until the wee hours when it gits really chilly (39-43). I already tole ya'll how it didnt rain til Thursday nite, then all day Friday 'n Friday nite. Ya jest be thankful yer tent aint dark green. The rest of the time it wuz clear, but windy 'n kinda cool some of the time.
Jest az we finished settin' up the first nite (Miz Ann wuz settin' with us chewin' some fat) low 'n behold, here come a dark pickup with some long timber stickin' out the back. It wuz Ole Dave. I paddled a heap a whitewater with Dave, but aint seen him in years after he quit the college 'n become a 60 year old yard boy fer hiz in-laws. He had come up ta run the Chattooga Section IV in a raft with hiz son Land 'n a load of college kids. Land flipped hiz raft (happens a lot) 'n a rock hit Dave's knee....not like that rock tore that hole in the fella frum Scotland in "Adventure Bhutan" when Land pulled out the Super Glue, but enuff ta have Dave limpin' like a cripple.
Me'n Dave'n Miz Bear visited the next day. While we wuz eatin' at the River End Cafe, John Burton showed up. Woody come in later. John won a medal in the Barcelona Olympics. Him 'n Woody worked fer Payson in the ole days.....'74-'94. John left 'n bought the Nantahala Village 'n then sold out ta sell real estate. Woody too. Cuz it aint eazy ta sell real estate in west Carolina these days, these ole timers come back ta help out when the call went out. The NOC turnt all the kids loose this summer after the high gas cost near bout kilt their raft bizness on the Nantahala. All of the sudden church groups 'n day camps begun ta show up like hyenas round a dead giraffe. We even seen Angus (anuther Barcelona Olympic paddler) out rakin' leaves.
Dave left the next day 'n I paddled half the river by myownself. Nobody wuz on it but me. When it come time ta git off, I wuz tryin' ta lift the canoe onta the rack when it got away frum me. I fergot ta let go 'n it pulled me over 'n slung me inta the gunwales, then inta the road, face first. I curled up on the ground fer a while, but I figgered I wuz likely ta be okay. My glasses cut my nose in 3 places 'n the road put a nasty bruise jest above my left eye, but Miz Bear wiped the blood off. She sez I looked like the young men in the 82nd when they jump 'n roll off a short box.....cept a lot heavier 'n older.
Cuz Ron guaranteed it would keep ice fer 5 days, I got a Coleman Extreme cooler. It done az good az Ron sez....if ya make some block ice.
When Lucien 'n Ramona showed up, they like ta run the whole, dang river. We run it 'n I run the Falls backwards agin. Ya dont see many folks run it that way. It wuz my own fault, but the last day I paddled, I done it rite.....jest like the book sez.
Swamprat,
Lucien likes ta park hiz camper/van/trailer down behind the bathhouse by Big Wesser....so after we run the Falls, he wanted to paddle way downriver 'n take out under the ole bridge.....less'n 50 yards above Big Wesser. I took out down there once 'er twice back in the ole days, but Lucien sez somethin' bout "The Drop". [They made this rapid with rocks.] I knew there wuz a rapid down there where the kayakers worked on rodeo moves all day....jest above the ole bridge. The Drop iz a big one. I like ta not made it....but my drawers stayed clean.
Most of the time the campground wuz empty. I pick the week before the end of their season fer a reason. On the weekend some 30 somethin' fellas pulled in 'n set up 3 sites up frum us. They used their little car fer gear 'n slammed the door all nite....startin' bout 9 pm. Bout the same time a 60 somethin' couple with a kid 'n grandkid pulled in 'n left their headlites on fer bout 30 minutes while they set up a popup camper. We had jest turned in 'n the lite went rite in our tent. If it hadn't been so cold, somebody mite have got hurt.
The next day me 'n Lucien stood in the road tween both groups 'n talked bad bout 'em. I done a hate crime. I figger Carolina dont allow talk of shootin' folks.....even if they need it bad. Miz Ann read the younger folks the riot act when the went ta slammin' the doors the second nite. One of 'em come over 'n apologized ta Lucien. Later, Miz Bear 'n me had a good talk with two of 'em. We likely will paddle together somewhere down the road. They bad wanna paddle Section III of the Chattooga. I give 'em my email cuz I mite try that agin if the water iz over 2'.
The 60 somethin' folks had a dog, but he didnt bark much. There wuz one kid in the campground with a dog the first nite. He never put it on a leash. It run at us in the dark. I tole him ta read the dang rules. He didnt stay long. The Lost Mine Campground iz a certified geezer campground. No music, no radio, pets on a leash, no barkin' pets, no fireworks (even on the 4th), no door slammin', no usin' yer headlites ta pitch camp, no busload of drunk gals in the creek, no loud mufflers....even on a Harley.
I am sorry Mister John 'n Miz Ann dont fill up that often, but I been ta campgrounds that allow rude behavior. They keep a list of folks who caint come back.....includin' the college kids frum jest down the street.
regards
bearridge
It is not necessary to understand things in order to argue about them. Caron de Beaumarchais
