What to do with too much water
I know its kind of an oxymoron, cause as a kayaker lots of water is usually a good thing:) However with all the rain recently in the southeast I've heard lots of stories of the dreaded 'drive around and look at things that are way too high' days. If this hasn't happened to you yet in your kayaking career that's a good thing but the odds are it probably will one day:) It's actually a lot easier to have happen than you think. Picture this: You haven't kayaked on a natural flow river in sometime so you're jonesing for it and a huge storm system moves through overnight dropping tons of rain right on your favorite kayaking spots. Of course you blow off work (or whatever other obligation you had) because these rain events never happen on the weekend, grab you buddies, and load up for a great day of kayaking. However upon closer inspection of the gages you quickly realize that your regular runs have gone thru the roof and are way too high. Ahhh here you are at a crossroads you can either decide to go for the usual runs anyway and have a potentially scary highwater day or you can start the proverbial search for the worlds next great creek run (ie driving around and looking). Or maybe there's another way.... Here's a couple of things that have helped me maximize my kayaking days when the waters high while still having tons of fun.
1. Knock it down a notch. Usually runs get a lot scarier and harder when the waters high, especially steeper creeks. However rivers and creeks at flood stage can be tons of fun. A great way to enjoy the high water but sill have fun is to kayak easier runs when things are really high. So if you qualify yourself as a solid class V paddler go paddle some class IV or III. I think you'll be stoked and you'll still be able to paddle the harder things the next day when the water is at a more reasonable level.
2. Go big. This does not mean vertical. One tendency when there's lots of water is to try and find big drops or very small micro creeks that don't normally run. While this can be fun its not for everybody and above all usually leads to lots of driving. Lots of times the option I pick is to go for volume instead, basically go and find the biggest river you can. This works especially well during major floods. Great examples in the southeast are the Chattooga, the Nolichucky, and even the Nantahala. I'm pretty confident that the Chatooga at 8ft or the Noli at 10,000 to 20,000 cfs will be all the excitement you need and you can always take a playboat:) I've had great days on runs like these and then paddled the creeks in the following days. It's a great way to maximize your kayaking when there's lots of water.
3. Stay familiar. This is a great option if you are looking to push yourself a little. Choose a run that you consider at your skill level but have kayaked a lot and feel very comfortable on. I've found that lots of runs I can typically kayak quite a bit higher than I originally thought and sill have fun. However, please proceed with caution on this one. Don't go for broke right away, try it with just a little more water at a time:) This way you can help to avoid getting caught out on too much water.
Alright good luck out there and here's to more high water!
be safe
Andrew Holcombe
1. Knock it down a notch. Usually runs get a lot scarier and harder when the waters high, especially steeper creeks. However rivers and creeks at flood stage can be tons of fun. A great way to enjoy the high water but sill have fun is to kayak easier runs when things are really high. So if you qualify yourself as a solid class V paddler go paddle some class IV or III. I think you'll be stoked and you'll still be able to paddle the harder things the next day when the water is at a more reasonable level.
2. Go big. This does not mean vertical. One tendency when there's lots of water is to try and find big drops or very small micro creeks that don't normally run. While this can be fun its not for everybody and above all usually leads to lots of driving. Lots of times the option I pick is to go for volume instead, basically go and find the biggest river you can. This works especially well during major floods. Great examples in the southeast are the Chattooga, the Nolichucky, and even the Nantahala. I'm pretty confident that the Chatooga at 8ft or the Noli at 10,000 to 20,000 cfs will be all the excitement you need and you can always take a playboat:) I've had great days on runs like these and then paddled the creeks in the following days. It's a great way to maximize your kayaking when there's lots of water.
3. Stay familiar. This is a great option if you are looking to push yourself a little. Choose a run that you consider at your skill level but have kayaked a lot and feel very comfortable on. I've found that lots of runs I can typically kayak quite a bit higher than I originally thought and sill have fun. However, please proceed with caution on this one. Don't go for broke right away, try it with just a little more water at a time:) This way you can help to avoid getting caught out on too much water.
Alright good luck out there and here's to more high water!
be safe
Andrew Holcombe
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