South Fork of the Spring River

[Darryl]

Good afternoon, my name is Darryl Pry and I am from Baton Rouge.

I plan to paddle the South Fork of the Spring River in late May.

I will be paddling a Hemlock SRT.

I have participated in the ACC white water school on the Mulberry three times (slow learner), a four day class on the Nantahala and various other river skills classes over the years. I am not a W/W paddler but I can catch an eddy and ferry both up stream and down with some success. I can in general make my canoe do what I ask of it in moderate (class two max) water.

Will I get in trouble on the South Fork in my kevlar boat?

Thanks for any input.
Darryl Pry

[Canoe_Codger]

Probably not. If you have decent boat control, can read the water and don't carry a "yard sale" with you, you should have no real problems. Some of the ledges drops are shallow and you may not want to scrape the hull on them, so be prepared for the occasional short carry. The Hemlock SRT designed by Harold Deal is quite similar in configuration to my composite Bell Morningstar designed by David Yost, including the tumblehome and I would not be afraid to use it on that river section. Get a river map or review one on line and print it so you know what to expect. I might also suggest that you announce and invite a few paddling buddies here for your trip. Having someone experienced on the section is always a boon on a first run.

Michael



ETA: Here is a brief description from Southwest Paddler, there are others. But this one is fairly accurate, IMHO.

http://southwestpaddler.com/docs/spring5.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Hazards on the South Fork of the Spring River do not come in the form of rapids and waterfalls as much as from cold air and water temperatures, twisting channels, overhanging trees and brush, rocky shoals, narrow chutes cut through rock and low-water bridges, but there are many ledge drops of a few feet that could potentially pose problems if capsizing in cold warter or wearther conditions. The low-water bridge at Brown's Ford (15.21 miles) can be very dangerous and may require a portage. Slick Rock Ford (19.0 miles) may require a portage, and can be very dangerous, especially at high water levels. The low-water bridges at the golf course (22.45 miles), Upper Cherokee Road (22.52 miles) and Cherokee Camp (23.9 miles) can be dangerous and may require a portage. The river fords at Flathead Drive (25.21 miles) and Griffin Road 26.3 miles) can be dangerous in high water conditions, and can be portaged on either side. Determining safe navigable levels requires a visual inspection of the bridge piers at Cherokee Camp. If the measurement between the top of the old bridge piers and the water is greater than one foot, then the river is probably too low to paddle enjoyably. If the measurement is less than 6 inches, then the river is probably dangerously high for inexperienced paddlers, and extreme caution should be exercised in boating the river.

[Deuce]

I've only done the South Fork twice but I don't recall anything of any significance other than the fishing, which is really good. You'll be fine.

[Darryl]

Thanks very much for your posts.

I feel much better about paddling the South Fork.

I will not be paddling alone, several other folks will be along.

Thanks again.
Darryl