First time on the Chattooga

Today I took my long overdue first trip down section IV of the Chattooga. After reading all the hype about this river I was pretty excited. What fails to appear in every trip report I've ever read about the Chattooga is the amount of flatwater and how far apart the rapids are. It was pretty slow going until we got to Five Falls. However, what the section lacks in continuous whitewater is more than made up for in how beautiful the run is. The scenery is really cool and there is plenty of oppourtunity to check it out as you float through the shoals and flats. Five Falls on the other hand did not dissapoint. Although not too difficult it was pretty fun, and with undercuts and seives all over I can see where the hype comes from. The lake paddle out was definitely the least fun part of the day but the run is well worth it. I only got the camera out at Soc Em Dog, so here's a few photos.

Overall it's a pretty sweet run. The level was about 1.6, but I think I'll wait for higher water before I take my second run. Thats all for now, later.

-David