The Paddler TattlerINSIDE THIS ISSUE (Click items to jump)

Calendar

September Events

Member Meeting & GS Raft Race

Ocoee Race

Rescue Recaps

Trip Reports

TN River Rescue

Social Media

Overnighters

Flatwater Paddlers Can you spot the victim? Despite being on dry land, Terra McGill is demonstrating a sketchy situation: She’s vertically pinned in the kayak!

(Photo: Chad Christopher)

Volume 48, Issue 9

The Paddler TattlerSeptember 2015 2

MONTHSun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat

Students pay close attention to the many instructors at Rescue Rodeo. (Photo: Rebecca Hendrix)

SEPTEMBER 2015Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat

Aug 30 31 Sept 1 2 3Roll Practice @ Harrison Bay

4 5West Chick: Reeds to Dietz (Flatwater)

6 7Labor Day

8 9 10Roll Practice @ Harrison Bay

11 12GS Raft RaceClub Meeting & Elections

13Ocoee First Timers

14 15 16 17Roll Practice @ Harrison Bay

18 19Skull Island to Harrison Bay State Park (Flatwater)

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

27 28 29 30 Oct 1 2 3

Elk RIver Overnighter

Elk River

Toccoa River Overnighter

Toccoa River

3The Paddler TattlerSeptember 2015

The August Snorkling Trip has been postponed to 10/3 due to weather conditions.

Looking Ahead: Save the Dates!

Tennessee River Rescue: 10/3 Ocoee Race: 10/10

September 13th—Ocoee First-Timers (C, WW). This is the culmination of all

training trips where the Class of 2015 shows

their skills on the Ocoee, in its entirety,

for the first time. And, when all else fails,

just grab a ride through Powerhouse with

Brandon Beaty! Contact Carin Burford.

September 12th—Member Meeting & Elections 6:30pm. (C). OAR. It’s time for our annual

meeting where we elect next year’s board.

Join up for pizza and beer and then camp

on your own when the official festivities

end. Hope to see you there! Full details on

page 6.

September 12th—Girl Scout Raft Race 12pm. (C). Support the Girl Scouts in their

annual homemade flotilla down the Lower

Hiwassee. This is one of our club’s annual

service projects and truly shows our love

for the community. Full details on page 6.

Contact Taylor Watson

September 3rd, 10th, and 17th—Summer Roll Practice 5:30pm. (C, WW). Harrison Bay State Park.

Dust off your skills before Paddle School

or just come for a good time. Rolling until

dark (ish), then food and drinks afterwards.

Roll practice ends for the season on 9/17.

Contact Steve Crowell.

SE

PT

EM

BE

R E

VE

NT

S

Detailed information on Overnighter Trips can be found on Page 17.

Detailed information on Flatwater Trips can be found on Page 21.

Trip Leader contact information for Whitewater Training Trips can be found on the schedule on Page 5. Please RSVP to the trip leader by the

Wednesday prior so that support boaters

can be arranged.

Editor’s Note

4The Paddler TattlerSeptember 2015

President’s Corn

er

Meryl Stark, Newsletter Editor

Trust on the water is a big deal.

When we choose to paddle with a group of people, we put a huge amount of trust in them to be able to help us if, despite our best efforts, we become helpless ourselves.

Many of you have probably seen it on the Yahoo group by now, but I’ve republished Spence Lycan and Mike Shillinger’s accounts of Spence’s log pin during his Hiwassee Nooner “Hand Job” Trip. It is a true testament to the safety skills of TVCC’s boaters (and the strength of our safety program) that Spence’s day ended with him on dry land with only relatively minor injuries.

When we run a new river, we often rely on the guidance of friends who have done it before, or the pooled knowledge of a team scouting, reading, and running together. Sometimes, when stepping up, we rely on others’ judgement of our capabilities to help make the decision of whether to try a challenging move or a challenging river.

When I had a lesson last weekend, I put full trust in my Kirk’s assessment of my skills. He assured me that I could catch eddy #5 in Broken Nose. With that trust, I overcame my mental block and nailed the move. (Thanks a ton!)

Several weeks ago, I had my first experience leading a group, and it certainly gave me such an appreciation for what our Training Trip Leaders take on for their students. There is no feeling like having seven lemmings following you down the rapids and trusting your judgement. I owe a huge THANK YOU to anyone who has ever led me on a trip.

There are so many people in this club I can trust.

Keep being fantastic!

Ashley Teel, TVCC Outgoing

Vice President

Folks, it’s here, it’s time to call this TVCC year done and get ready for a new one. I

can’t even believe that it is time for elections again and that our board will be changing so much. I have to say that severing on this board has been an honor, I have seen people put everything they have into the board and the output was unbelievable. Being a part of TVCC and the board is so much more than the events we put on, it’s really about the relationships.

I always knew TVCC had given me a family here in Tennessee and in the last couple weeks, I have come to realize the impact the community makes on every one of us. The last few weekends on the Ocoee, I’ve come to realize how many people I have gotten to meet this season. It seems like at every rapid I know someone no matter the craft. The river is filled with waves and smiles from the put in to the take out. And last night, I received a heartfelt letter about how the club has allowed a member to get out of their shell and feel like they are part of something.

After reflecting on all of this, I have such a greater appreciation that our club and community is all about relationships and all the work we put in for the events always leads back to the relationships. There is always someone new to meet, old friends to catch up with and your “family” to enjoy this sport with. In the end, that is what

makes this club, community and sport so special, the relationships we form on and off the river. So

get out there and enjoy the wonderful resources we have with all these

wonderful people.

One Love!

5The Paddler TattlerSeptember 2015

2015 Whitewater Training Trips

Week Day of Week Date River Trip Lead Phone NumberSaturday 6-Jun Hiwassee Brandon Beaty 423.322.7328Sunday 7-Jun Hiwassee Steve Crowell 423.994.4732

2 Saturday 13-Jun Tuckasegee Debby McRae 205.533.0182Saturday 20-Jun Outdoor Chattanooga Demo Day Stacy Stone 423.443.2175Sunday 21-Jun Hiwassee Spence Lycan 423.991.4451

Saturday 27-Jun Nantahala Lisa Lemza 423.243.3530Sunday 28-Jun Waterfront Tri* Taylor Watson 423.304.5102

5 Saturday 4-Jul6 Saturday 11-Jul Nantahala David McConnell 865.207.96077 Saturday 18-Jul Nantahala Scott Harrison 423.240.4288

Saturday 25-Jul Rescue Rodeo Mike Shillinger 423.618.8587Sunday 26-Jul Big Bro/ Big Sis Raft Race* Jim Ledbetter 423.322.3691

9 Saturday 1-Aug Lesser Wesser Messer** Andrew Waters 865.403.0062Saturday 8-Aug Pigeon David McConnell 865.207.9607Sunday 9-Aug Sports Barn Tri* Taylor Watson 423.304.5102

Saturday 15-Aug Pigeon Brian Swafford 423.902.6699Sunday 16-Aug Upper Green Brandon Koch 313.505.0718

12 Saturday 22-Aug Ocoee Sampler Rudy Beaty 423.715.152013 Saturday 29-Aug14 Saturday 5-Sep

Saturday 12-Sep Girl Scout Raft Race* Taylor Watson 423.304.5102Sunday 13-Sep Ocoee First Timers Carin Burford 205.837.3440

Tennesse Valley Canoe ClubWhitewater Training Trip Schedule - Summer 2015

1

3

4

NO TRAINING TRIPS

8

10

11

NO TRAINING TRIPSNO TRAINING TRIPS

15

Training Trips are continuing education for paddle school students. They differ from regular club trips in that, though noformal instruction takes place, the trips will have sufficient support boaters to assist in skills development. Feel free to askquestions or for help with something as that is why we are there. We encourage you to join in on regular club trips as well,

and in some of the listed community service activities and the Rescue Rodeo (whitewater). The white water trips willprimarily increase in intensity as the summer progresses, culminating in an Ocoee first-timers trip.

Students wishing to participate in a training trip MUST contact the trip coordinator by the Wednesday prior to trip.

*Denotes Community Service Activity or other activity - all newbies welcome! **The Lesser Wesser is a special training trip which focuses on running Nantahala Falls. In order to participate in this trip,

you must have attended at least two of the Nantahala training trips.

6The Paddler TattlerSeptember 2015

Girl Scout Raft RaceVolunteer September 12th

The Girl Scout Raft Race will be held Saturday, Sept.12 at noon on the Lower Hiwassee from Railroad Trestle to 411 Bridge. The girls make the rafts from tubes and bamboo and are timed to see who the winner is. Some rafts go all out with decorations and others try to build for speed and some build in hopes of surviving to the end. We will meet around noon and run the shuttle and wait for the water to come up.

I hope to have 2 support boats per raft but will not know until the end of August as to how many rafts we will have. Without TVCC the Girl Scouts would not be able to have this fun event. Put it on your calendar. It is an easy float for families, pets, and inlaws too.

Please email taylorwatson@comcast.net or call 706-820-9577 and sign up for a great lazy float. Love, Moma T

Member Meeting & ElectionsSaturday, September 12th

Our second member meeting of the year, and most importantly club elections, will be held at O.A.R. at 6:30pm on Saturday the 12th.

Pizza and a keg (for the 21+ crowd) will be provided. Camping is available, but you’ll need to pay for it on your own.

Apologies to those going on the Elk River Trip. We are already working on the plans for next year to avoid this conflict.

7The Paddler TattlerSeptember 2015

COMING OCTOBER 10TH, 2015

Let’s get our race on! With competitors leaving in

one-minute increments from the ramp at Grumpy’s to

just below Powerhouse, the Ocoee Race is no joke!

Locals and pros race alongside each other to raise

money for Chattanooga’s chapter of Team River

Runner and have tons of fun along the way.

Want to enter the race? Ocoee Race Registration here!

Want to race in a raft? Raft Registration here!

Were you one of the lucky new boaters who got

started this year and aren’t quite ready to race?

Remember all the loving boaters who gave their

time to help you and give back by volunteering

and helping make the event a success! Register to

volunteer here.

Questions? Contact Jen Maxwell: jen@acekayaking.

com

7th Annual Ocoee RaceBenefiting Team River Runner

8The Paddler TattlerSeptember 2015

strategies, CPR, first aid kits, and rope throwing before we

hit the river in the afternoon. The river had stations where

participants practiced whitewater swimming, getting back

into your boat after a wet exit, equipment rescue, and

flipping someone in their kayak upright. I actually had to

use some of these skills during our run, so I can confirm that

everything was applicable!

I learned a lot of useful things throughout the day, but my

favorite part of Rescue Rodeo was getting to know how

supportive the TVCC community is. I have a lot of kayak

skills that I need to work on, but everyone in my group

(instructor, support boater, or participant) was giving me

tips on improvement. I tried twice to peel out of an eddy

and consequently flipped twice, but by the end of the

day, everyone at the clinic knew that I kept trying and was

telling me how awesome they thought that was. It was

encouraging to hear from so many experienced paddlers.

All in all, being in a boat still can make me nervous since

it has the potential to be very dangerous, but Rescue

Rodeo taught me tools to help me safely assess and act in

a hazardous situation. I feel a lot more comfortable on the

water now. Rescue Rodeo also allowed me to meet a great

group of paddlers who will do their best to rescue you as

long as it doesn’t endanger the most important person on

the river (yourself!) and who will teach you to become a

better paddler. I will definitely be participating in Rescue

Rodeo in the future and would recommend this clinic to

anyone because it is a lot of fun and what you learn could

save your (or your friend’s) life!

Every year, Rescue Rodeo helps both Rookies and Rambos learn and review basic river rescue skills in order to become more confident on the water. Enjoy this trip report from a first-time attendee who learned more than just a few rope tricks.

by Gina Carretta

My first two times in a whitewater kayak were during Paddle

School 2015, and I loved it. The craziness of the summer

caught up to me, though, and I didn’t get a chance to get

back into the Hiwassee until Rescue Rodeo about two

months later. I expected to come to Hiwassee Outfitters

and see a bunch of new, inexperienced paddlers, but to

my surprise, I was the most

inexperienced paddler

there. The clinic did have

a population of first time

Rescue Rodeo participants,

but what impressed me more

was the number of Rescue

Rodeo veterans present who

have been attending for years.

I could tell that there was an

emphasis on safety at TVCC

during Paddle School, but

Rescue Rodeo really solidified

that. We started the morning

off with classes teaching

us about rescue priorities/

Rescue RodeoSkills & Thrills for All

Photos: Rebecca Hendrix

9The Paddler TattlerSeptember 2015

The club sponsored its fall Swift Water Rescue (SWR) course on August 15th & 16th at the Ocoee River and OAR. It was an incredible training event!

by Mike Shillinger, Safety & Training Chair

Seventeen of our club members swam the Ocoee River both

days of training, becoming more confident in their ability

to swim in whitewater conditions and tackle hard problems

that could occur on any paddling trip.

We had students come from every cross section of the club –

whitewatwer paddlers, flatwater paddlers, very experienced

paddlers – and every one of them graduated a more

confident and competent club member and paddler.

Jay Wright, Mike Shillinger, Chad Christopher, LaDawn Wolfe,

Swiftwater SavingAugust Rescue Class This course is no joke. The first

day rolling up on a scenario with zero idea what to do was extremely scary. It was a good wake-up call. If I had two words for this course, it would be Scared Straight. In a good way!

—A Newer Boater

9The Paddler TattlerSeptember 2015

Left: Students practice prussiks and line ferries. Right: Instructors Bruce Foster and Mike Shillinger demonstrate rope work on the water. (Photos: Tony Hill)

10The Paddler TattlerSeptember 2015

The most important piece of new information that I took away is that things will not go perfectly smoothly no matter how much you practice and train. That said, the concepts learned were just that: concepts that should be practiced in order to provide a better chance of success in a rescue.

—An Old Timer

I had a life changing look at real rescue scenarios…I will never look at the river the same again.

—An Experienced Boater

TVCC now has over 179 members Swift Water Rescue trained.

Our safety program continues to be second to none!

THIRSTY FOR MORE?

Check on this video from instructor Chad Christopher on

the importance of SWR Training. It features many of TVCC’s

instructors, and footage from the August course.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE LATEST CLASS OF SWIFTWATER RESCUE GRADS!

Steve Courtney, Veronica Courtney, Steve Crowell, Heather

Curry, Jason Dunaway, Derek Geary, Rebekah Harris, Doug

Hosler, LJ Latorre, Joey Logterman, Terra McGill, Rebecca

Reeves, Rachel Roman, Storm Shuler, Sierra Stair, Robert

Walker, and Crystal Waters

Bruce Foster, Andrew Waters, David Luinstra, and Tyson

Capehart, our ACA Certified SWR instructors, trained the

students on Rescue Philosophy, Basic Rescue Equipment,

Rescue Rope Throwing, Ropes & Knots, Mechanical

Advantage, Entrapment Escape Techniques, Hand of God

Rescues, Whitewater Swimming, Contact Rescues, Strainer

Engagement, and Self Rescue Techniques.

Sunday afternoon, the students participated in rescue

scenarios and this was clearly the highlight of the training.

10The Paddler TattlerSeptember 2015

Above: Time for the strainer drill! Right: Terra McGill jumps in for a live bait rescue.

(Photos: Tony Hill & Chad Christopher)

11The Paddler TattlerSeptember 2015

THIS IS NOT A DRILL.

THE FIRST PERSON: SPENCE LYCAN

There I was, hip-stopped against a ten foot long, six inch

wide tree limb, down in the Hiwassee’s Lunch Stop Ledges.

Got there because (Plan A) I was surfing its root-ball ledge

rock waters, until strong lateral currents pinned bozo and

boat against tree. Plan B was self-rescue, muscle up, push

off and away. Plan C was a repeat of Plan B, minus the now

useless hand paddles. Plan D was to remain pinned, my

favorite left hip taking the brunt (instead of glossy gut or

non-fungible kidneys) just awaiting developments while

looking silly.

Hurricane Charlotte, Plan E, whipped into next eddy, hopped

outta boat, and

heaved all her (now soaking wet) 112 pounds against the

bow of my kayak. It moved just enough upstream allowing

me to pop skirt, stand on slimy ledge rock, and declare my

respects for brawny brainy Charlotte.

Plan F was to drain and drop kayak to paddlers waiting

below. Charlotte paddles away. Newly arrived Mike & Fungus,

having waltzed the ten yards of slippery ankle entrapment

ledge rock from shore, suggest Plan G. Fungus will lead our

triple-pack trek back; we go slip-sliding safely away. Plan H is

lunch and debriefing ashore.

So it goes. Bad Plan A begets bumbling B through happy H.

Surprisingly serious rescue stuff often saves surprised silly

peoples. Dogpaddle wanders into a bar,

gets stuffed and rescued by just-a-girl

and village of paddlers. Wattahey! Ufday!

Meanwhile five miles upstream, the

combined Hamilton County and

Sale Creek Volunteer Rescue Squads

are getting their own certified

Swiftwater jollies. One such

scenario includes high-lining

recovered and rescued victims

across the wide Hiwassee

River. Serious stuff for serious

peoples.

Be the first in your pod

to schedule your next

aquatic accident among

certified ACA Swiftwater

Rescue paddlers or NFPA

Swiftwater Rescue

professionals. If not,

you can always (and

forever) just hold

your breath ‘til you

turn blue.

THE ANALYSIS: MIKE SHILLINGER

Okay, In English:

Our group on the Hiwassee yesterday had a close call with our

much-loved friend, Spence, who became pinned and trapped in his

boat.

While our group of 9 boaters was approaching the bottom of the

staircase, Spence got himself wedged in the ‘Y’ of an underwater

treelimb, in some wood on river right. Spence was essentially pinned

in his boat, in four feet of water, his waist essentially wedged into this

treelimb, just below the waterline. He was stuck. Wedged hard, with more

water force coming down on him.

Judy Ranelli and Deborah Webb were the first to alert the group to what was

happening via a whistle blast and pointing.

Spence and I made eye contact and I realized he was truly pinned. He was fully

heads-up, frustrated he couldn’t push himself out of his boat, and getting anxious.

Within 30 seconds, one of our party (Charlotte) had entered an eddy just below

Spence and made initial physical contact with him - he was stable for the moment.

Now what...

I paddled over to river right, dumped my boat, grabbed my throwrope and headed

upstream, to move up to the same elevation where Spence was trapped. I was quickly

joined by Seth Giles (Nickname: Fungus), who had grabbed his rope as well. We realized

the rocks in that area were very slick and started a two person wade to get out to Spence

& Charlotte (approximately twenty-five yards from shore on river right).

It took us three or four minutes to get out there by which time (thank God!) Charlotte had

been able to get Spence’s boat angled slightly differently so he could push his way out of the

cockpit.

Spence was out of danger at this point, but was exhausted from trying to push himself out of

his boat for so long. He had jettisoned his hand paddles early in the incident, so he wasn’t going

Did you have fun reading about Rescue Rodeo and Swiftwater Rescue Class? Not a week after our most recent SWR class, an experienced paddlers had an incident on the Hiwassee. Not creeking on Class VI Death Falls. The Hiwassee. Think about that. As paddlers, we can encounter dangerous situations anywhere and at any time. The key to mitigating that risk is being prepared and well-trained.

12The Paddler TattlerSeptember 2015

to paddle out of there. We emptied Spence’s boat from

as much water as we could and pushed it down to our

party who quickly bulldozed it to shore. Next we got

Charlotte back in her boat and she headed downstream

to act as downstream safety and equipment shaggers

with Pat Carver, Debbie McRae, Deborah Webb, and

Judy.

Now to get Spence to shore; his shoulder was hurt. We

formed a three person wade and essentially moved back

over to river right, just the way Seth and I had waded out

there initially.

Deborah Webb could see how tired Spence was: She

dismounted her boat, ran upstream of us and was ready

to help us to shore over the slickest of the rocks and

water volume we were encountering. Using her paddle,

she reached out to us as we approached shore and got

both Spence and myself up the riverbank using her

paddle as a handhold. (Young Seth just leapt up the

bank in a single bound...Youth eh!!??)

The whole incident from start to finish was maybe fifteen

minutes. Spence was essentially out of danger in four to

five minutes, because of the quick thinking of the paddle

group and the luck of having a very good boater (Thank

you Charlotte!) very near him when this happened.

This was a group of relatively experienced boaters and

everybody reacted quickly. The group was anticipating

what their next move was going to be because they had

the experience to know what was going to happen next.

Three things hit my mind when I got back to shore with

Seth and Spence:

1. Thank goodness we teach ‘wading’ at SWR and

Rescue Rodeo. There was no time to train somebody.

Seth and iwere going ...period...No time for a class

out there...Spence’s body position could have shifted

and we had to get out there quickly!

2. This was a poster-child event for NEVER PADDLING

ALONE. Had this happened to someone out there

by themselves, they would never had been able to

extract themselves from that branch, they would

have eventually been pushed underwater and they

would have drowned...no doubt about it.

3. Everybody had a role to play: Rescuer, wading

team, equipment recovery person, upstream safety,

downstream safety, gopher, etc. It all mattered

yesterday. And fortunately, we were a large group.

We had enough people to get it done.

And that’s about all I have to say about that!

Thursday Roll PracticeCome join the last few weeks of summer roll practice at Harrison Bay, led by Steve Crowell.

It’s fun for humans and canines alike, plus there’s Mexican food to follow.

(Photos: Rebecca Hendrix)

13The Paddler TattlerSeptember 2015

by Rachel Roman

My first time down the Upper Pigeon was an absolute

blast thanks to David McConnell and a great group! Laura

Webster, Rachel Frye, Trevor, and Chongle (who’s last names

I don’t know-sorry guys!), boogied down with David in the

lead and Heather Curry and I supporting.

There were some nerves and butterflies as we sat in the creek

above Powerhouse, the first rapid, but the butterflies were

banished as soon as we peeled out. Rachel stomped every

hole on the river into oblivion, Chongle worked hard on

catching eddies and pulled off a truly impressive combat roll

at Double Reactionary, Laura styled everything, and Trevor

powered through diagonal waves and holes like a boss. We

had two swimmers after a raft forced us off our line into the

hole at Lost Guide, but they channeled their inner fishes, got

their gear, dumped their boats, and were back in lickety-split.

Above Double Reactionary, David told the students “there is

no such thing as too far right”, then he and I went down to

wait for them at the bottom. I heard David chuckle and say

“well these students have one heck of a ferry”, and I looked

up to see every last one of them powering so far right that

they took the creek line around the boulder!

This short, fun run was over too soon. Loved every minute of

it!

Check out the video here!

Trip Report: Day on the “Dirty Bird”

(Upper Pigeon)Photo: Kristin Evans

Congrats 2015 ACA Certified

Instructors!SWIFTWATER RESCUE

INSTRUCTORS

TYSON CAPEHART

BRUCE FOSTER

KAYAK INSTRUCTOR

STEVE CROWELL

JESSICA HARRISON

14The Paddler TattlerSeptember 2015

I wish I knew exactly how many years TVCC has organized a raft trip in late July for the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Organization...25 years, maybe? It’s a terrific opportunity to share our river with kids and their grownup friends and mentors, and something I look forward to every year.

by Katie Larue

Note: Due to privacy reasons, we are unable to publish photos from the event, which is a shame, because they were apparently quite cute. Sound like fun? Volunteer next year!

Emily works with the Big Brother/Big Sister program

and is the BB/BS trip organizer. She is also a Big Sister

to Courtney who is 14 or 15. At Hiwassee Outfitters, I

sat down next to Emily on the deck and said “where’s

Courtney this year?” And Emily said “sitting right next

to you!” I didn’t recognize her because she’s so grown

up! This year she starts high school and is already

preparing for a career in health care by shadowing

nurses at Erlanger and at a nursing home. Emily and

Courtney have been in my raft for the BB/BS trip on the

last Sunday in July for the past 5 years.

At lunch stop, Courtney and I borrowed a support

boater’s sit-on-top. I’d taught her a little bit about

ferrying over the years, and we tied a rope to the stern

of the sit-on-top so she could practice. She ferried out

toward the middle of the river, holding a beautiful 2

stayed close enough to pass a water gun from one raft to

another - everyone got to soak and be soaked, and you never

knew where the next attack would come from. We were all

wet and happy.

Jim and I used to have a Little Brother, Devante. Actually,

he had us. I believe we got more than we gave in our time

with De. We took him with us on the raft trip over the years,

and on his last year, he piloted a raft himself for the younger

kids. We can’t post pictures of the raft trip due to privacy,

but here’s a picture I CAN show, of De, Jim, and I, because

he’s graduated from BB/BS now. Our smiles say it all - we’re

honored to know this fine young man.

THANK YOU to our organizer Jim Ledbetter, and to

the Raft Guides and support boaters who generously

gave up a paddling day: Judy Norton, Ashley Teel,

Charlie Jordan, Robert Jordan, Sue Romans, Bonnie

and Bill Semora, Steve and Ronnie Courtney, and Jim

Ledbetter.

WANT TO VOLUNTEER WITH BB/BS?

Being a Big Brother or a Big Sister doesn’t require a lot

of time: 4 to 6 hours a month spent mentoring and

being a friend to a child. Emily tells me there’s a waiting

list of at least 100 children in Chattanooga right now.

Let me know if you’re interested in learning more, and

I’ll put you in touch with her.

o’clock angle, then smoothly ferried back at 10 o’clock. Very

impressive! I’m glad neither of us noticed that her tether had

come undone, but Charlie Jordan did, and was on high alert,

ready to swim out after her if he had to. Thank you Charlie!

Courtney had it under control.

This year, when we got to Devil’s Shoals, Courtney just

naturally moved to the back of the raft, and guided us

through. I felt like a proud auntie.

This year we had a fairly small group - about 10 Bigs and

10 Littles - but, for the majority, it was their first raft trip on

the Hiwassee. The weather was beautiful and the water

was warm (for the Hiwassee). We put on at about 12:30 and

Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Big Fun!The Umpteenth Annual Raft Trip: July 26th, 2015

15The Paddler TattlerSeptember 2015

by Jim Ledbetter

Join in on this annual trash clean-up effort along the

waterways around Chattanooga. There are over 20 zones to

choose from, but Jim Ledbetter and Ben Johnson request

your assistance working near Camp Jordan helping making

the creek more canoe friendly. Outdoor Chattanooga and

McCallie School will have canoes available for the effort. All

we need is plenty of volunteers.

Scheduled work will take place 9am to 1pm and helpers will

receive an awesome T-shirt and other goodies, along with

plenty of River Karma.

Email ahead and let us know who to expect, t-shirt sizes and

whether you will need a canoe, will bring your own boat, or

would like to work from the shoreline. Sure would appreciate

your help.

CONTACTS

Jim Ledbetter (1jimled@gmail.com) or Ben Johnson

(johnsonbbd3@aol.com)

http://tennesseeriverrescue.org/

Tennessee River RescueSaturday, October 3rd

In the words of our favorite storyteller, Spence Lycan:

The Mini never fails to amuse with its many versions

of “swimmers”.

This particular version of a triathlon needs lots of

helping safety boats.

TVCCers showed up bright (well, maybe not quite)

and early on the morning on August 9th to set safety

for the Sportsbarn Triathlon and its many flailing first-

timers.

Mini Tri

Photos: Debby McRae

16The Paddler TattlerSeptember 2015

Paddling & Social Media

Navigating the Internet’s Rapidsbut was started by Alex Henry to post about jump trips. It

is called TVCC Kayaking and is now moderated by several

TVCC members. It’s a closed group, so you will need to

ask to join. Members are quite active ont his group.

Many other boating groups exist out there to peak

your particular interest: Whitewater Kayakers Network,

Chattanooga Area Boating Info, Women’s Whitewater

Group, Walden’s Ridge Whitewater, GDI, and North

Georgia Whitewater Kayakers Network to name JUST

a few (mainly focused on our area)! So whatever your

interest, or your boating niche, facebook probably has a

place for you!

I’m sure this is not breaking news, but it is interesting to see the role social media plays in the boating world.

by Rebecca Hendrix, Non-Paddling Cruisemaster

I probably wouldn’t have a facebook account if the

boating community wasn’t as active as it is with social

media. People often post about jump trips, upcoming

trips, photos from trips, beta on creeks/rivers, where to

eat, where to buy gear/passes, stolen boat information,

and the dubious photos (and videos) of post-swim booty

beers.

For TVCC, we have an

official Facebook page that

is an actual page and is run

by board members: www.

facebook.com/pages/

Tennessee-Valley-Canoe-

Club. The official club logo

is here and official club

events, information, and photos are posted here. When I

became an officer in 2012, there were approximately 400

followers. Today, there are over 1200 followers. Clearly we

are popular!

There is also a Facebook group that is not officially TVCC,

Alex Henry, who started the TVCC kayaking Facebook group, throws a cartwheel.

Treasurer’s Report: Q4by Debby McRae, TVCC Treasurer

The following is a link to the 4th Quarter Income Statement.

Income for the period covering April 1 to June 30, 2015

consisted of memberships, paddle school income (camping,

registration, meals, t-shirts, ACA insurance and auction)

and totaled $23,711.19. Expenses of $14,530.86 for the

period were for paddle school (meals, t-shirts, band,

banners, and other expenses) ACA insurance, ACA SWR

instructor certification, ACA boater instructor certification,

administrative, and paypal fees.

The net income for the period was $9,180.33. One major

expense ($850) included in this quarter was the filing

fee for federal form 1024 to become a 501(c)7 non-profit

organization. We also engaged the services of a CPA to help

us navigate paying sales tax to the State of Tennessee. As a

result, we are now registered with the State of Tennessee

to pay sales tax quarterly on some of our income. The first

payment was July this year. The board will continue to be

diligent in retaining the non-profit status of the club and

being compliant with Tennessee sales tax.

I would like to thank club member Sue Spalding who has

volunteered her time to help with club financials on several

occasions. I also thank Don Fletcher and John Hubbard for

help navigating the sales tax issues and filing of the federal

form 1024, and thanks go out to Ashley Teel, Rebecca

Hendrix and Mike Shillinger for help refining the club budget

this year.

Please refer any questions to treasurer@tvccpaddler.com.

17The Paddler TattlerSeptember 2015

Overnighters 2015 CalendarMarch 28th-30th—Toccoa River Trip

April 11th-12th—Upper Coosawattee River (WW)

April 11th-12th—Lower Coosawattee (Flat)

April 25th-26th—Talking Rock

May 10th-15th—Cahaba River in Alabama

May 23rd-25th—Big South Fork 3 Day Trip (Memorial Day Weekend)

May 29th-31st—Paddle School

June 14th-21st—Buffalo River in Arkansas (Week Long)

June 28th—Waterfront Triathlon Volunteering

July 11th-12th—Little TN River

July 25th-26th—Rescue Rodeo & Big Brother/Big Sister Rafting

Aug 9th—Sports Barn Triathlon

Aug 11th-24th—Boundary Waters

Aug 15th-16th—Lake Jocassee Due to a scheduling conflict, this trip will be cancelled

for the year. Plans are in the works for next year. Contact

Richard Warner: rockhunter1953@gmail.com.

Sept 12th—Girl Scout Raft Race Club meeting with elections to follow.

Sept 12th-13th—Elk River

Contact Uwe Zitzow. UweZitzow@comcast.net.

Sept 26th-28th—Toccoa River 3 Day Trip

Contact Carolyn Rand. CarolynMRand@gmail.com.

Sept 27th—Ironman Triathlon Volunteering

Oct 3rd—TN River Rescue Contact Jim Ledbetter. 1jimled@gmail.com.

Oct 11th-17th—Current River (MO)

Weeklong overnighter trip. When not on river, we will be

at base camp at Big Spring and travel to other lcoations

from there. Contact Gary Petty. pettygw@gmail.com.

Oct 10th—Ocoee Race

Oct 25th—Boo Run (Ocoee)

Nov 14th-15th—Etowah River

In case of low water, backup plan is the TN River

Blueway. Contact Jamie Wendt. jwendt@epbfi.com.

Dec 27th-Jan 1st—Weeklong Florida Trip Canoes, Sea Kayaks, and anything that floats. Travel time

not included in dates. Camping at primitive group site

at Sparkle Berry Campground, with privy only. For those

who prefer different accomodations, Panama City Beach

Condos or St. Andrews State Park with hookups are

nearby. Contact Pat Carver. PatCarver1055@yahoo.com.

18The Paddler TattlerSeptember 2015

by Eric Fleming, Flatwater Cruisemaster

Well, this year’s annual BBQ and sunset paddle turned out

to be a bit more challenging this time. Originally we were

to meet at the Riverpark, have a BBQ, and paddle down to

Ross’s Landing, but I had to move it to the Rivermont Park

on the north shore due to the Riverpark being closed due to

the shootings. Rivermont has a very limited picnic area and

groups over 8 need a permit to have a cookout there so I had

to cancel the BBQ. Anyway, 22 of us met at 6:30 pm on July

25th, unloaded and ran shuttle.

The problem with that was that the cops had a road blocked

and we got separated in the traffic. Everyone had shuttle

SUPs hanging out. Lots of people on the Walnut Street Bridge

and kids playing on the Passage waterfall steps.

Downtown from the water at night is spectacular. All the

activity and reflections on the water make it kind of surreal.

Next up was Ross’s Landing where the Riverfront Nights

concert was in full swing with a Southern Rock band.

We stayed a little while and then paddled over to the take

out under the Market Street bridge at Coolidge Park and the

fun task of rerunning the shuttles.

Thanks to everyone who helped with the shuttles and

lugging boats. As usual everyone was very cooperative and

helpful. What a team!

directions and I’d told everyone before leaving that if they

had problems just to return to the put in, which several that

didn’t know the area did and we landed up with about half

the vehicles at each ramp.

We were all on the water by 8 pm, crossed over, and headed

down to Ross’s Landing. It’s a pretty easy and relaxing

downstream paddle. When we got down to Maclellan

Island it was pretty dark and we could see and hear a fancy

wedding at the Hunter Museum. Great band.

At the lower end of the island there was a guy tight rope

walking (no, actually loose rope walking) from the island out

to a pole in the water which was pretty impressive, and a few

Sunset Paddle

Flatwater adventurers enjoy a natural lightshow under Chattanooga’s downtown bridges.

Photos by Judy Norton

19The Paddler TattlerSeptember 2015

main island, which normally has three inlets that you can

paddle up, and at the far ends all the shallow water is just

covered in water lilies, officially called Lotus plants. Big round

leaves floating on the water with huge white flowers.

As you can see in photo four, we had to paddle over a

shallow bar of Milfoil to get into the inlet. We couldn’t get all

the way up the inlet, but even from as far as we got it was

obvious that there wasn’t a single flower.

It looks as though they have all been smothered by the

Milfoil which is everywhere, and just below the surface even

where we did paddle.

TVA used to control the Milfoil, but fisherman objected to

them killing the fish habitat, and others complained about

polluting the water, so they stopped doing it and now every

year it’s getting worse.

Nickajack is especially bad, and you can

see it in late summer from I-24 around all

land masses. It’s obvious that every action

or not taken has an unwanted side effect.

Apart from winter paddles to see the

Sandhill Crane migration where we have to

stay inside the channel markers we haven’t

done a trip up there for three years. I’ll find

the photos taken in July 2012 to show you

what we’ve lost in just three years.

Anyway, we saw lots of wildlife while

paddling around the island and it’s still a

beautiful area.

After the paddle we went to the always

great Jacob Meyers Restaurant for a

recharge and some great conversations

with very interesting people.

When we left the restaurant Ruthie, Riley,

15 of us met at the Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge at 10 am on Saturday August 1st. The Refuge is where the Hiwassee River runs into the TN River near Dayton, TN.

by Eric Fleming, Flatwater Cruisemaster

Driving over the Hwy 60 bridge before

we even got to the ramp I could see

that things didn’t look right as there

was Milfoil (seaweed) surrounding all

the islands.

We put on and paddled over the the

Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge

20The Paddler TattlerSeptember 2015

and I went over to Richland Creek which is normally full of

Lilies also but alas, not a leaf or flower to be found there

either.

I’m just glad that we were able to enjoy them before they

were gone.

Regardless, today was still a great day for a paddle.

LOTUS PLANTSThis is how the water lilies (Lotus plants) looked July 2012. They are completely gone in just three years. See

my Hiwassee Wildlife Refuge Report for details.

The reason why many paddlers didn’t have shirts on was because we hit a record for the day at 107 degrees actual temp that day (no feels like stuff). A little warm for paddling! We did swim though.

At the other end we’ve also paddled on a below freezing day with a biting wind. A little cool for paddling!

21The Paddler TattlerSeptember 2015

Flatwater Paddlers 2015 CalendarNote our new name! We are now the Flatwater Paddlers, in

order to be more inclusive of Canoes, Rec Boats, Sit-on-tops,

SUPs, and any other calm-water crafts.

March 28th. Harrison Islands. Eric.

April 18th. Hales Bar (C), (S). Eric.

April 25th. West Chickamauga to Reeds Rd, GA. (C),(S). Eric.

May 2nd. Sale Creek. Eric.

May 16th. Soddy Creek. Eric.

May 23rd. Conasauga River, GA. (C), (S). Eric.

May 29th-31st. Paddle School.

June 6th. Hiwassee: 411 to 2R CG. (C), (S). Eric.

June 14th-21st. Buffalo River, Arkansas.

June 20th. Wolftever to Demo Day at Harrison Bay. Eric.

June 27th. North Chick and Dam Lock Through. (C), (S). Eric.

June 28th. Waterfront Triathlon Support. Taylor.

July 11th. Ocoee #1 Dam to 2 Rivers Campground. (C), (S). Eric.

July 25th. TN Riverpark BBQ and Sunset Paddle. (S). Eric.

July 26th. Big Brother/Big Sister Raft Trip Support. Hiwassee River. (C), (S). Jim.

Aug 1st. West Chickamauga Creek. (C), (S). Eric.

Aug 9th. Dam Triathlon Support Boaters. Taylor.

Aug 15th-16th. Lake Jocassee, SC. Overnighter. TO BE RESCHEDULED.

Aug 22nd. Cookout and sunset paddle to Bat Cave. Eric.

Sept 5th. West Chick: Reeds to Dietz. (C), (S). Eric. Class I paddle in Ft. Oglethorpe, GA. Similar to N. Chick with obstacles but very little current. Meet at Reeds bridge at 10am to run shuttle. 2.5 hours.

Sept 12th. Girl Scout Raft Race Support Boaters. Lower Hiwassee. (C), (S). Taylor. Sept 12th. TVCC Meeting, Elections, Food, and Camping. OAR. Everyone who can should attend and elect the new board. Don Fletcher. Sept 12th. Freedom Float, Riverpark to Ross’s Landing. Meet at 1pm at Riverpark to drop boats, then check in at Outdoor Chattanooga. (Postponed from 8/15.)

Sept 11th-13th. Elk River Overnighter. (C), (S).

Uwe. Capped at 30 paddlers; already full.

Sept 19th. Skull Island to HBSP. 10am. Eric. (C), (S). Meet at Skull Island ramp just downstream from the Island and run shuttle to Harrison Bay State Park to put on. Several inlets to explore. 3 hours.

Oct 3rd. TN River Rescue. Jim.

0ct 10th. 10 mile TN River Swim support boaters. (S). Karah. Oct 10th. TVCC Ocoee Whitewater Race.

Oct 17th. Suck Creek to Pot House. (S). Eric.

Oct 17th-18th. TN River Gorge Overnighter. (S). Ben.

Oct 24th. Hiwassee. Hwy 11 to Hwy 58. (S). Eric.

Nov 7th. South Chick, Sterchi Farm. Eric.

Nov 14th-15th. Etowah River Overnighter. (C), (S). Jamie.

Dec 12th. Club Christmas Party.

Dec 27th-Jan 1st. Annual Florida Trip.

All dates and places are subject to change. All paddles are

in Tennessee unless otherwise noted. Check your email the

night before a trip for any changes. All paddles are rain or

shine.

C = Indicates Current, but no more than Class I Rapids. S = Indicates a one-way trip requiring a Shuttle.

The Paddler Tattler is the monthly publication of the Tennessee Valley Canoe Club.

The Paddler Tattler invites submissions of

articles, trip reports, videos, and any other

news or information of interest to the paddling

community.

Submit an electronic copy no later than the

20th of each month to the newsletter editor by

emailing editor@tvccpaddler.com. Submissions

may be edited.

Past issues of the Paddler Tattler can be accessed

online at:

http://tinyurl.com/tvccpastnewsletters.

Tennessee Valley Canoe Club P.O. Box 11582 Chattanooga, TN 37401 www.tvccpaddler.com

22

TVCC Yahoo GroupAll club members are invited to join the club’s

online paddling forum. The Yahoo Group is a

great place to find out about paddling trips in

addition to those posted in the newsletter, post

pictures and trip reports of your latest adventures,

or just find someone to go paddle with.

The only requirement for the forum is active

membership in the club. To join, go to http://

groups.yahoo.com/group/tvcc/ and click on

“Join This Group”. Please be patient and allow a

few days for the page administrator to respond

and accept your membership. Send an email

to the group moderator at tvcc-subscribe@

yahoogroups.com with your name. See you on

the river!

The Tennessee Valley Canoe Club brings together those interested in canoeing, kayaking, and related activities; increases the knowledge, safety, and appreciation of paddle sports for those who are interested; and supports conservation and preservation of recreational waterways.

Membership is open to persons of all ages. Both families and singles are welcome.

The club’s activities include:

• Whitewater & flat water kayak and canoe training

• Whitewater & flat water river trips for all skill levels

• Water safety & rescue training

• Extended canoe & camping trips

• Annual & monthly meetings

• Community service

2014-2015 OfficersPresident

Don Fletcher president@tvccpaddler.com

Vice PresidentAshley Teel vp@tvccpaddler.com

Assistant Vice PresidentLaDawn Wolfe assistantvp@tvccpaddler.com

TreasurerDebby McRae treasurer@tvccpaddler.com

SecretaryJohn Hubbard secretary@tvccpaddler.com

Newsletter EditorMeryl Stark editor@tvccpaddler.com

WebmasterTeri Zur webmaster@tvccpaddler.com

River Conservation ChairJim Ledbetter conservation@tvccpaddler.com

Flatwater Email ListThe TVCC Flatwater Paddlers use an email contact

list to send out information about upcoming

events. To be added to this list, please send

an email the TVCC Flatwater Cruisemaster at

598eric@gmail.com.

Safety ChairMike Shillinger safety@tvccpaddler.com

Public Relations ChairStacy Stone publicity@tvccpaddler.com

Cruisemaster I, Class II/IIISpence “Dogpaddle” Lycan cm1@tvccpaddler.com

Cruisemaster II, Class III/IVBrandon Koch cm2@tvccpaddler.com

Cruisemaster III, Overnight Paddling Group

Carolyn Rand Ben Johnson cm3@tvccpaddler.com

Cruisemaster IV, Non-Paddling

Jen Maxwell & Rebecca Hendrix cm4@tvccpaddler.com

Cruisemaster V, FlatwaterEric Fleming cm5@tvccpaddler.com

Our Mission

The Paddler TattlerSeptember 2015