Camp News
Holiday Huck Reunion
January 11, 2010
During the summer of 2009 Falling Creek ran a high adventure paddling program called HUCK. (HUCK means running a waterfall). With the recent break from school several members of HUCK got together to paddle, tell tales, and relive the trip from this past summer.
This mini reunion consisted of Ben Williams and Doug Koziol representing the staff, and Will and Joey who were both Falling Creek campers and HUCK paddlers.
The crew met in the parking lot of Hooker Falls in DuPont State Forest and suited up for a wonderful day of paddling on a great section of river. The adventure was focused more on staying warm and dry than paddling hard whitewater, as 6 inches of snow covered the forest. Once suited up we looked more like space explorers than kayakers, and the looks from the parking lot confirmed it!
Putting on allowed us to test our snow kayaking skills as it involved sliding on the snow before hitting the water at mach 3! Doug shows us how it is done in the photo above!
After entering the water, the river offered up some great rapids like Diagonal Slide, Many Different Ways, and the infamous Hooker Falls. Each of these rapids requires different paddling skills. Joey and Will showed theirs by expertly navigating each challenge with grace and poise.
Hooker Falls is the keystone rapid of this run with its striking backdrop and 15-foot plunge into Cascade Lake, it makes for amazing pictures and paddling.
Labels: dupont, huck, paddling, staff
0 CommentsPerfect Paddling
December 16, 2009
Doug paddling the Mini Gorge.
One of the many joys of living in the southern Appalachian Mountains is the year-round perfect paddling weather and the abundance of high-quality whitewater within a short drive of Falling Creek.
Recently, Ben Williams and Doug Koziol explored Big Hungry, one of the main tributaries of the famous Green River. Doug is a recent graduate of Western Carolina University and has provided excellent paddling instruction at Falling Creek during the past two summers.
Big Hungry drops into the Green River gorge over a series of slides and tight boulder garden rapids and provides paddlers with a wonderful burst of whitewater.
Ben paddling a slide on the Big Hungry.
The highlight of this run is the Mini Gorge that contains five rapids in quick succession. The river goes from 40 feet wide to roughly five feet wide and stays that way for a quarter mile, all while dropping 50-plus vertical feet. With the steep gradient and the prolonged narrowness, the river forms sticky holes and breaking waves that test the skill of paddlers.
After the Mini Gorge, paddlers arrive at the confluence of Big Hungry and the Green River, where smiles and whoops of joy are often heard as groups celebrate a successful descent with wonderful friends, amazing scenery, and rapids that test both the mental and physical skill of the paddlers.
Labels: green river, paddling, staff
0 CommentsBlackwood, Stec, FCC and the ACA
December 11, 2009
Friendships formed at camp are lifelong.
FCC Alumni at the Green River in 1995.
Wade Blackwood and Christopher Stec worked together at the Yak Shack on the paddling staff at Falling Creek in the summer of 1995.
Fourteen years later the two FCC alumni have reunited as the Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of the American Canoe Association, the oldest non-profit paddle-sports organization in the country.
Wade was a camper in 1979 and staff member in 1995. Chris was a counselor from 1995 to 1999 and served as a director from 2000 to 2007.
Coincidentally, during their initial staff training, they both took an ACA Whitewater Canoe Instructor Certification Workshop (to find out how they did, email Jim Goodrum!)
Chris and his son, Andrew.
The relationship forged over those three summer months created a common bond that has culminated in a strong partnership dedicated to providing people of all abilities with the opportunity to paddle on America's waterways.
For more information about how Wade and Chris are making a positive impact on paddle-sports education, stewardship and recreation across the country, please visit the American Canoe Association's website.
0 CommentsThe Green River Race
November 11, 2009
In football you have the Super Bowl, in baseball you have the World Series, and in Hockey you have the Stanley Cup. In the world of whitewater paddling, you have the Green Race.
The uniqueness of the Green Race lays in history of the event. It was started by friends and it has continued to be run by friends and supported by volunteers. For the racers it is a chance to showcase the river that they love so much, and for a chance to win the small handmade glass trophy.
Andrew Holcombe
Sporting events create their own feel and excitement, and for some the event seems to start weeks ahead of time. For me the changing of the leaves, the cool mornings, and the line of eleven-foot-plus kayaks on top of car roof racks driving on I-26 between Saluda, NC, and Hendersonville, NC, means it is once again time for the annual Green River Narrows Race.
Andrew Holcombe
The Narrows of the Green is a world class stretch of whitewater tucked away on the Henderson and Polk County line. With Falling Creek's proximity to the Green river, it seems that each year several campers, counselors, and alumni show up to watch the race... and a few brave souls that compete.
Along the banks of the Green River on Saturday, I ran into Mel Ringler (counselor), Asa Walker (camper), Corey Hopkins (counselor), Andrew Smith (counselor), James Boyd (camper and counselor), Adam Secrest (counselor), Polk Deters and his son Scout (camper and counselor), Michael Welch (camper), Steve McGrady (camper), Brent Denys and his father (camper), Sean Thompson(camper), Charles Jordan (counselor), Annie Martin (counselor), and Andrew Holcombe (Huck counselor).
The Gorilla Rapid
The race is roughly a mile long and the winning time this year was 4:18 which was set by Andrew Holcombe and is the current course record. The course is made up of several class IV and V rapids, with Gorilla being the marquee rapid of the event.
Gorilla is a five-foot-wide flume that drops 18 vertical feet, truly a remarkable sight. Standing and watching paddlers come through the notch and soar off the horizon line of Gorilla every minute for well over three hours, can take one's breath away.
- Ben Williams
Labels: alumni, huck, paddling, staff
0 CommentsThe Jez Wins Nationals
November 05, 2009
Congratulations Jez!
Jez just finished competing in the Australian National Freestyle Kayak Championships last weekend, and won first place in C1. He also placed third in the OC1 and fifth in K1.
That now makes a total of six National Championships wins for Jez. Way to go!
Photo courtesy of Jez.
Jez is one of FCC's top paddling instructors and plans to return for his fourth summer in 2010. Jez is the driving force behind the The Huck Trip, and he is one of the trip's leaders.
If you're a paddler, check out The Huck.
0 CommentsBig Boomin' Fun
October 29, 2009
Andrew Smith
Thanks to the wonderful fall weather patterns, the rivers and creeks of the southeast are flowing strong - and paddlers are reaping the benefits!
Andrew Smith, Cory Hopkins, and Ben Williams took the chance to make a splash as they ran Hooker Falls in DuPont State Forest several times with just the right amount of water.
Corey Hopkins
The slightly cooler temperature was a blessing, as they had the river to themselves.
Andrew was a staff member this summer, and is planning on returning to camp in 2010. He attends Valdosta State University.
Corey attends Furman University and is a veteran FCC staff member.
Ben Williams
On your next visit to Tuxedo, you may want to stop by and enjoy the wonders of DuPont State Forest. It is home to some amazing waterfalls.
Photo Credit: Dave Rogers, Lexington, SC
Labels: dupont, fall, paddling, staff, waterfalls
0 CommentsAwesome Adventure Awaits!
October 08, 2008
Want to take your paddling to the next level? The Huck is for you!
The Huck is an 8-day whitewater paddling adventure trip. It is for boys aged 13-17 and focuses on skill improvement, leadership, and character development.
The trip will be lead by Jez Blanchard, world champion paddler and Falling Creek paddle staff memeber, and features guest appearances by other professional paddlers on the Jackson Kayak team.
To read more about the trip, the requirements, or why it's called The Huck go the the Huck Page.
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