The Source.....

Sometimes...a few quick breathes is all it takes to restoke ones inner fire. And it is those same bursts of air that keep the fire burning hot all year...

The Green River runs all year, and for many, offers a constant theatre to perform a few acts of fluid aggression. The green is not necessarily a destination....but the Source.

Therefore, we at Team Swain will continue to contribute visual tributes to that little furnace down in Hendersonville..... we refer to as the Source.


Pictures: (above) Nick, executing a proper entrance_Bride of Frankenstein (below. top-bottom) Eric, floating toward the sun. "Hey nick heads up.....yeah, i know.... it gets steep down there."_ Jason, making his way through the flats. Nick and Jason sharring prawn recipes. Jason heading for powerslide. Nick, collecting nuts for winter_ flying squirrel line. the factor.

Ravens Fork, NC

There is no better place to be in the fall than Western NC...We are very proud of this. And if ones desire is to witness the fine fall foilage that is presently in full bloom, there are a couple of destinations that one might not find in the average guide book. We took the opportunity to do a bit of leaf watching at one of our favorite locations. It started out as just another warm fall day. It was in the upper 70's, sunny, and we had recieved several inches of rain the evening prior. As it turned out, we weren't the only folks trying to embrace the fall colors. When we arrived at the Ravens Fork Trailhead, there were a baker's dozen of the usual suspects. The water had dropped out a lot quicker than was anticipated, but no one cancelled their tour despite having minimal water. here are a few leaf shots...Enjoy!


Pictures: (above) Joe Barkley, doing what he does best...making s#$t look easy_Big Boy. Joe, low water put-in. Steven_Razor Back. Nick, taking a gander_Big Boy. Jared, amongst it_Big Boy. Steven Matz.

Upper Santeetlah, Joyce Kilmer

As tornadoes were ripping thru the midwest we wondered if any of that action would actually make it over to the mountains of the east. The weathermen didn't seem to think so...and thank god once again they were wrong. After a night of continual rain and thunder we awoke to our typical routine of a turbo espresso infested fog-socked morning. Then the consulting of the Advanced Flood Warning System rain gauges in the vicinity ...over 2 inches of rain reported.


In Graham county NC there exists huge tracts of public lands that are way out in the middle of nowhere that seldom get visited. We decided to try and get on the Upper Santeetlah. The watershed is undeveloped and protected in its entirty minus a few forest service roads. Old growth pockets ly within the gorge as well. I had been to the put-in twice before after rains only to find the level too low. So once the caffine buzz was at the desired level we started calling the regular Swain County boys who normally are ready to go in a seconds notice, only to find they were all at the Gauley Festival in West Virgina. Some vulgar messages followed later in the day as they were not happy at the news of the local shit going off. So it was Jay Gifford and I. No shuttle team so we brought the running shoes, something we like to call the man challenge.



The next photo in the sequence is called the hallway. Rumored to be a 100 foot slide. I had some pre site visit nervousness over this one. Upon scouting it I decided to walk, unless Jay was going to get in it and make it look easy. About half way down he threw the fist pump and hollered.


I was blinded by the positive energy and like a reflex walked to my boat eddied out and ran it.



The next drop we looked at a good bit. I was puzzled by the fact that all my fear and anxiety was nowhere to be found. I asked Jay if he read it like I was, he concurred, so off I went. It was my turn to repay the enery boost.


The rest of the run never really let up. The continued gradient was very surprising. It was a perfect day in Joyce Kilmer, she finally decided to throw a bone to the Swain kids.

Pride of Swain Co.

Just a short drive outside of Cherokee, NC is a creek that is unrivaled in quality. Steep bedrock rapids fill this fantastic gorge with some of the most amazing rapids in North Carolina. The Raven's Fork of the Oconaluftee flows out of the southern side of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park before entering the Cherokee Reservation.

Access to the Raven's Fork requires passing through private property that is wihin the reservation. A very nice man named, Emanuel, lives at the takeout. His father accuired the property sixty-one years ago when Emanuel was only seven. He has lived there his entire life, Between a tour in the military, college, and a twenty-seven year carrer with the fish and wildlife deptartment. He has a great sense of humor, and alwasys seems to have a story. He allows paddlers to park at his house and access the park via roads on his family's property. We dropped off a couple cases of beer, which is the prefered medium of bartering around Emmanuels', And set off up the trail. We ran into another goup hiking in and offered them a ride. A steep dirt road travels for a mile or so which is accessable too some trucks. From there you hike for a mile through chest high stinging nettles before arriving at the take out. The trail was overgrown, due to the fact that there had only been a handfull of descents in the previous months. After making our way through the slimy rockslides and massive nettles we eventually arrived at the river.

Once on the river, the character of the Raven's Fork becomes immediately apparant. We ran a few drops above the typical put-in. But within less than a minute we arrived at Anaconda, which consists of a a series of different drops that snake there way through the bedrock. After watching both Craig and Joe get slapped around in different sections I opted to snake my way around this rapid. From this point on the creek becomes very steep and continous. Big rapids seperated by small pools characterize the next few hours of paddling. Everyone was having smooth lines as we made our way through: First Drop, Second Drop, Third Drop,Headless Horseman, Razorback, Mortal Combat, Jedi Mind Training,and Wet willies.

In the steepest section of the gorge is a drop called "Big Boy" which is follwed by a series of portages before entering "Mike Tyson's Punch Out". After a few minutes of scouting Joe and Craig both decided to make their second personal descents. I roped my boat down below the waterfall, and then climbed down to set safety. BigBoy is a very technical waterfall, consisting of a tricky entrance into a 35 foot drop with a very small landing zone. Once, i was in position i signaled to Craig that i was ready. Joe fired it up first and landed perfect. A few minutes later Craig entered the drop perfectly as well. But, in the landing he submurged below the big rock in the landing zone hitting him square in the chest while trying to immerge.

Excited with everyone's clean lines we began portaging around the next section. Mike Tyson's Punch Out is the next rapid. The rapid has a an eight foot entrance drop which leads into a warp vector slide. At the bottom of the slide there a series of holes, that due to the speed of the slide didn't seem to be much of a problem. At this point the rapid takes a turn to the right and over another twenty foot steep slide.

A rapid called "Caveman" caps off the steep section, with one of the best boofs you will ever dream of. After portaging around "The Mangler" we took a chance chill before paddling out through the boogie water. Portaging the Mangler I sprained my ankle which gave me the opportunity, at the takeout, to hear some of emmanual's stories over a cold beer while Craig and Joe walked back up to the car. Swain County Rules!


Pictures: (Above) Joe Barkley entering "Wet Willy's". (Below) Joe admiring all the nettle. Joe entering the second drop in Anaconda. Craig third drop in Anaconda. Craig entering "Headless Horseman". Joe seal launching into "Razor Back". "Wet Willy's". Joe taking a gander at the "Bg Boy". Joe firing the s#$t up! Craig entering "Jedi Mind Training." Joe working on his Jedi skills. Craig entering the warp vector slide on "Mike Tyson's Punchout" Taking out at Emanual's.

Return to the Apurimac

So, last week we had a chance to return to the Apurimac. The river had dropped several feet which offered a different feel on the water. Especially, considering our first time we didn't know where to go. This time i was paddling with some of the local boys. Two brothers, diego and Santiago, whom are part of Peru's most notorious paddling family. They both had the river wired, were great paddlers and were determined to show me all of their favorite lines between droping into huge holes on the fly. The few days we spent on the river were great. Diego and Santiago paddled play boats loaded with overnight gear which was impressive. Though, they didn't seem to think much of it. Getting to the river this time was much smoother than i was used too.We were able to coherese one of the local rafting companies to give us a ride, which was much more comfortable then our alternative.

So, we put on the water mid afternoon and bombed down into the Purgatory gorge. The Purgatory gorge is the most dramatic section of the Apurimac. The river constricts dramatically and provides a long section of continous whitewater amongst smooth rock walls. The bottom drop of Purgatory is a small slot where the entire river pinches between two walls. the left side is not an option and on my previous trip we had walked the whole thing. Diego and Santiago assured me, that at this level it was fine. Diego dropped in first. his entrance didn't look pretty, but we could see that he exited the bottom hole. Santiago followed with not as much success. The entrance is about a five foot pourover that is four feet wide and boxed in. after the ledge there is a twenty foot long flune that slightly twists before pouring into the bottom hole. Santiago dropped in and instantly was backflipped. The backwash held him and for the next minute he withstood an honorable thrashing. Eventually, he caught a bit of green water and flushed out of the top hole while splatting the right wall. But he wasn't able to gain full control before he fell into the bottom hole. He subsequently signed up for another proper ass whooping and eventually swam out of the bottom hole. I wasn't sure if he was out of the bottom hole, as i couldn't see anyone downstream. I waited about another thirty seconds before entering the rapid. Assuming that they were both pushed around because they were in fully loaded playboats. I belived a bigger boat shouldn't have as much trouble. So, i dropped in and was able to jump over the first hole. The backwash made me hesitate and i was immediatly thrown into the right wall. moving through the flume i was able to move off the right wall, but entering the bottom hole i was also backfliped. After a few scramble strokes i exited the backwash to see Santiago on shore. We both laughed, but i could tell that Santiago was mad that he had just swam. Diego quckly emgerged with Santiago's paddle and began to kid his younger brother that he had to buy beers tonight. That evening we stayed at the purgatory camp. Built a bonfire and enjoyed the quality of life that the Apurimac seems to naturally offer.

The next morning, we began to make our out of the gorge. At this level the Apurimac is loaded with great play features that are dispersed between incrediable rapids. Diego and Santiago did not hesitate to take advantage of every spot. There were a few spots that had eddy access, where we could unload boats and trade off. Big waves and Peruvian sunshine...Another incrediable trip down the apurimac......


Pictures: (Above) Santiago below the first portage. (Below) Santiago hunting for waves. Diego catching a little air...self support style. Purgatory Camp. Exiting Purgatory. Diego at the water fountain. Santiago and another great wave. Diego entering "last laugh." Wavelicous.....

Rio Apurimac

The Apurimac River is only a few hours outside of Cusco, and is one of the most sought after multi days in the country. But, to catch this worm you have to get up early. We caught a cab out of cusco at 5 am in route to a small town about 40 minutes down the road. A reliable source had told us that there was a truck that you catch at 6 am which would take you too the Apurimac. We arrived at about a quarter to six at a small roadside restraunt, which also happend to be the transportation terminal. The restraunt owner informed us that a bus arrived a bit after seven which would be able to take us too the river. So, we took the opportunity to fuel up on a classic breakfast of rice and chicken. Which was surprisingly good. At seven, everyone was out and about whizzing up and down the street on bicycles and mosquitos (which is a motorcycle taxi, for those not familiar). The Bus arrived soon after and was packed. I mean way over 200% capicity, and the roof rack was overflowing. We pleaded our case to the driver, but no empathy was recieved. He did inform us that another bus would be arriving soon that could also take us. The driver was correct, and within a few minutes another bus arrived. The second bus possiably had more people than the first. But fortunatly the driver was less concerned about personal space and other irrelevent issues such as structural carrying capacities. So, he encouraged us too strap our boats on top of the already loaded roof rack. We loaded our gear and joined the rest of the passengers of our bus. There were no seats, and too be fair, there were more people in the isles than seated. The next three and half hours we spent rallying toward the put-in on some of Peru´s finest secondary roads.

As soon as we steped off the bus we were greeted by a swarm of natives. The natives didnt hesitate to attack, and immediatly our priority shifted toward swating these agressive motherf#€&$?s. The Apurimac is notorious for its ferocious sand flies which became apparant very quickly. All the locals knew these suckers had some teeth. a few young children were kicking a football around, and everyone of them was wearing a head net. I inquired with the gentleman who ran a small store by the bridge about head nets and he kindly offered a head net for the price of two soles( the equivelent of about 60 cents). Excited to be off the bus, we made our way to the river.

Within thirty minutes of being on the river we entered the first canyon. The river slightly narrowed and the canyon walls began to climb toward the sky. It was the first of the season and the river was high, so entering the canyon we were excited to see what lay between these dramatic rock walls. The river seemed to be mainly long rapids seperated by equally long pools. Floating into big water rapids is an aquired taste, that even when you enjoy it, should be consumed with a bit of trepidation. Combined with the late day sun every rapid looked similar from above. a horizon line of white explosions which was distorted from the glare. As you got closer to the lip the bottom often became apparant, and many times the line was obvious and the rapid very managable. But, every now and again you would float into something that the bottom wasn´t apparant. Which would entail locating an eddy within the rapid, or scrambling toward the bank to take a gander. At the top, as the sun is glarring you in the face, everything looks bigger than it is. And occasionally it is a bit bigger than it looks, but that is another story. That afternoon, we spent about three and a half hours making our way through the first Apurimac George.

we made camp above the second gorge. Fired up at how good the river was, we exited onto a nice beach as the sun departed the canyon for the day. ¨Most of the big rapids come the second day¨, was the extent of the information we had about the river. So tommorow was certain to be good. But, presently the task at hand was making dinner. And taking no prisoners in beach bochi ball. no prisoners were taken. And subsequently, we locked into a good bochi ball rally as dusk entered the camp..... after dinner we sat around enjoying the unique experience of being deep in a remote Peruvian canyon, when we saw the largest shooting star ever! it was one of those moments where three seconds in someone slowly say, ¨are you catchin this?¨ with the equally slow response of,¨oh....yeah.¨

Waking up on the river is an exceptional location to start the day. The light slowly emerges, while constantly changing until the sun shows its face for the day. After a leisurly breakfast, we broke camp and launched into the second gorge. The second gorge is not as dramatic in regards to vertical walls as the first canyon. But the rapids are stout. To our advantage the lighting was better, so it was much easier to scout from eddies. We had no problem making our way down, until in the middle of a big rapid i caught on eddy on the right without paying enough attention to what lie downstream. I signaled for Rob to catch an eddy on river left. He scouted his line and signaled that the left side was a go. When he got to the bottom, he signaled that the right channel had a big hole. At this point i was too commited downstream to make it left. The eddy i was in was deep and has surrounded by ten foot walls. Downstream there appeared to be a series of ledges. I could see the first two. But the bottom ledge was questionable and there seemed to be a suspect feature on the right that appeared to be sieve. After a bit speculation i was able to attain a higher eddie that had a really small ledge which i could get out on. With a bit of luck i was able to scale up the rock and pull my boat up. After scouting the rapid, the hole at the bottom appeared to flush through on the center left side. The top was pushier than i had anticipated but i was able to stay on line through the bottom. The second day proved to be incrediable. lots of big clean rapids. one big portage and one small one. The crux of the canyon was visually impressive, and i am slightly confused how they get rafts through a few sections. After lunch the valley opend up and eventually we arrived at the main road traveling from Lima to Cuzco.

The problem was we weren´t sure which direction Cuzco was. After an hour three cars had passed. two of them were busses, which indicated the direction of our destination. and the other car was going the other way. Neither bus had a roof rack, and even if they did, they were going so fast i don´t think they would have been able to stop. We had a few hours before dark, but after an hour not one potintial ride had passed. We had a little bit of oatmeal left over from breakfast, so we began planning to settle in for the night. And almost as soon as we verbally acknowledged our willingness to camp out by the road. An Angel came from the sky. Actually it was just a Tico (small cab) headed to Cuzco. I was so excited not too have to camp out by the interstate! Too add to our luck, he charged us ten dollars for the two and half hour ride back to Cuzco, which was so fair i could have done a dance on the spot. Actually, I think i did.


PICTURES: (above) taking a gander. (Below) ¨bread for sale.¨ the pinch, upper gorge. Rob, Floating into another exploding horizon line. o.k....you have my attention. Sequence. ten foot wall eddy. sometimes... a little luck never hurts. The cooliest cab driver in the world!