The Canoe Trip Mistake

After two successful trips down the Ocmulgee and noticing that "Ocmulgee Expeditions" runs trips beginning at Power's Ferry, some 10 miles upriver, we decided to get more adventurous with our paddling.

Will and the boys set out at 9:00am. It ended up being fortuitous that Ani didn't go on trip. Will later told her that it would have been "one of the worst days of your life."

The river was certainly beautiful in this section, but part of its beauty, unfortunately, lay in its shoals, rapids, and waterfalls. The first roar the boys heard was barely half a mile from the put-in at Pope's Ferry. Will later recalled, "that was when I knew we were in trouble." After successfully navigating "Dead Man's Chute," the intrepid canoeists ran in the next four hours "Little Dead Man's Chute," "Wildcat Falls," "Elevator Drop," The Screaming Meemy," "Island Falls," "Dante's Plunge," "White Knuckle Shoals," "Turn Back Falls," and finally, the scariest of all, "Little Niagara."

Other than a few (ed: many) scratches on the canoe from submerged rocks and a wet cell phone, they made it none the worse for wear. The boys were very brave for most of it, and in the worst sections Will jumped out of the canoe and physically maneuvered the canoe through the rapids (he said the water was rarely over his waist, and only a couple of times over his head!).

It is a commonplace that Macon lies on the "fall line," the highest navigable point, on the Ocmulgee River, but it didn't quite sink in what this really means . . . IT FALLS!

We've come to discover that the trips people take down this section are in maneuverable sport kayaks, not 16ft canoes.

I guess (hope) next time we'll do a bit more homework.

It turns out google earth could have shown us something . . . you can see "Little Niagara" from space!!