Funny the way it is. When all is risked for that moment, that moment which will become a memory forever ingrained in your mind whether for better or for worse. It’s when everything is telling you to back out, because this will not end well. The odds are stacked against you, but IF it does go well the reward is unimaginable. Hell we all know “the next best thing to playing and winning is playing and losing”. So you go all in and go for it.

Ben Davis Boofing Big In Colorado

Three years ago I met a wild eyed eighteen year old with the passion for whitewater that I had, his name was Ben Davis. After several trips boating together we became the best of friends. Traveling across the US and even internationally wrangling rivers. We pushed each other on the rivers and our skills flourished. The summer of 2008 Ben suffered a shoulder injury on Oh Be Joyful in Colorado. His summer was cut short. That fall he re injured his right shoulder training for the Green Race which resulted in surgery. Early the next summer Ben was back. We were back boating, but Ben then headed out to California on a trip of a lifetime and I had unfinished business in Colorado. The summer passed and we both returned to Chattanooga, boating the typical fall runs of the Southeast. Nearly a year to the day of Ben’s last shoulder injury we were back at the Green River again training for the Green Race. Little did we know the same rapid would, would injure Ben’s left shoulder and break several bones resulting in another surgery. We had gone from boating nearly every day as a team to boating together only a handful of times in two years.

Ben Post Surgery

Spring 2010, Ben was ready to paddle again. Ben was focused on school , and I was focused on exploring the lesser known runs of Walden’s Ridge. We were boating, but no longer on the same page we were once on. Ben dropped by the apartment one afternoon, beers were drank , and we reminisced about the times we had on the Raven Fork. Just so happened a few days later rain fell, and the Raven Fork was running. I shot Ben a text, and he was game. He said he’d meet me at 10 the next morning after his Special Forces test. As usual things went over and it was nearly noon when we left Chattanooga. Two stops later we were pushing making it to the Raven Fork By five in the afternoon.

The Author In Colorado






Ben California Dreaming




The mood was heavy. Ben hadn’t been to the Raven Fork in over a year, and he hadn’t paddled anything of that difficulty since his surgery. We decided to run by the take out first hoping to get a shuttle. Like always when you are pressed for time nobody was there. So we went to the put in and started hiking. It was now six and we had less than two hours to hike in and run one of the hardest sections of whitewater in the southeast. When we reached the river we had an optimal flow and a beautiful afternoon, but we both knew we could afford no mistakes. I remember looking at Ben and saying this had the potential to be one of the best or worst trips of our lives. As I went into the first rapids, I was stopped in a hole. The hole beat me down but I was determined not to swim. After several tense seconds maybe even a minute, I fought my way out and finished the rapid riding switch. Ben decided to walk. Contrary to what one would think the beat down lightened the mood. We were determined to keep a safe trip so we took our time and picked our way down the river. We finally reached the portage section and were above the largest rapid on the river. We had 45 minutes of daylight left 3 big rapids and one portage left. Portaging the first of the three rapid was not going to happen due to time restraints. After watching me run it on my head, I could tell Ben was nervous. I patiently waited in the pool below as I watched him saddle up and take the ride. Two rapids were left. We snuck the next rapid to stay safe and got out to scout the last major rapid. Ben was debating portaging, but after my line he decided to run it. Next thing I knew, he was flying off the last drop and we were both laughing. We quickly made the last portage and enjoyed the paddle out in a perfect spring sunset deep in the Appalachian Mountains. We made it to the take out and jogged the two miles to the truck where we watched the last rays of sunlight fade away.






The Author Boofing Caveman in the Raven Fork Gorge

The Author in Mike Tyson Punchout

Ben Davis in Mike Tyson Punchout


We both knew a simple mistake could result in one of the most epic and miserable nights of our lives, but we knew if it went well we’d be sipping ice cold brews after a perfect day on the river. Of all the trips and days spent on the river this is definitely one of my most memorable. Not for difficulty of the rapids or beauty of the gorge, but for unspoken trust that was shared between two best friends who risked it all for the simplest of rewards .

What do you do with Good Ole' boys like them?

Get your scare on!

All Photos By

Kirk Eddlemon / CC BY-NC-ND 3.0

The Winter and Spring have been wonderful in the south east. Rain has been plentiful and the rivers have been flowing. The harvest of new discoveries have been ripe for the taking this season, yielding some of the best runs I have ever had the pleasure to kayak. The lack of posting these recent months has been a point of conflict do I share these new wonderful places with others or do I horde them all for myself. None of these places are really that hard to find it just takes a little digging and a step away from routine. We all are creatures of habit by nature. So many times runs get hyped and become the “cool place” to go. Crowds then flock to the run detracting from the solitude and beauty of these gorges and sometimes even threaten access. I like the seclusion of being in a remote place either alone or with my closet friends running a river. Long shuttles, flat water, tough portages, hiking in/ out all appeal to me. They provide a buffer keeping the crowds away. I have already seen one gem fall to the wayside of becoming over exposed and crowded, and fear it will soon happen to another. For this reason I keep my knowledge too myself and those closest of paddling friends. But every now and then you find a run that can protect itself. Big Soddy is that run.

Big Soddy Creek is by far the scariest thing I have paddled. It is also the best run on the ridge for a class V+ boater. This run has been on my radar for quite some time. After talking with several of the older and established boaters in the Chattanooga area, I got an overwhelming response of, “ It’s Dangerous and I don’t like. I won’t go back.” I only talked to a few boaters that really LIKED the run. Being I hold them in high esteem, I knew this was going to be a good run.

Seldom do runs live up to the danger hype given to them, Soddy does! When Mark said, ”Think Fist on Russell Fork.” He wasn’t lying, Fist would make some of these rapids look clean. This is not a place to test your limits or to prove yourself. Even the easy rapids have Class V+ consequences. Boat scouting is not advised for this run. This is a run where you take a solid crew and you watch your friends back. Ropes should set precedent over cameras here.

That being said, for all the danger there are rewards. For those boaters looking for complex boulder garden rapids in a pristine gorge, you will be pleasantly surprised. You are likely to see nobody else other than your group. For all the danger and intimidation of the rapids they flow together incredibly well. The highlight of the run is definitely Skywalker. This is a three part rapid, this is definitely the most rewarding and most consequential rapid on the run. There are no big drops on this run , there is only one slide; this is a boulder garden run. Everything is 100% runable, but this doesn’t mean everything has to be run to have a good day.

High water would be a nightmare in there so, when you are at the takeout be wise. There is no gauge there right now so use discretion or go with somebody who has been. They’ll know if it is good to go.

In my opinion this is one of the three the best run in the Chattanooga area (the other two aren’t Bear and Hendy). The gorge is beautiful, the water quality is good, and the rapids are phenomenal. This being from someone who enjoys mank. For a boater who is able to block out the dangers, stick the lines, and isn’t too prideful to walk if things aren’t going great Big Soddy will offer up a rewards. If you don’t like scouting, sieves/ undercuts, and technical whitewater, this probably isn’t the place for you.

I doubt this run will ever become popular, due to the extreme danger . When it comes to Big Soddy it’s not if but when. BE CAREFUL, SCOUT, SET SAFETY!