June 23, 2015 - Shannon Woolfolk Kayaks Big Creek

We went out to check the level of the creek early and it had gone down since last night. We could hear the folks over in Cosby dealing with the mess over there. Spence did not show up this morning for coffee, so we figured he was over there helping out. We heard Richard on the radio saying they were cutting down hazardous trees in the campground. The campground was closed.

We left early to go visit the campground hosts in Cataloochee. I forgot to turn west to pick up the mail in Hartford first. We followed a three-van caravan into Cataloochee Valley and ate dust all the way. There was another car behind us. We parked at the host site and then went straight to the toilet building. The couple in the green car pulled in and went to the toilet building too. I chatted with the man while waiting for Andy. The older couple was from South Carolina. He said they met in the park and hiked together for their first “date”. She somehow twisted her ankle and got a bad sprain. She hiked out on her own anyway. The young man thought a woman that fortitude would make a good wife. They come to the park periodically for a romantic picnic. After all those years.

I left a courtesy note for the Cataloochee hosts and we headed home by way of the Ingles grocery store. We made a quick stop at an overlook before we left the valley. Andy wasn’t enthusiastic, but went with me to the top of a little bump with a viewing deck at the top. Here is walking up.

Andy got up there before I did.

We took a quick look and a picture,

 

and then headed back down.

 

Unfortunately, my estimate of when Ranger Heath and Boss Larry would come to Big Creek was off base and we found a note from them when we got back. I was bummed. I love feeding peach cobbler to them.

We saw kayakers in the creek as we walked around in the afternoon. They saw us on the bridge and waved. I thought they were girls we had seen in the campground a few weeks back. They posed for pictures.

Then they headed on down the creek. First one,

 

Then the other.

 

And, on down Big Creek they went.

On the radio

A girl had fallen on the Deep Creek trail and gashed her head open. The reporting party was able to slow the bleeding with pressure. They decided the best way to get her out was to float her down the creek. They called a maintenance person to unlock a gate so the ambulance could get through.

A 250-pound 24-year-old man was down off a trail somewhere along the Abram’s Creek trail screaming for help. The passerby/reporting party, a firefighter, said he was yelling loudly, but not saying anything except “help”. He said they would definitely need ropes to get him out. This could have been a woman; it was at first. Then someone described the person as shirtless and wearing running shorts. That sounds more like a man, so I changed my pronouns. Later in the evening, we heard that the patient was ambulating out.

A disabled 12-year old girl was having trouble on the trail. The ranger said she has spinal bifida and probably just needs some water and coaching to help her out.

Ranger Heath reported a multi-vehicle accident on Rt. 321 between Cosby and Gatlinburg with two injuries and a lot of debris on the road at 1621.