West Prong / Raven Fork

The past few days of boating were epic!!! Great Falls, West Prong, Raven Fork, Brave Wave.... I'm still coming out of shock after running the Raven Fork for the first time. It all started after a perfect storm on Wednesday. Rock island started spilling Wednesday morning so we got to huck the falls and play in the hole at about 7,500 cfs. Great fun but it was only the start to my epic weekend...

Waking up Thursday Clay and I decided to head over to the West Prong to meet up with Horward Tidwell. The West Prong is the Smokies classic steep creekin fun run. Its so continues that the entire river feels like one long rapid that drops off the mountain.


Howard is like a West Prong legend, chances are if you've paddled the Prong then you've paddled with him.



I'm not sure what or if this rapid had a name but much of the run looks simler to this.
















Making our way down to the lower I ran into an open boater that I knew from WI. Its funny how you run into the same people all the time just in different places.















Had a great day on the West Prong with every one there. Spent the night at Horwards in Knoxville which was super cool. Thanks so much Horward for the great hospitality and the place to stay. :) After breakfast Clay and I loaded up and headed for the Raven Fork, THE MOST AMAZING RIVER EVER!!!



RAVEN FORK

Let me start off with saying the Raven Fork is a total adrenalin junkie run. Its a SUPER steep pool drop river with HUGE slides that will leave you screaming for your mommy and wanting more!!! Pictures and video can give you an idea of what this run is like but will do no justice for what its like to drop over the lip and be totally committed to whats down stream.

Depending how far you hike up, Anaconda may be your first rapid. Not much time for a warm up for one of the hardest rapids on the run.















Eddy out fast after Anaconda or you might drop into Headless Horseman without a scout. Bill Clipper starts off with a great boof to get through the first hole before the slide down past the Headless part of the rapid.


Razorback is the next rapid. Really fun slide but don't mess it up, stay far right and avoid EVERYTHING on the left.















Clay, Pat, Drew, Will, and myself all ran Big Boy, a 35 foot water fall about half way down the run. Clay had a perfect line off the falls but anything can happen when running a waterfall, even breaking your paddle. Pat was nice enough to loan his paddle to Clay for the rest of the run so he could work on his class 5+ hand paddling skills.















Caveman is by far the sweetest boof ever. If you miss the most amazing boof on the planet you may end up finding out why this rapid is called Caveman. So stay away from the cave on the right and enjoy the sweet boof.

The Mangler marks the end of the steepest part of the river. Don't worry, the run out is extremely fun just not as steep as everything upstream.

This river and the people that paddled it with me left an imprint on my soul that will never be forgotten. The people that you paddle rivers with become instant friends for life. Knowing that everyone there is willing to risk everything to insure the safety of a fellow paddler builds a bound that is unbreakable. That is what makes life long friends. We couldn't have asked for a better good Friday, clean lines, warm weather, and big smiles all around. A huge thanks to everyone that made this epic week happen. I can't wait to do it again....



Live from TN,
John McConville


I also took lots of video so I'll be putting together a short movie here in the near future...

Suck Creek

I finally got down to Chattanooga to get on whats considered the "creek boating arena" Suck Creek. Forgetting my paddle at home wasn't the best way start off the day but thanks to Taylor Martin I was ably brow his and still get in 6 laps. Paddlers never seas to amaze me with how far they are willing go to help out a fellow paddler in need. Thanks Taylor.



Suck Creek is like 2 miles of pure creek boating fun. This is the main drop in Road Construction



Knucklehead is a drop that doesn't get ran much but is totally do able if you need a bit more excitement.















Welcome to the THUNDER DOME!!! Check out Will Pruett wave wheeling the final drop in a playboat.

















We all had a lot of fun out on the water this weekend. Meet some really cool people and got to see a few good old friends. I can't wait to go back!!!!




Live from TN,
John McConville

Cane Creek TN

Did Cane Creek the other day and shot some amazing video. Had a great day on one of Tennessee's most beautiful rivers I've ever paddled.



Check it out here


Live From TN,
John McConville

Caney Fork TN

Got the TVF team together today for a cold run down the Caney Fork. Our team this year consists of Brad, Goat, Jase, Owen, Tom, and myself. This was the first run we all did together this year for TVF. (Total Vertical Feet)



I've always said it never to cold to paddle unless the water is frozen. I never said anything about frozen gear.



The hike in was beautifully and a nice way to warm up before getting in the water.















Great level today, about 2.2 on the Hwy 70 bridge which would make for a medium to high flow. Here I am running the entrance to Devils Kitchen.















The kitchen has two huge holes stacked right on top of each other making for a very intimidating rapid but totally good to go. All in all great day, it was good to get back on the water with most of the good old TVF team... We miss you D Mark!!

Live from TN,
John McConville

Ecuador 2008

My trip down south to the jungle was the most amazing thing i've ever done in my life. I flew out of DC airport into the capital of Ecuador Quito. Our group of 6 (Julie, Brad & Katie, Bill, Tod, and I) met up in Quito and took a bus from there to Baeza, a small town on the other side of the Andies with great boating. We stayed at Hostal La Casa De Rodrigo, a boaters paradice.















Baeza is right in the middle of the Quijos Valley. Its a small quite town on the edge of the Andies. The frist day we got to run the Cosanga, a fun class 4 creek that dumpes into the Quijos. It rained alot that first day and into the next wich flooded everything for a few days. Day 2 was a HUGE water day on the Quijos with about 20,000cfs of water. That water level redefined boils and whirlpool eddy lines. The next day we ran the Oyacachi and in the following days ran 6 different sections of the Quijos. Baeza was sweet but it was time to move on to Tena.





Day 6 put us on the upper Jondachi just outside of Tena. The Jondachi river is in my top 5 favorit rivers ever run, it has the most amazing secenery i've ever seen. This was one of the portages you had to be like spiderman to get around.
















Day 7 started with a run down the Lower Jondachi which dumps into the Hollin. The first 4 miles are alot like the upper section, class 4 bolder garders through the beautefull romote jungle of Ecuador.


We ran 6 different section of river durning our time in Tena. This cristal clear river was the Misahualli.




After a week in Tena we dicided to take a bus to Banos and try to get on the Rio Topo.
















The Topo is a river that is in danger of being damed up someday. Less than 50 people a year get to see this amazing river. This is a must do if your ever in Ecuador. The topo remindes me alot of a cross between the lower meadows size and Manns creek steep boldergarden nature.









Banos was right next to an ative volcano. The first day in Banos we hicked up a mnt. next to the volcano to check it out. Every few min. the grouud would rumble and smoke would come out the top.





After spending 12 days paddling we went on a 11 hr. bus ride to the beach. Stayed in this crazy town called Montanita, a surfing town with a party problem. Went surfing for the first time and got beat down a few times but had fun in the process.















All in all, it was an amazing trip that will never be forgotten. Words can't explain a trip like this. Its only something that can be experienced, and i'm glad I did.

I've posted more photos on my MySpace page.



Live from TN, John McConville

Rock Island Dec. 21, 2007

First time back to the Rock since I'd left Tennessee in the Spring. Had a great time hanging out with some of the good old boys from the shop. I can't wait to come back to work down here in Feb. after my trip to Equador. I fly out Jan. 2 and fly back on the 29th, so I'm super excited for that to happen. Anyways, enjoy the video....



Check it out here



Live from TN,

John McConvile
Justin Owen

Glade/Manns Creek, WV Friday Dec. 14

Manns Creek is one of the most full on creeks I've ever done. Its steep, continues, and has amazing 5 to 10 foot boofs all the way down till the very end. I had did the first mile once before but had never expected it to get even more intense downstream.


You start your day off at Babcock State Park with a cool slide into a waterfall right next to this old windmill.

Started out the day with Pete, Brad, Eric, Sam, and myself with the level reading 3". Here's Pete Iscaro running Pillagers Plunder.




Looking back upstream from the footbridge at the end of the first mile.



Off ramp wasn't to bad... Just don't get pushed to far right into that shelf and hit your ribs.




Here Sam shows us one way to get under a downed tree on Manns.

Manns creek dumps right into the start of the Lower New on river right. From there we paddled down the New to Keeney's Creek to where we had parked. In the End it was yet again another epic day for me in WV. I'm looking forward to the next...




John McConville

Gauley at 11,500cfs Tuesday Dec. 11

Since i got some steep creekin on Mill the day before it was time get get back in the play boat. The Gauley had spiked 4 times the normal 3,200cfs release level and hit at about 12,000cfs over the night. So Steven, EJ, Dane and I headed out to the Gauley river to get our surf on. What we found was like a playboaters dream.







This is the big rock you usually step down from to get to the rivers edge.




Remember that high energy hole just after Iron Ring? Well today it was about a 12 foot wave.






The only eddy's we could find to wait for a ride were in the trees.

Canyon Doors was full of perfect waves just waiting to be surfed. I will never forget the way that river made me feel. All that power just waiting to explode. Holes that would have no problem eating an in tire house and waves that give you that feeling that brings you back for more.


Live from WV, John McConville