Trip Week

Everyone needs to meet at my house at 9:00 am on Saturday.  Even though I won't be there, that's where the trailer will be and you can follow it to Geo. Dickel's.  

Rob is picking Pete F. Feldman up at the airport Friday.  Ian is arriving by Greyhound at 9:15 pm Friday night and is looking for trouble if anyone wants to volunteer.  I'll outfit Ian with tent, sleeping bag and pad and Rob will do the same for Pete and Pete's feet.

Do not forget the new policy that you must bring your own cup(s), plate and silverware.  And do not forget the ban on disposable water bottles.   Alcohol has been BYOB ever since the Beverage Manager threw in his bar towel.  Except for the traditional Bloodys and Screwdrivers which will be Sunday morning this time.  

We have a total of twelve men going on this trip.  Ten of you will ride down together.   I will be meeting you at the Dickel distillery about 11:30 on Saturday and Jack will be meeting us at the put-in as soon as he can, at least before 2:00.  Directions to the distillery are here:  http://www.dickel.com/ .   Click on Tours then Maps and Directions.  Directions to the put-in at Cortner Mill are here:  http://www.parishpatch.com/map.html.  

Everyone has a place in a boat which I've got as follows, but feel free to modify the seating arrangements.


Skip's Bell: Skip and Ian
Skip's Dagger: Rob
Skip's Grumman: Tim and Phil
Cronin's Old Town: Vernon
Josh's Mad River: Josh and Pete
Delta Dawn: Myers
Mullowney's canoe: Mullowney
Skip's Old Town: David
Skip's Folbot: Jack

We can switch around once we're on the river, too. Josh may be able to trade Pete for a pack of cigarettes, or Phil may want to move if he needs a little peace and quiet.

Tim is parachuting out at Three Forks Bridge Sunday afternoon, which is about half a mile upstream from Garrison Fork (where we expect to camp Sunday night).   Feel free to apply as much peer pressure or duct tape as you want to get him to stay.

Josh is going to make the early run home on Monday morning to make sure Ian gets to the airport for an 11:40 am flight.   There's a good chance that they will just paddle back upstream to Three Forks Bridge instead of the four miles to the take-out.  That's assuming Josh's boat is seaworthy after he kerfed his gunwales delivering it to the trailer.   He bolted a paddle shaft on as a makeshift thwart right there in the driveway Saturday night, which should be good enough for Middle Tennessee paddling.

This section of the Duck is narrow and pretty, with lots of riffles and rock walls.   The warm weather this week means the leaves should be about halfway out and there will be good shows from the redbuds and dogwoods.  The picture below is from the same section.  It's not our campsite, but similar, and taken about the same time of year:

Don't be late Saturday morning.  We promised the Cortner Mill people we would be off their property by 2:00.  I am going to take advantage of the trailer being hooked up to someone else's truck and find out what you guys do while the shuttle is being run.  It's a good thing Stuart won't be there.