only search W.R.W.W.                                                                                                    Alabama First Descents Information courtesy of:                                                                                                    Click on the logo to find out more beta on this world class site                                              Dry Coon Creek    Matt Wallace and Chris McCoy went in there and nailed the lines on 28 March 2011               Paddler Matt Wallace Photo by Chris McCoy     Miller Creek  First Descent (approx date: Spring 1995): Jim Little oc-1, Brian Collins, Justin Howard, Mike Camp, and Mark Cumnock  Bo Eakens may have been the first to run the slide at the put-in.  Long Island Creek (into Miller Creek) First Descent:  Brian "Cock-O" Collins and Mark Cumnock  Exploratory to see what bottom of Miller Creek was like before tackling Miller Creek head-on.   Wolf Creek Mike Camp and Milt Aitken Winter 1994 Hicks Creek  First Descent - 2003  Milt Aitken, Rob Maxwell, Hank Sherrod  trib. of Little Bear Creek of Little River Canyon    Keller Creek 01-01-2011 Mark Kulpinski C-1 Alec Smolow  K-1 Jeff Dean K-1 Brian McAnally K-1 Mike Smith K-1 Fred Westrom K-1 Mark D'Agostino C-1 Location: Turkey Creek AL/TN Border -Walls of Jericho  Mark D and group from Alabama Whitewater  (big pothole falls is still unrun)                                                            Zach Nichols on Jones Creek                                                                                       Photo by Luke Scott         Desoto Falls  First Descent: February 7, 2008  Chris Gragtmans  1st Chris Gragtmans  2nd Pat Keller  3rd Drew Duvall  4th John Grace  5th Pat Keller  6th Evan Garcia  7th Nick Murphy Upper LRC (below falls to chairlift) - From Bo Eakens Actually David Wilkins and myself ran the upper section LRC in NOV/DEC 1978. I also broke my boat at Pinball with David. John and I hooked up with Alf later on in Feb 1979.  From Alf Van Hoose When Don Sessions and I scouted this run in the mid-seventies we heard that some boaters from Georgia that included Mike Terry (Claude Terry's son) ran it before us. The first Alabama boater to run it was Don at 8 inches (he painted the gauge) in the Spring 1977. A solo run (!) portaging Avalanche, Cable Falls, Pinball, and Humpty-Dumpty.  Bo Eakins paddled a Slipper. Also Greg Kilburn who sometimes paddled with us. I met Bo and John Regan in late winter 1979. Bo and John were the first to run Cable Falls earlier that year. On that trip Bo destroyed a boat attempting the first run of Pinball then bought a Slipper.  Bo was not picky about what boat he paddled. Would anyone else run the Town creek slide (and the blockage rapid we called Sleeping Giant) at low flood in a Slipper? How about the Ocoee at 16,000 cfs March 1979 -> Bo Eakins (Slipper), Dave Bromel (Riverchaser), and Mark H. (Riverchaser)? LRC Falls  Left Line: (approx.1991)  Bo Eakins(1st), Terry Smith and Ron Stewart (Followed by Doug Wellman the next day)  Center Line 1993/94  Clay Wright or Corran Addison (close timing) (Bo Eakins ran shortly after)  Right line  1st Descent: Corran Addison  2nd Descent: Rich Weiss (ran in a glass slalom boat)    Noccalula Falls: 11-28-2011 1st Pat Keller 2nd Isaac Levinson 3rd Chris Gratmans                                                                                                                  Phil Foti on Little River Canyon                                                                       Photo by Mark Cumnock       One of first attempts at Little River Canyon Falls               Video furnished by WaldensRidgeWhiteWater.com                 South Sauty Creek - Don Sessions and Alf Van Hoose the in Winter of 1976 - 1977.  Short Creek  Mark Evans and Alf Van Hoose in the Spring of 1977. Mark Evans was the first (and only) one in our group to run the falls on a later trip.    Bryant / Jones Creek* - First Descent - Date - Hollowform days  Alf Van Hoose  and Charlie McNutt  in the Spring of 1980. The asterisk is there because I portaged at least 1/4 mile of the steep section.  Jones Falls First Descent - Spring of 1991  Bo Eakens  Flatrock /Coon Creek -  Mark Evans and Alf Van Hoose in the Winter of 1980-1981.  Second Descent Winter 90/91  Doug Wellman, Terry Smith, Tom Toehill and Dan Gray missed the takeout, paddled an extra 2 miles in the dark and asked a power boat for directions. Doug and Terry finished all the big rapids before dark ahead of Tom and Dan, they had to portage all the major drops because it was dark. 25 degrees                                                                                                      Gregg on Coon Creek                                                                                                               Photo by Luke Scott Bear Creek into LRC - Steve Cusimano, Charlie McNutt, and Alf Van Hoose in Spring 1979.  1982-Terry Smith, Andy Turner, Marc Sellars, Danny Smith  Blackoak Creek -  A group that included Allen Jones in the early 1980s.  Chinquapin Creek  Brad Hinds: "I am pretty sure we did the first descent of Chinquapin Creek about six years ago 1995" From Mark Travis Brad Hinds, Dave Brymer, Pierce Harp and Mark Travis ran Chinquapin Creek back in the mid 90's.... I think it was 95' We do not know of any runs down it prior to our run Gulf Creek  This creek was first run several years ago by Lenny Rubin, Richard Vest, and Matt Vest.1994 Austin Creek  Dalton Creech and Greg Lawrence 2006 Big Skirum From Alf Van Hoose Jimbo Scrivens and Tom Schinkert (spelling?) and perhaps someone else sometime in 1976.  From Jason Jackson: I don't remember who it was, but I know there were people who ran Skirum at least 10 to 12 yrs ago. When I was in School at Auburn in there were some guys I paddled with who had run it. Greg at Southern Trails might remember names.                                                                                             Zach Nichols on Jones Creek                                                                                                                                               Photo by Luke Scott The lists of lists from Mark D’Agostino of www.alabamawhitewater.com It’s possible none of these runs are true first descents. People may have run them and then just not publicized it. One of my favorite stories concerns the first time I thought I was involved in one on Hog Creek. After we ran it, I went back a few weeks later looking for a better takeout. I talked to a lady that said “oh yeah, my husband ran that in a Grumman canoe back in the 70’s”. So perhaps may of these are just “first documented descents”. The other thing I noticed is holy crap, late 2000 into early 2002 was an amazing time for me. I was running new stuff (to me anyway) all the time. It must have been raining! What happened after that? I may have gotten tired of scouting and cutting things out, and I sort of thought most of the OK stuff had been done by then. I also think right after that the Birmingham crowd I was paddling with got quite a bit better than I and headed off to the Green. And then by 2005 I blew out my shoulder, we hit the drought, and I fell into the Johnnies habit. I apologize if I left a name or two off of this. Probably first descents - Perkins Creek, 11/2000, Mark D’Agostino, Gary Holder, Dave Branham - East Fork Flint Creek, 11/25/2000, Mark D’Agostino, Dave Branham, Dave Curry, Gary Holder, (I can’t recall his name, kayaker) - Mill in Vinemont, 1/30/2001 Mark D’Agostino, Dave Branham, (I can’t recall his name) - Bridge Creek, 2/17/2001, Mark D’Agostino, Dave Branham, Richard Brown, ? - Chitwood Creek, 3/1/2001, Mark D’Agostino, Wade Amis, Dave Curry - Blue Springs Creek, 3/1/2001, Mark D’Agostino, Wade Amis, Dave Curry - Lick Creek, 3/20/2001, Mark D’Agostino, Gary Holder, Kevin Cunningham - Two Mile Creek, 3/20/2001, Mark D’Agostino, Gary Holder, Kevin Cunningham - Railroad Fork of East Fork Flint Creek, 12/13/2001, Mark D’Agostino, Dave Branham, Greg Lawrence, Brian McAnally, Shane Hulsey, Curt Ruffing? - Honeycomb Creek, 3/30/2002, Mark D’Agostino, Dave Branham, Shane Hulsey, Greg Lawrence, Bert Harris - Rice Creek, 2/22/2003, Mark D’Agostino, Greg Lawrence, Brian McAnally, Shane Hulsey, Wade Amis - Upper Hillabee Creek, 3/2005, Mark D’Agostino, Brian McAnally, Chris Sherrod? - Collier Creek, 6/12/05, Mark D’Agostino, Brian McAnally, Dave Curry, Chris Sherrod? - Mill into the Sipsey, 2/5/10, Mark D’Agostino, Phil Foti, Alf Van Hoose, Steve Cusimano - Barbaree Creek, 3/11/10, Mark D’Agostino, Brian McAnally, Daniel Crow - Martin Hollow, 3/25/2010, Mark D’Agostino, Tim Hudson, Tyler Phillips Possible first descents - Hog Creek, 4/1996, Mark D’Agostino, John Parker, Mike Abernathy (1st documented?) - Line Creek 6/5/2001 Mark D’Agostino, Dave Curry (but I know it was at least rafted before our run) - Yellow Creek 2/8/02, Mark D’Agostino, Shane Hulsey, Eric Morris, Curt Ruffing (surely someone ran this before us) - Upper Turkey Creek (Walls of Jericho), 9/17/2004, Mark D’Agostino, Wade Amis, Brian McAnally, Curt Ruffing (I know at least the part from the amphitheatre down was run by others) - Falls Branch into Inland Lake, 1/6/09, Mark D’Agostino, Mike Smith, Brian McAnally, Tim Hudson, Bobby Hubbard (I know at least the falls had been run before)   Unknowns we still need intel on. Blackburn Blackwater Cheaha Graves Johnnies Kelly Socapatoy                                                                  Matthew Wallace on Chinquipin Creek                                                                           Photo by Adam Goshorn