Sign up Now for
Fall Swift Water Rescue course

Start: Sat, August 15, 2020 8:00 AM
End: Sun, August 16, 2020 5:00 PM
Location: Middle Ocoee River
Registration: https://tvccpaddler.com/events-2/
Student – $50.00
Volunteers please pre-register for course.
An ACA Swift Water Rescue course taught on the Ocoee River by Team Safety, the Club’s Current and Qualified SWR instructor team. Students must be comfortable paddling Class III whitewater. The course size is limited to 15 students.

Required equipment to participate in the course:
-Normal paddling gear (boat, paddle, helmet, etc.)
-Closed toe shoes
-Rescue PFD
-Rescue tether
-Three locking, screw-gate carabiners
-A throw rope (50 foot length and 1/4 inch minimum)
-One 20 foot section of 1 inch tubular nylon webbing—Two 6 foot sections of prussic cord (5 or 6 mm)
You must Bring the following items to participate in this training.
Face Covering (Facemask or Neck Gaiter)
Resealable watertight bag (Ziploc bag, etc) for storing your Face Covering.
Hand sanitizer or biodegradable soap
Garbage bag large enough to contain your PFD, Helmet, Sprayskirt, and wet clothes for shuttling back from the takeout.
These are not optional items. Due to COVID-19, these items are required for your personal protection and our paddling family. The following Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is required for this training trip: This is for everyone protection
Notes for participants:
Maintain social distancing of at least 6’ whenever possible
Face Coverings will be worn for any land-based activity
Face Coverings will be worn while shuttling
Face Coverings will not be worn on the water to prevent creating an additional hazard
Wash your hands as often as possible during training trips– try to use a biodegradable soap (camp soap is a good option)
The club will be setting up hand washing stations for your use at the training site
Smartwaiver: Must be completed prior to course
Covid19 waiver: https://waiver.smartwaiver.com/e/yPFgvfQQfmQYqGdaw65a64/
TVCC waiver: https://waiver.smartwaiver.com/e/MHyj4KpbDpnPcSALLdNsPh/
ACA waiver: https://waiver.smartwaiver.com/w/5e29c3ceb21d8/web/
The Smartwaivers are good for one year.
ACA membership is required for participation in this course.
https://www.americancanoe.org/general/register_member_type.asp
You must be a TVCC member to participate.
https://tvccpaddler.com/join-tvcc/
There is a $50 deposit that will be refunded after participation.
Contact Rob Theurer (423)-253-6012 hm, (423)-404-0347 cell
*Drug and alcohol use will not be permitted before or during on-water activities.
This year’s course will be based at Adventures Unlimited. We will be training on the Ocoee River, but not paddling the middle Ocoee. Saturday will be ½ day on the water and ½ day Training at camp. Sunday will be a full day on the water. The course begins at 8:00 am EDT at the public put in for the Middle Ocoee. This IS NOT river time be there and ready to go by 8!
****Preregistration is required no walk on will be allowed. ***

Flatwater Paddle

W. Chickamauga: Dietz Rd to Camp Jordan 2
When: Sat, August 08, 2020 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Location: Dietz Rd ramp in Fort O.
We will meet at the Dietz Rd Ramp and paddle about 7.0 miles to the Camp Jordan 2 ramp. TVCC has never paddled the last 2 miles of this trip so come be one of the first to make this run!
If interested, you must contact the trip lead by Thurs Aug 6th at 4 pm. Look for message with details that night.
Trip Lead: BG Smith 703-398-7836 or cm5@tvccpaddler.com
You must sign both waivers!
1) TVCC Annual Waiver Link for Participants to Sign: https://waiver.smartwaiver.com/e/MHyj4KpbDpnPcSALLdNsPh/
2) TVCC Communicable Disease Waiver Link for Participants to Sign: https://waiver.smartwaiver.com/e/yPFgvfQQfmQYqGdaw65a64/
I need to know you are coming! So, let me know! Planning shuttles will be a little
harder.
I will ask you a couple questions at the river:
Are you feeling OK?
Have you had a fever or any typical flu-like symptoms in last 48-hours?
Have you been in contact with or have you been caring for anyone in last 14
days with known COVID-19 diagnosis or anyone with flu-like symptoms?
Do not come to the river if you are in doubt.
Bring a mask and plan to use it when we run shuttle. You will need to carry the mask in your boat, in a dry bag or other waterproof container. NO MASK – NO PADDLE! This is a hard stop. You will wear a mask during all shuttles. No quibbling and no buts …
When we run shuttles, we will put no more than 4 people in a vehicle and space them in the corner seats. Did I mention you will wear a mask in the
vehicle! Bring a mask – wear it! We will drive with A/C on, no recirculation
modes engaged, and the windows on the vehicle down! If you do not want to be
in a vehicle with others I understand and need to know that up front so the shuttle plan can be properly arranged. We want you to paddle. We want you to feel safe. We will figure out the shuttle to make it work. It may take extra vehicles.
As much as possible, handle your own gear. Carrying boats is OK, by the
bow/stern grab handles. Limit handling other people’s gear unless from same family group.
If we have big groups to launch and head down river, we will break up into
smaller groups of about 10 people and launch in those smaller groups. I will
assign a lead and sweep to each of these groups.
On the river we will stay spaced by about 6+ feet. This is pretty much what
happens anyway, just we will actually be cognizant now!
No sharing of food, drinks, snacks on the river! Bring your own!
Bring hand sanitizer and any other sanitizers you are comfortable with. I will have a big bottle of hand sanitizer and a spray bottle of disinfectant to wipe down vehicles as needed.

Conasauga River Flatwater Paddle

Beaverdale to Norton Bridge
When: Sat, August 15, 2020. 10:00 AM
Location: Dalton, GA
We will meet at the Beaverdale Superette on GA Hwy 2 and run shuttle. Take out is the Norton Bridge Rd ramp. This is an 8+ mile paddle on Class I with some current and obstacles.
If interested, email/text me by Thurs, Aug 13 at 4 PM. Look for updates that evening.
BG Smith bgsmith11@gmail.com or 703-398-7836
Safe Paddling Procedures
By Flatwater Cruisemaster BG Smith:
You must sign both waivers!
1) TVCC Annual Waiver Link for Participants to Sign: https://waiver.smartwaiver.com/e/MHyj4KpbDpnPcSALLdNsPh/
2) TVCC Communicable Disease Waiver Link for Participants to Sign: https://waiver.smartwaiver.com/e/yPFgvfQQfmQYqGdaw65a64/
I need to know you are coming! So, let me know! Planning shuttles will be a little harder.
I will ask you a couple questions at the river: Are you feeling OK?
Have you had a fever or any typical flu-like symptoms in last 48-hours?
Have you been in contact with or have you been caring for anyone in last 14
days with known COVID-19 diagnosis or anyone with flu-like symptoms?
Do not come to the river if you are in doubt.
Bring a mask and plan to use it when we run shuttle. You will need to carry the
mask in your boat, in a dry bag or other waterproof container. NO MASK – NO
PADDLE! This is a hard stop. You will wear a mask during all shuttles. No
quibbling and no buts …
When we run shuttles, we will put no more than 4 people in a vehicle and space
them in the corner seats. Did I mention you will wear a mask in the
vehicle! Bring a mask – wear it! We will drive with A/C on, no recirculation
modes engaged, and the windows on the vehicle down! If you do not want to be
in a vehicle with others I understand and need to know that up front so the shuttle
plan can be properly arranged. We want you to paddle. We want you to feel
safe. We will figure out the shuttle to make it work. It may take extra vehicles.
As much as possible, handle your own gear. Carrying boats is OK, by the
bow/stern grab handles. Limit handling other people’s gear unless from same
family group.
If we have big groups to launch and head down river, we will break up into
smaller groups of about 10 people and launch in those smaller groups. I will
assign a lead and sweep to each of these groups.
On the river we will stay spaced by about 6+ feet. This is pretty much what
happens anyway, just we will actually be cognizant now!
No sharing of food, drinks, snacks on the river! Bring your own!
Bring hand sanitizer and any other sanitizers you are comfortable with. I will
have a big bottle of hand sanitizer and a spray bottle of disinfectant to wipe down
vehicles as needed.

Nickajack Bat Cave Trip

Shellmound Park
When: Sat, August 22, 2020, 6:45 PM
Location: Nickajack Lake, TN.
We’ll meet at 6:45 pm EST at Shellmound and then put on to watch the bats emerge from the cave at sunset. 3 mile round trip paddle. Need to be unloaded and ready to put on by 7:30 PM. We will adjust based on climate conditions that night so best to be a little early. Please note: these times are all Eastern Daylight Time even though the lake and bat cave are in Central Time zone.
Special requirements: Bring a light to put on your boat that provides 360 degree coverage.
If interested email/text me by 4 pm on Thursday August 20th and check your email that night for details. BG Smith at bgsmith11@gmail.com or 703-398-7836
See article above for safe paddling requirements.
What’s special about this paddle:
Nickajack Cave, partially flooded by its namesake lake, is considered to be biologically one of the most important caves in Tennessee. This is primarily because of the thousands of gray bats that inhabit it from late April through early October. The gray bat, a medium-sized short-eared species, is one of over a dozen in Tennessee and is listed as federally endangered.
During the time of year they roost in Nickajack Cave, which is also when they give birth to their young, they emerge each evening around sundown from the mouth of the cave to search for food in a continuous stream estimated to contain over 100,000 bats and lasting about 45 minutes. It is estimated they consume 274,000 pounds of insects a year. Although they prefer mayflies and stoneflies, they also eat mosquitoes, caddis flies, beetles, moths and other aquatic insects. In the fall, the bats move to cooler caves for hibernation.
Over the last decade, a fungus that causes white-nose syndrome in bats has spread from New York over much of the U.S. and Canada, posing a serious threat to bat populations and resulting in the closure of many public caves. But there’s good news. Recently, scientists and conservationists have successfully treated bats for white-nose syndrome and released them back into the wild. Click here to learn more.
Cliff swallows also inhabit the cave, co-existing with the bats and building mud nests on the ceiling.

Great American Outdoors
Act Passed in Senate

Last month, the U.S. Senate passed the Great American Outdoors Act. The legislation, which passed 73 to 25, signals strong bipartisan support to ensure our parks and public lands receive the maintenance and protections needed for years to come. The bill next heads to the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration.
The bill makes permanent the $900 million per year already reserved for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, and establishes the National Parks and Public Lands Legacy Fund, directing up to $9.5 billion over five years to address priority repairs in national parks and other public lands.
“By combining two longstanding public lands measures, the Great American Outdoors Act manages to promote better outdoor experiences today while ensuring that future generations will have the same special places to enjoy tomorrow,” said Federal Legislative Director Anders Reynolds. “Permanent funding for the popular Land and Water Conservation Fund is the perfect complement to the effort to address the $20 billion maintenance backlog in our National Parks – often called America’s best idea. SELC applauds the Senate’s passage of this important legislation, and encourages the House of Representatives to act on it and other deserving public lands priorities soon.”
The Great American Outdoors Act extends important funding to the Southern Appalachian Mountains, a premiere destination for escape, exploration, and adventure for outdoor enthusiasts nationwide. Spanning millions of acres from Virginia to Alabama, the national forests and parks that blanket our Southern Appalachian Mountains are the largest continual track of public lands east of the Mississippi River. With more than half of the U.S. population living within an eight-hour drive of Southern Appalachia, this area’s iconic trails and peaks offer abundant opportunities for hiking, camping, fishing, sightseeing and other outdoors activities.
Make Plans NOW for the
Elk River overnighter
Start: Sat, September 19, 2020, 9:00 AM
End: Sun, September 20, 2020, 5:00 PM
Location: Elk River
Beautiful clear dam fed river with a clean grass cut large campsite.
Contact UweZitzow@comcast.net to be put on the trip’s info email list.

Trip Report

S. Chickamauga from Graysville to
Camp Jordan July 25, 2020
Trip Report by BG Smith
Another beautiful day and another great creek! 24 paddlers met at the Graysville Dam ramp for the 6.5 mile trip down to Camp Jordan.
The trip was full of surprises including a small herd of cattle cooling off in the left channel near the Council Fire golf Course, 2 women riding their horses across the creek, a eagle sighting, lots of osprey, and a young woman relaxing in a hammock strung over the creek by Audubon Acres — that was definitely a first! And we did see the one small turtle that was getting some sun! Proves you never know what you will see on the river on any given day!
After stopping for lunch along the Audubon Acres section, we continued down river and finished up in about 3 hours. Just a great day on the creek. My special thanks to everyone for helping get our group up and over the island portage and the up the Camp Jordan ramp. It takes teamwork to make that go as smoothly as it did. The reward was a great trip. My thanks also to Anna, Susan, Scott Painter, AB Maynard, Steve Perdue and others who ran shuttles. We cannot do these trips without some assistant and generosity from you all.
Next Trip is Aug 8th / 10 AM on the W. Chickamauga Creek. We will put in at Dietz Rd and paddle down to the same takeout at Camp Jordan. It is 7 miles and about 3 hours with some Class I water. If interested in this trip, please contact me by email or text no later than Thurs Aug 6th at 4 PM.
SYOTR!
Please check https://tvccpaddler.com/events-2/ for other changes to the future schedule!
New Waivers for paddling during COVID 19 Pandemic
A lot of TVCC members signed new waivers a couple of months ago, however, due to COVID 19, we are required to have new waivers on file for all participants in TVCC trips. Please sign your new waivers before you paddle!!!
Waiver Access Information (both waivers need to be signed):
1) TVCC Annual Waiver Link for Participants to Sign: https://waiver.smartwaiver.com/e/MHyj4KpbDpnPcSALLdNsPh/
2) TVCC Communicable Disease Waiver Link for Participants to Sign: https://waiver.smartwaiver.com/e/yPFgvfQQfmQYqGdaw65a64/