Suck Creek, Tennessee, US |
|
| Usual Difficulty | IV-V+ (for normal flows) |
|---|---|
| Length | 2 Miles |
| Avg. Gradient | 250 fpm |
| Max Gradient | 295 fpm |
This run was pioneered by Ron Stewart.
Suck gets run fairly frequently by those who possess the appropriate skills. It's not a run to be
taken lightly. A boater pinned and died here in Feb. 1987.
"http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Accident/detail/id/41/">See this account
in the Accident Database for more info.
The river bed changes more often than Madonna changes her image.
Sieves, Concrete, Road Blast, Metal Debris and Logs are common hazards on this run.
Please Scout and proceed cautiously after every big rain.
See description of South Suck for information about the steeper upper section first pioneered by
Clay Wright.
This run is pool/ drop yet it has a continuous feel to it.
For further information visit: www.waldensridgewhitewater.com
Visual, takes a good thunderstorm to get it going in the summer. A 1/2" to 2" rain in the winter depending on existing base flow. Suck runs often a day or two after most everything else in the area has dropped out.
Minimum Recommended Flow on the gauge is 3.6'
Maximum is likely around 6.5'
4' is the minimum recommended level for the section below Knucklehead.
If you can scrape down the rapids you can paddle the run but the pin potential increases. Before the gauge was installed the typical way to check the level is to proceed to the next pull out above the rapid known as knuckle head. If there is enough water to paddle over the slab without landing on rocks the section is runnable.
A gauge is located just above Knuckle Head. Head down the trail to the top of knuckle head, make your way around a large boulder and the gauge is on the back of a boulder on river right.
| When | River/Gauge | Subject | Level | Reporter |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suck Creek [TN] |
Above the Second Drop at Slow-N-Low
|
3.5 | Michael Edmiston | |
| Suck Creek [TN] |
Road Construction
|
med-low | Jay Seiler | |
| Suck Creek [TN] |
Brent Meadows - Road Construction
|
med | Ryan Eichhorn | |
| Suck Creek [TN] |
Road Construction
|
low | Steepcreeks.com | |
| Suck CreekSuck Confluence to Bridge [ ] |
Slow & Low 3
|
n/a | Kirk Eddlemon | |
| 4y331d16h00m | Suck Creek [TN] |
Shitty Shitty Bang Bang
|
Empty | taft sibley |
| 5y302d16h00m | Suck Creek [TN] |
Railgrab At Slow N Low
|
Med? | Christopher Brigman |
| 7y241d16h00m | Suck Creek [TN] |
Dodson - Pinnacle
|
low | Ryan Eichhorn |
| Mile | Rapid Name | Class | Features (Legend) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.2 | Shitty Shitty Bang Bang | IV+ |  |
| 0.3 | Optimus Prime | 5.0 | |
| 0.4 | Road Construction | 5.0 | |
| 0.5 | Razor's Edge | IV+ | |
| 0.6 | Slow and Low | 5.0 | |
| 0.8 | Pinnacle | 5.0 |  |
| 0.9 | Velcro Zipper | IV+ | |
| 1.0 | Sheit Bird Alley | 5.0 | |
| 1.0 | Stan's Rapid | IV | |
| 1.1 | Knuckle Head | 5.1 | |
| 1.2 | Beyond Thunderdome | 5.1 | |
| 1.5 | Hamburger (AKA Lane Brain) | 5.0 | |
| 1.9 | Cooler Rapid | IV+ |
Shitty Shitty Bang Bang
Brent Meadows - Road Construction
Railgrab At Slow N Low
Pinnacle
Stan's Rapid
Knucklehead reach
state
reachlink
Suck Confluence to Bridge, Suck Creek Tennessee, US (mobile)
User Comments
Left line clear but go left side of the hump if you run the normal right approach. 12/09/11 From
jeremy P 8/12/08: Just a heads up from team jib, the pin rock in the entrance to road construction
has moved to the right about 3 feet, in doing this it seems to have opened the main line back up.
Do scout this line if you choose to run it. be safe, good lines Edit
the creek as parking is now very limited, take caution when utilizing and pulling into and out of
the small pull offs. Edit
been making runs down to the bridge. This was made possible by moving a rock away from the landing
zone in Knucklehead and removing wood from the rapid after it, named Beyond Thunder Dome.
Knucklehead and Beyond Thunder Dome are the largest two rapids of the lower section. There is one
other rapid in the lower section that has proved to be tricky. That has been referred to as Lane
Brain (aka Hamburger) It consists of a few ledges with the last ledge being just in front of a
large boulder. Those going right of the boulder have had a higher success rate of a clean run than
those going left. On down from this near the takeout is a nice section of ledges. If you are
running Suck Creek low it is recommended that you use the Knucklehead takeout as the lower section
starts to get boney at levels around the lower end of 4' on Tony's new gauge. Please be mindful
when parking at the bridge. Please do not block the road or visibility of those utilizing the road.
Try and leave as few cars at the bridge as possible because parking is limited.
S. Suck is a roadside 1/4 mile sequence of drops I pioneered - now getting popular.<br>
Suck was pioneered long ago, Ron Steward knows more (death), Frequently changing riverbed makes
this 4/5 road-side gem have class 6 characteristics (SCOUT every run).<br>