Possum Creek, Little, Tennessee, US

Waldens Ridge to Bakewell

Possum creek's Immodium Falls

Possum creek's Immodium Falls
Photo of paul Shoun @ 3-4' takeout

River Description

To get to the put-in, take Retro-Hughes Road up Bakewell Mountain. About 8 miles up, notice a gated road on the left. Bowater owns the land and leases it out. The individual with the lease sublets it out to hunters. Access is a problem right now, as of 2004. Chattanooga creekers have worked around the problem and have their names on the lease and have keys to the gate. Please try and contact one of them before accessing this put-in (Ben Friberg, Ryan Allen, Todd G., Ted Hayes, Bryce Evans, Brent Meadows, or Ron Stewart

If the creek is flowing over the bridge, then hold on tight! However, most of the time it isn't, so don't worry. Enjoy class II bedrock for a good 1/2 mile. The first drop is a 15 foot 45degree angle slide. Soon, another larger slide comes into play. It's about 25 feet high at a 45 degree angle. After this big slide is a rapid on river right where you should proceed with caution. It has a nasty undercut and a troublesome curler to negotiate. I believe this is referred to as "Elvis's Truckstop." Several people have posted below about this one. No one has died at this rapid.

Soon, you get to the all the famous Little Possum rapids. When you see an obvious horizon line, it's probably Immodium Falls. Scout on river left or right, portage on river left. Immodium is somewhere around 25', maybe more, maybe less. Center right is the usual line, running off the flake. Far right is another route where you stay in contact with the bedrock a tad-bit longer. Just don't run far left, lands on a big boulder. After Immodium Falls, two channels exist for 25 yards. Take the river right channel.

After this, enjoy several pretty fast slides and good class IV+ for a little while. A noticable right turn will lead you into a rapid that I don't know the name of. However, I can try to describe it. Most of the water is on river right and it seems to be your everyday 8 foot ledge. Think again! A turtle shaped boulder sits below stretching almost halfway acoss the river. I usually ramp up on the right side of it. There may be other lines, but I would scout this one for sure.

Next up is Double Drop, one the hardest back to back big drops that Walden's Ridge has to offer. The first drop is around 20 feet+ and has a tricky entrance. I've seen two different lines here. One is to stay far left at the top, ride the ledge, then cut back slightly right. The other is to ride the curler that is made by the ledge mentioned above. Both lead you slighty left of center if your lucky. If you happen to be far right, hold on tight, you'll probably hit the bedrock below and might end up with a few cartwheels in the bag. Just downstream is the second drop. Several lines exist at this 20ft V-ledge as well. The most common line is to ride high river left and try to miss the slot completely. However, as of spring 2003, this line is almost out of the question thanks to a tree at the lip of the drop. A tougher line, and a line less traveled, middle and straight into the slot. Scout and portage on river left.

Next up is Holy Cross. This slide is long and bumpy. Enter on river right and work your way to river left or center towards the end of the rapid. The rapid is named after the two hemlock trees that once formed a cross or X in the pool just below the drop. The portage for this one involves launching in 10+ feet from a boulder on river right.

Enjoy a little break for a good 1/2 mile with some class II and III. The last named rapid is Whiteout, another V-slot. This time, go straight down the middle and become one with the whitewater as you disappear for a few seconds, try and keep your nose right here since pitons have occurred recently when angeling right. You may end up with your boat under the left ledge and you may get stuck in the hole but the piton is painful and potentiall dangerous since you are in the slot. At higher levels the hole in Whiteout gets big and nasty!

As mentioned below, close to a half mile below is an un-named rapid where all of the water goes through a slot on river right. This is the only rapid after Whiteout where the river narrows to this degree and is noted by large flat rocks and a slight turn to the left. Many people walk around this rapid out of respect for a kayaker that was lost here in the mid-90s. The rapid is totally different today than it was when the accident occurred. A flood during the last 2 years moved everything and there is no indication of any hazard at this point in time here.

The confluence with Big Possum is just ahead and several miles to the bridge. It's a little creepy down in the valley. The creek has carved out huge clay walls that get close to 25' tall at times. They collapse often. Trees are often a factor here(those standing and those that have fallen)

For your first trip, make sure you have a good 2 and 1/2 hours. People have done multiple runs on Little Possum and often check in under an hour.

The first decent of Little Possum is featured on "Falling Off Walden's Ridge".

For more information please click on the link below:

http://www.waldensridgewhitewater.com/waldensridge/LittlePossum.htm