Team members Brad, Logan and Nate made a trip to the Upper Blackwater a
couple weeks ago.  It was the first trip for Logan and me, Brad lead us
down.  It was running about 280 cfs, which Brad said was about perfect
for a first time run.  After the run, I had wished I started boating it
earlier, before the rise in gas prices.

    I would describe the run as one big boof after another.  The big boofs
seemed to be about six to ten feet high. It is pretty continuous, but
it was like there was a nice big eddy below each drop.  The entrance
rapid had a slide into an eddy, then punch a couple of holes.  The next
big drop was about an eight foot boof with a hole just downstream that
needed to be avoided to the left or right.  I ran the river twice and
had the most trouble with this rapid.  Just didn't run it as smooth as
I wanted.  The other drops I remember were just big boofs with another
big boof after a big boof, then another big boof, followed by a boof,
which was probably nice and big.  There was "Shock to the System",
which had a sticky hole at the bottom that we ran from right to left
with a late boof stroke on the right.  We walked "Sticky Fingers", a
rapid Brad said a death occurred in a sieve on the river left side,
about half way down the drop.  There were a couple slide drops toward
the end of the run.

    This run is now one of my favorites.  Brad described it as a mix of the
Meadow and Manns, which I would say is right on.  When I get the
chance, I will make a trip again.

-Nate