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I've been saying that I would attend one of these for several years. The Army, School or Life just kept getting in the way. I finally caved.
I got on the road Thursday, but later than I wanted. I stopped outside of Boone to fish for a bit and take a break. The recent rains had conditions cloudy and fast.
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I am the cockroach king!
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But cockroaches were not what I wanted.
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Frustrated after 30-some roaches and two pune brookies, I got back on the road.
I rolled into Shady Valley as the sun was setting. Too late to set up a tent, I sat up and drank some beers with Croaker, Phil, Kyle, Peddler, ODG3, and bunch of other dudes who's names are a blur.
I was supposed to live here:
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But really lived here:
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Woke up the next morning and got some breakfast. I wasn't familiar with the waters, but I am not one for hotspotting either. Croaker gave me a few stream names, I broke out the iPad and did some map werk, then I rolled.
He's dead.
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I got in the water.
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tandem cockroaches.
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It was a fairly good first day. Size was iffy, but numbers were high.
I went back to camp and found most everyone was back.
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The giant asshole in the sky opened up at regular intervals, but I didn't see anyone too freaked out about it. Later that night, I was fairly sure a tornado ripped through the valley. It sounded like a herd of locomotives rolling through.
Croaker's low country boil was the anticipated meal.
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Croaker breaking down the secret recipe as ODG3 maintains law and order.
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My contribution to the meal:
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Woolly likes pickled okra.
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Firemen.
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The normal routine of consuming beer and talking shit ensued. I banged up my knee earlier and popped some pain meds which put me down around midnight.
I woke up the next morning and christened the blue canoe.
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Did some map recons, ate breakfast, and rolled again. This time I took the road to Damascus because I had brookies on the brain.
Some of these dudes have been doing this so long, the vultures are following them.
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Damascus was overrun with hippie wannabes for trail days. The ride took longer than I wanted. I reached my first site only to rapidly go from drizzle to downpour to hail. I hung out in a picnic pavillion.
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The Black Dragon got pummeled.
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As the rain and hail subsided, I retained my title as the cockroach king.
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I won't bore you with another half dozen 6" roaches.
I was standing in this water when I heard this horrid sound, like a 747 about to crash into me.
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I looked up and there was this wall of brown water coming at me. I threw my rod up the bank and jumped up as the water ripped by. I took this pic 30 seconds later.
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I decided to find less water and less gradient. I eventually found a few brookies too.
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I fished my way back to Shady Valley. Why'd you quit fishing? "everything was all blown out." Bro, do you even streamer?
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Tennessee Red
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Meanwhile back at camp, Stone-Man laying down the law to illegal parkers...
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Churkin is cooking.
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When bored, drink heavily, and take pics of Keith taking pics.
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The next morning the rain was ridiculous. I rolled east in search of saner flows.
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Back in NC and I found my damn brookies. I caught a few nice ones but took shitty ass pics.
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The king of mayflies.
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Plants
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The one that got away.
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the one that didn't
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Y'all need to be more respectful of landowner's rights and quit tearing down their signs when you tresspass. n!n
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Break down the arsenal, load the ride and say bye.
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Rainy ride home.
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salute
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