I sat in my canoe in an eddy at the top of Bull Sluice, a rapid on Section III of the Chattooga River. I was a nervous about running this rapid because all I knew was that it was easily portageable, meaning I could carry my boat around the rapid if I didn’t feel comfortable paddling it.

With this uncertainty fresh in my mind, I got started. I peeled out of the eddy into the first wave train. I eddy-hopped my way down to the top of the big drop. Adrenaline was pumping through my veins like a raging river. I went for it. I gained speed and launched my boat over the edge into the pool below.

The Chattooga River is classified as wild and scenic by the U.S. Forest Service and has been so classified since 1974. You can see the wild and scenic features when you go there. Calling it scenic is an understatement; it’s stunning. It is such a rare and magnificent occurrence to look out on both sides of the river and see nothing but wilderness—no houses, no cars and no trashy RV parks littering the banks.

It’s not just something that you can see, but something you can feel. The river just gives off this aura  I can’t put into words. I think this is largely due to the lack of wahoos covering the river with their inner tubes toting coolers of beer.

There are a few reasons for the bliss of the river other than the absence of drunken rednecks. One reason is that it is illegal to tube below the beginning of Section II. This keeps most of the floaters away. The quarter-mile hike, however, keeps everyone else away. To reach any of the take-outs or put-ins, you must pick up your boat and carry it to or from the river. It’s a fairly grueling hike, perhaps the hardest I have ever done with my boat, but it is worth it.

The water is different than any other river I have ever been on. It is considered by many paddlers to have the best whitewater paddling in the Southeast because of the back-to-back rapids that one encounters as one goes down the river. As paddlers move down river, the rapids become more technical and intense.

Herein lies some of the hidden wonders of the Chattooga. There are three sections to paddle: Section II, III and IV. Each section has rapids with a different degree of difficulty. For example, Section III is made up of a lot of class II and class III rapids with a few class IV rapids thrown in for some variety. This classification system allows you to choose the degree of difficulty that you want to paddle that day.

This river is pure and clean; I would like to keep it that way. If we can keep it clean, everyone can continue to enjoy it, but more importantly, people who have not yet gotten the chance can still have a river to explore. For me, it is a peaceful place I can seek out when I need to forget about my everyday problems and just have a good time. I want everyone to have that chance, so please, if you do decide to go, keep it clean.

Only so much about the river can be put into words. Enough talking about it; go get out there and experience the Chattooga River for yourself.