Mill Creek cleanup and river trip - 4/30/05

So it rained A LOT and the plateau was cranking, but we had committed ourselves to the Mill Creek cleanup. Of course, we planned to run a section of the creek once the cleanup was done. Mill Creek is one of Nashville's hints of whitewater. When we arrived at the park to help with the cleanup, it was cranking, too. Most of the garbage we were hoping to clean up was underwater and the current was too fast to have garbage barges (canoes) working the banks, so the cleanup didn't take long at all.

After lunch, Lucas and I, Jody and Blaine, and Jim and Amy hit the water in tandem canoes. The creek was much more scenic than we expected. Except for the constant din from the nearby traffic, and of course, the trash along the river, the scenery and especially the birds were impressive. Kingfishers and Great Blue Herons are the ones I remember. There were a few other pretty birds that I couldn't identify.

When we reached the gorge section (the name Lucas chose for the whitewater section), we caught an eddy on river right to admire a waterfall on the rock bluff. We noticed that our waterfall was created by a pipe discharging water at the top of the bluff. Not quite wilderness. Still, the rapids were fun. There were definitely waves and ledges pushing class II. Near the end, we paddled up a small tributary creek that had some whitewater of its own -- a small ledge maybe 18" tall. We would need more water to run that creek.

Between the trash, the noise and the pipe waterfall, Mill Creek was a bit too urban for me, especially when I had to shout to be heard over the traffic. I'd run it again, especially when the next cleanup rolls around. Until then, however, there are other rivers higher on the list.