I will be down in Polk/Bradley county this weekend for a Swiftwater Rescue Class. I will be camping at Thunderrock and visiting the range there at least one day if not more. Anyone else going to be in that area and want to get together.

SNS

thunderhead, huh?- take your earplugs.

sounds like a fun weekend.  enjoy it.

Found a place to live yet?  Hope all is well.

Yep, just down the road. I finaly got a place to stay, now all I need is furniture.

I go to Benton all the time, where the hell is "Thunderhead"?

Man I would love to join you but I am playing nurse to a healing wife. I lived in Bradley co. for 8 years off of S. Lee Hwy. I love it there and the Ocoee river is the best.

BTW: Stay the hell out of Ootawah co. and any backroads at night. Just friendly advice.

Quoted: I go to Benton all the time, where the hell is "Thunderhead"?

Head toward Ducktown I forget the Hgwy # but its the main one that runs through Clevland and crosses 411. Its actually right befor you get to the Olympic whitewater site. You have to take a bridge across the Ocoee. The range is close to the ranger station and not far from Bentons SS

Quoted: Man I would love to join you but I am playing nurse to a healing wife. I lived in Bradley co. for 8 years off of S. Lee Hwy. I love it there and the Ocoee river is the best. BTW: Stay the hell out of Ootawah co. and any backroads at night. Just friendly advice.

I will be there with th State Rescue Team 1/2 of wich are LE and always bring there MP5s and what not.

Tesnevo and I saw that very range several years ago on a day long road trip.We need to do that again sometime soon Tesnevo.

Quoted: Head toward Ducktown I forget the Hgwy # but its the main one that runs through Clevland and crosses 411. Its actually right befor you get to the Olympic whitewater site. You have to take a bridge across the Ocoee. The range is close to the ranger station and not far from Bentons SS

Hwy 64 runs thru Cleveland & runs beside the Ocoee. Benton Shooters Supply is way the hell across town off of Hwy 411. I'm missing something in your description here, it seems?    

BTW, there's two ranges off of Hwy 64 by Parksville Lake. One is Thornburg Range or some such, I don't recall the name of the other one?

I'll be up there for Memorial Weekend if anyone else is up there?

For those who've never been, it's a way cool area. And yes, I DO go out at night on the backroads but I'm 1/2 local there! Not to mention heavily armed!    

Quoted: Quoted: Head toward Ducktown I forget the Hgwy # but its the main one that runs through Clevland and crosses 411. Its actually right befor you get to the Olympic whitewater site. You have to take a bridge across the Ocoee. The range is close to the ranger station and not far from Bentons SS Hwy 64 runs thru Cleveland & runs beside the Ocoee. Benton Shooters Supply is way the hell across town off of Hwy 411. I'm missing something in your description here, it seems?     BTW, there's two ranges off of Hwy 64 by Parksville Lake. One is Thornburg Range or some such, I don't recall the name of the other one? I'll be up there for Memorial Weekend if anyone else is up there? For those who've never been, it's a way cool area. And yes, I DO go out at night on the backroads but I'm 1/2 local there! Not to mention heavily armed!

Dont mind me. I take 411 south out of Maryville, drive right past Benton Shooters Supply, and turn left onto 64 and follow it down the Ocoee.

And yes, I DO go out at night on the backroads but I'm 1/2 local there! Not to mention heavily armed!

That is the best way to travel them there back woods. I have many stories about that area. That will be topic of another thread someday.

I will be there with th State Rescue Team 1/2 of wich are LE and always bring there MP5s and what not.

Plenty of "Wild Life" down there. I am sure you can stop in and see the local County Mountie Mr. Buford. He can give you all kinds of pointers on the area. So can his two brothers and father. Lets see, that is Chief, Captain, local D.A. and Mayor all in one family. Nice huh?
You guys be careful on the water. I was a HUC in Bradley Co. Hospital for 3 years and the river was our biggest customer maker.
I mean its not like you are EMS or anything of the sort.

Quoted: And yes, I DO go out at night on the backroads but I'm 1/2 local there! Not to mention heavily armed! That is the best way to travel them there back woods. I have many stories about that area. That will be topic of another thread someday. I will be there with th State Rescue Team 1/2 of wich are LE and always bring there MP5s and what not. Plenty of "Wild Life" down there. I am sure you can stop in and see the local County Mountie Mr. Buford. He can give you all kinds of pointers on the area. So can his two brothers and father. Lets see, that is Chief, Captain, local D.A. and Mayor all in one family. Nice huh? You guys be careful on the water. I was a HUC in Bradley Co. Hospital for 3 years and the river was our biggest customer maker. I mean its not like you are EMS or anything of the sort.

I remember the last class we had there befor I left. It was one of the last times that TVA turned on the upper section of the river (its cool that they can turn it on and off, the whole thing runs through a pipe). There was a raft that lost to of there customers right at the ledge where we were training new people and they kept getting recirculated through the hydralic and haveing rafts land on them.  It is the rafting guys responsibility to initiat rescue and they did, the second rafts guide reached down and plucked one guy out as he passed but the other one recirculated seveeral times.

This hydralic isnt that bad and in fact it tryed to suck me in earlyer but if you know what you are doing it is avobable or escapable. Well we where ready to send a swimmer if needed from the opposite shore (where we were) but we where waiting for the rafts to quit droping off the ledge, they just kept comeing because communication was getting back to them. One of the rafts comes off the ledge right as this guy pops up at the edge and knocks him out of the recirculation. Our students throw there trowbags just like trained and he ended up pissed at us because we didnt save hime sooner.  there are allot of issues behind why we werent supposed to "respond" but we wouldnt of let the guy die if possible.

I meet someone I havent seen or heard from in the 3 years I was gone and when telling them I was going to the river this weekend they said that they had been quoting my favorit saying about swiftwater whenever approriate.

"Swiftwater.....it'll suck you in and FUCK YOU UP!" SNS

"Swiftwater.....it'll suck you in and FUCK YOU UP!" SNS

Sad but true. We got on average 25-30 a summer in there that wer victims of the rapids. And atleast 1-2 a year that were floaters.
But you are correct. If you know what you are doing it makes all the difference in the world.
God I wish I was going to be there. I can smell the water and woods as I sit here.

Well Ill be at the ocoee once more this year and on the Hiawase twice, all by the end of July.

As for now its time to pack up and head on down, Ill brag when I get back.

Quoted: Well Ill be at the ocoee once more this year and on the Hiawase twice, all by the end of July. As for now its time to pack up and head on down, Ill brag when I get back.

You'll be humming the tune from Deliverance if you keep going up there!    

You'll be humming the tune from Deliverance if you keep going up there!

Hell, He might get a leading role in part two.

Im back, did die this time either. The Range was ok, $3 all day parking charge. 3 stations, unmarked distances. NO supervision, youre on your own. had a couple of young(er than I) guys show up after I did with a couple of 22s and a single shot 20 ga. Other than them shoting my target once and it being wet from a fresh rain all was good. I offered them some targets ( as well as ear plugs but what do I know) and problem solved. Ran 271 rounds through the 1911, 71 UMC no problems, 50 CCI Blazer no problem, 50 wolf one stove pipe and two FtFire, 100 Winchester white box. I stopped at Bentons www.bentonshooters.comand bought the wolf and a Surefire G2.

The class was a lot of fun. I am exahusted. Anyway here are a few pics.

Sign 1 at Thorne Burg range parking lot / pay station.


Sign 2 (top) at the range.


Sign 2 (bottom).


Top of the steps from left to right are Sign2, Stations 1, 2, and 3

Station 1


St 2


St 3


1, 2, and 3 (the parking area is down the hill right behind the garbage can at right.


Entance to Ocoee Power House 3 and Thunder Rock campground.


The Ocoee river (yes)


The class (we started with 44, 3 washed out and 2 went to the Hospital)

Excellent pics. Glad to see you made it back in one piece.
How long did you get to stay on the Ocoee?

There's another range further up 64, just past the new Olympic section on the upper Ocoee. The drive back to the range is way cool & but you basically may need to walk down the side of a range to get to the firing points. I'm not real comfortable with this set-up!  

I've been shooting the Thorneburg Range for something like 20 years now. You basically have to haul everything you need, from ammo to water to targets to stands. Get caught out in the sun in the afternoon there & it can get quite hot.

Cheap range though, only $3.00 for all day. I just wish the $$$ went to actually doing something to improve the range!    

Quoted: Excellent pics. Glad to see you made it back in one piece. How long did you get to stay on the Ocoee?

I camped for two nights but it was balls to the walls the whole time. I forgot how exhausting these classes are. This was the level 1 class, in three weeks we will do a level 2 which is twice as intensive. ie: Saturday starts at 0730 and dosent end untill ~0300 Sunday. We actually spend all day Saturday rafting and doing exercises on the Hiawasee.

My body dosent like me right now. Im sore and have at least 3 good bruises from the "Elephant shit" and the rocks.

Whats real funny is that a couple of dealers  show up and give us good deals because students buy what we use. One of them is a knive dealer (spiderco, coldsteel, crkt) and also does kydex sheaths (we need special sheithes for swiftwater work) as well as holsters. Well the students are comeing back from there last break and 1/2 the insturctors have there firearms out trying diferent  holsters and mag pouches.....and they all go back to get theres. Now remember this is on the other side of the blue sign posted above. Oh and it was about 50/50 between glocks and 1911s.

Quoted: Quoted: Well Ill be at the ocoee once more this year and on the Hiawase twice, all by the end of July. As for now its time to pack up and head on down, Ill brag when I get back. You'll be humming the tune from Deliverance if you keep going up there!

I wonder if he has a pretty mouth?