'Shooting the hooch'

Today, the Chattahoochee supplies 70 percent of metro Atlanta's drinking water while providing power and irrigation for local industries. It also serves as a tranquil recreational center, offering fishing, canoeing, mild white water paddling and rafting. Stocked with Rainbow, Brook and Brown trout, it beckons Atlanta fishermen to break out their poles, boots and canoes.

The "upper" Chattahoochee, starting below Buford Dam in Helen, Georgia and continuing to the "metro," has good Class I and II canoe runs. Flowing clean from the Appalachian foothills, this river guides a paddler through well-kept forests and rustic farmlands, along banks lined with dogwoods and redbuds.

The "Orange River" part of the Chattahoochee is so languid that it's hard to tell if your raft is even moving, but don't fall asleep, because your dangling sandwich may come under attack. Mallard ducks on the Chattahoochee are famous for tailgating rafters and sabotaging outdoor lunches and floating picnics.

 

River classifications

The six difficulty classes of rafting and kayaking set by the American Whitewater Affiliation:

Class I: Easy. Fast-moving water with riffles and small waves.

Class II: Novice. Straightforward rapids with wide, clear channels.

Class III: Intermediate. Rapids with moderate, irregular waves which may be difficult to avoid.

Class IV: Advanced. Intense, powerful, but predictable, rapids requiring precise boat-handling.

Class V: Expert. Extremely long, obstructed, or very violent rapids which expose a paddler to above-average endangerment.

Class VI: Extreme. One grade more difficult than Class V. These runs often exemplify the extremes of difficulty, unpredictability and danger.

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