 Upping the Ante (Con't) Gulf Creek Although Gulf Creek near Steel, Ala., was first run in 1996 by Richard Vest and his sons Matt and Rich, it wasn't until last year that interest in the run picked up among Alabama hairboaters. In the first place, it takes a good four to five inches of rain to bring it up to a runable level. Secondly, its access isn't necessarily boater friendly. Lastly comes its gradient: dropping nearly 800 feet per mile, the section only appeals to a certain ilk of paddler. Personifying that ilk as well as anyone is Alabama's Brad Hinds, 27, a wireless communications consultant by workday and hairboater of highest persuasion by weekend. "I've probably been down it 10 times," says Hinds. "But it's definitely cutting edge. Anything with that much drop is pretty consistent." Although the section is solid Class V to V+, what causes the most consternation on the mile-and-a-half run is a four-part rapid called Terminator, complete with trees, undercuts and hydraulics (often all at the same time), and a 200-foot section known as Godzilla, a mandatory portage capped by a 22-foot waterfall cascading into a three-foot-deep pool. Last summer the falls were run for the first time by Gulf Creek guru Scott Byler, followed by Hinds. Both admit there is not much room for error. "You have to boof it hard, or you pay the price," says Hinds. "It's definitely balls-to-the-wall boating." --edb
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