Source to Tellico River

Takeout: A few hundred yards downstream of the confluence with the Tellico at a pull out labelled "Wildcat Overlook". To the Put-In:  Drive down the Tellico to Old Furnace Road and turn left.  This is right across from the Tellico Beach Drive In.  Proceed up this road (past some initial "No Tresspassing" and "Private Property" signs--it is indeed a public road, so no worries) for two possible put in options. Put In #2: At 2.2 miles, there is a gated road branching off to the right.  There is a wide spot in the road, and on the left, a faint trail drops down a third of a mile to the creek.  This puts you in below V8 and reconnection, making the run alot shorter and quicker, but you miss the cool minicanyon of V8.  The run is a hair over two miles long puting in here. Put In #1: At 2.9 miles, there is a sharp right turn away from the creek followed by a trail on the left, labeled 164.  There is a wooden sign at the start of this trail that says "0.9 miles to Wildcat Creek, 2.2 miles to Wildcat Rd".  The trail is small in places and goes uphill for two brief stretches.  Stay right at an initial split where a trail seems to go to the left.  Also stay right when the trail crosses a small creek and appears to split left again.  Trees along the trail are marked with painted white squares approximately 3x3 inches each.  Following this trail to the creek puts you in not far above V8 minigorge.  This makes the run 3.25 miles long, and includes all of the good whitewater. Another put in option is to drive upstream along the Tellico from the takeout, turning right onto Tellico River Road, and shortly later turning right onto a FSR crossing the river.  Then proceed a number of miles to an unmarked trail on the right that leads 0.7 miles down to a put in on Sixmile Creek, a half mile above the Wildcat confluence.  This adds 1.6 miles of scenic class 2, making the run almost 5 miles of wilderness.