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Whitewater

There is an old joke in the High Country that if you don’t like the weather, wait fifteen minutes then walk around the corner. There is some semblance of truth to this as locals claim that in the spring and in early summer you can set your watch by the torrential afternoon thunder storms.

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All this rain may turn the climbers, and hikers into unhappy campers, but if you are a whitewater enthusiast this kind of weather makes the High Country the place to be. According to Bill Leonard of High Mountain Expeditions, “This year is offering some of the best water we have seen in ten years.”

The northwestern North Carolina region offers some of the absolute best whitewater in the southeast. The major rivers include the Watauga, the French Broad, the Pigeon, the Nolichucky and the New. Each river offers a different level of difficulty and seriousness and the local guide services can help you tailor a trip to your personal tastes and desires.

Generally, the rafting season lasts from the end of March to the middle of October. The size of the rapids and the types of trips available to run vary throughout the season depending on water levels.

There are multiple ways one can float down the rivers of the region. The more leisurely options include a relaxing inner tube float down the New or a canoe trip. For those who want a little more adventure a funyak offers a cross between a canoe, a raft, and a kayak and allows for a challenging and intimate ride with the water. Rafting options vary from mellow family trips to raucous class IV whitewater that will thrill even the hardest adrenaline junky. Finally, kayaking offers a personal one-on-one with the rivers that can not be experienced in any other boat.

Rafting:

Many of the professional guides, or “River Rats” as they are sometimes affectionately called, migrate to the area every spring for the rafting season. These exceptional breeds of individuals are half the fun of the experience in their own right. They make their living safely guiding people down some of the most exciting and dangerous water in the eastern United States. Maybe it’s the consistent adrenaline rush of their chosen occupation that encourages the profession to lend itself to vivacious personalities as well as excellent and often hilarious conversationalists. It is a guarantee that the guides will entertain you almost as much as the whitewater.

Funyaking:

If rafting is not your game and you’re seeking a little more of a challenge, check out a funyak. Funyaks are a cross between an inflatable kayak and a canoe. They are self-bailing like most rafts and they can accommodate one or two people. Funyaks are paddled like a kayak and offer an exhilarating and intimate experience with the water. They can easily handle moderate whitewater or a mellow float down the New River. Most of the local guiding services offer some sort of funyak package.

Canoeing & Tubing:

Besides funyaks and rafting there are two more mellow options to enjoy the rivers of the High Country, Canoeing and Tubing. Many area outfitters offer canoe rental with either daily shuttles or overnight trips. The water is usually less fast paced but still offers the occasional challenging rapid. Tubing is also available though many guide services and outfitters. This hydro-option involves a completely relaxing float down the river with the occasional rapid, otherwise its just you and the river flowing peacefully together.

The local rafting companies in the High Country offer a wide range of whitewater experiences and trips from lazy float trips down moderate sections of the New River to a Class IV run down the Nolichucky. Some outfitters offer overnight trips and even buffet lunches on the river. No matter what your best bet is to book a trip with one of the many professional guide services in the area. Not only will your trip be more enjoyable it will be safer too.

Class Ratings:

Class I – Very easy. Waves small, regular. Passages clear, sandbanks, artificial difficulties like bridge piers. Riffles.

Class II – Easy. Rapids of medium difficulty, with passages clear and wide. Low ledges.

Class III – Medium. Waves numerous, high, irregular. Rocks, eddies. Rapids with passages that are clear though narrow, requiring expertise in maneuvering. Inspection usually needed.

Class IV – Difficult. Long rapids. Waves powerful, irregular. Dangerous rocks, boiling eddies. Passages difficult to reconnoiter. Inspection mandatory first time. Powerful and precise maneuvering required.

Class V – Very difficult. Extremely tough, long and very violent rapids, following each other almost without interruption. River bed extremely obstructed. Big drops, violent current, very steep gradient. Reconnoitering essential but difficult.

Class VI – Extraordinarily difficult. Difficulties of class V carried to extremes of navigability. Nearly impossible and very dangerous. For teams of experts only, at favorable water levels and after close study with all precautions.

Tips for Beginners:

  • All sports have their "helpful suggestions" for those new to the ranks, and with whitewater rafting and canoeing it's no exception. Listed below are a few suggestions to help first-timers better enjoy these High Country high adventures.
  • You will get wet when whitewater rafting and, even in the summer months, the water's cold. Yet, since most people raft in the summer's warmer months, you'll also get hot and, quite likely, sunburned. So, plan ahead as much as possible. Rapid-dry fabrics are best, with sunscreens almost mandatory. Hats, on the other hand, will likely be replaced by helmets offered by the rafting companies . . . but if you're canoeing, make sure you bring a hat along!
  • Shoes are always a big question mark for whitewater adventures. Soft-soled canvas shoes are often best, firstly because they can grip on questionable surfaces and secondly because they, like the people wearing them, will get wet. Also, there are river shoes available at many expedition outfitters that are waterproof and ideal for "washing" the sand out of shoes.
  • Cameras are always popular whitewater rafting and canoeing take-alongs but they, too, can get wet . . . as in DROWNED. If you're going to carry a camera down any river, make sure it is enclosed in a waterproof container, preferably one that's cushioned inside! If it gets wet, the film can often still be saved by taking it out of the camera and storing it -- in water -- in a 35mm film container. Any photographic equipment that gets drenched should immediately be taken to a repair facility - to wait is to rust! Best advice: take along one of the disposable waterproof cameras, and leave the real thing at home.

For more info visit: http://www.riverfacts.com/states/nc.html

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