Im thinking western NC/eastern TN. Any recommendations from you southeast veterans? Ideally, areas that might not get hammered over Memorial Day weekend (no New, Ocoee, Nanty) with a few different options to paddle, and primitive public land camping or campground. I would prefer not staying in a campground that weekend, but whatever it takes.

So far...Pigeon, Nolichucky, Tuckasegee, French Broad seem like viable options. I have the Carolina WW guidebook by Brenner, it has plenty of goodies but I'd like to hear from yall. I know most of the stuff will be rain dependant

I was also thinking the Clear Fork/New/BSF Canyon/Clear Creek in TN might be good options?

Bring it on!

Brandon

The Upper, Upper, Upper New is one of my top 100 favorite runs. It's the section from Glade Creek to Grandview Sandbar near Prince. 5 miles of screaming class II water with a couple of rapids that can be turned into class III with a slight adjustment of direction. Suitable for complete beginners, as well as those more experienced at swimming. There is also a park-n-surf at the takeout/campground at some levels.

AW lists this run within a longer run at [www.americanwhitewater.org]

There is a campground at the put in AND the takeout. The road to the put in at Glade Creek has been closed for more than 5 years and has recently been reopened. I'm not sure how popular the campgrounds are these days, but in the past, they have been very popular with the locals, so getting camp sites on Memorial Day weekend may be a problem. They don't take reservations.

Brit and I will also be in the area boating that weekend. We were planning on basing our assault on the heart of Appalachia out of either Tsali campground or some form of NOC lodging .... depending on what is available. I'm thinking Tsali will fill up quickly, but there are many campground options in that area. I was thinking Tsali because we were also going to take our MTB's and maybe do some riding. My thoughts on runs within striking distance of that area ....

Nanty, Little TN, Tuck, Sect III & IV to Woodall, Hiawassee, Pigeon, French Broad

Decisions would be based on how Brit is boating and water levels.

Easier options for those not Nanty ready would include the Little TN, Tuck, Section II and Fr Broad Ledges Park and Surf ... maybe the Hiawassee

If you don't have a good roll, the Nanty is a bad place to learn one. Too continuous and too cold. Brit needs to work on her river roll, aggressive ferrying / peel outs and introduction to play, so will more than likely at least start out on the Tuck and French Broad which have a nicer water temp if levels are favorable. Section III / Upper IV would be perfect if it weren't over an hour away and you need a solid shuttle there because most shuttle options are long. On that weekend though, running into other boaters would certainly happen if the water level is decent. The Tuck and Nanty have a reasonable shuttle fee available.

Wes

I'm definitely game for some boatin' that weekend. Western NC as a basecamp sounds good--there are so many options in that area. Of course, I would love to spend more time on the Nolichucky, too. I may be able to take Friday off and head down a little early to secure a couple of campsites (or more depending on the number of people interested). I would like to stay through Monday.

Wes, it sounds like Brit and I need to work on the same stuff, so I would like to hook up with you guys at some point.

A couple other options:

Upper Green- It's about 30 minutes south of Asheville. There are 2 class 3ish drops that make for great intro to creeking. One of which (bayless boof) can be run over, and over, and over... It's a prestine run with zero development along the way, the take out is the put in for the narrows, which is 3/4's of a mile hike out (keeps the riff raf out). You can also take a wonderful side hike into the narrows and if you're lucky, you can watch some run some of the more difficult drops. Call 828 698 2068 for releases before you make your plans. They typically schedule releases only a day or two in advance. Green River Adventures also runs ducky trips, and rent keys for the parking lot.

Tellico- South of Knoxville. There is the ledges section with baby falls, continuous class 3ish, and the section below jarrods knee that's more class 2. You can see all the major drops since it's roadside. The tellico is natural flow and water level dependent. It obviously gets harder with more water.

Any novice clinic paddlers with a shaky roll who aren't tough as nails should consider these descriptions of "class III" to be a warning rather than an invitation. The Upper Green is nothing more than class III to an experienced paddler, and the comparison to tougher stretches of water can support that claim, but it's rocky with some tight spots, fast moving water and places that you definitely don't want to be upside down. The Telleco has some biggish drops on it (5-6 ft) plus, of course, Baby Falls (about 12 feet with a serious hole at the bottom if the water's up), and a number of rocky rapids with some complexity that a novice would find challenging.

These pieces of water are more than just a single step up from the Lower Nolichucky. I don't want to discourage anyone who feels up to the challenge from doing them, but make sure you know what you're getting into before you do.

Hanley

In my mind Im going to Carolina...this looks like a great rough draft. Thanks for the info yall, sounds like the whitewater diversity and fun factor down there is rather high.

Lets rally some troops and enjoy the long weekend. Im definitly down for getting out of town early friday for a recon mission.

Now, the most important question...where are all the microbrews in the area, and who has good pizza?

One word: Asheville.

Actually, you'd be a fool not to drop into the Asheville Pizza and Brewing Company while you're in the neighborhood, but there is so much good food, excellent brews and music and culture in Asheville that you can probably just head toward the dot on the map. Still, since you asked:

[www.ashevillepizza.com]

The brewery/restaurant is located in an old cinema with two theatres. One still serves as an actual theatre with couches and coffee tables replacing the old-style bleacher seats and movies, sports events and special features showing. The other side is the game room. This place (like most places in Asheville) is extremely whitewater friendly. They hosted the premiere of the documentary RiverSense and have been the site of a number of whitewater fundraisers over the years. Not to mention that they have absolutely ultra-extraordinary pizza and microbrew on tap.

Hanley

hmmmm...maybe ill head down today, i may need to verify this new information...

I agree with Hanley. If you are only somewhat comfortble on the lower Nolichucky, you are NOT a class 3 boater yet, and I would not reccomend paddling class 3 whitewater until you are ready.

My intentions are to direct people to great stretches of whitewater that haven't been mentioned, not to get anyone hurt. It is ultimately the paddlers responsibility to research the runs, and make the best decisions based on their skill/comfort level. Remember, paddling trips should be fun, not terrifying.

If you are comfortable on the Nolichucky gorge, I know the Upper Green and Telico are great options for you. The ledges section on the telico may, or may not be harder than the Nolichucky. This question is debatable based on various factors such as (water level, roadside/not roadside, lower volume and larger drops vs. larger volume rapids) but you do have the ability to see every rapid on the way up to the Telico put in. Then you can make a decision to run that section, or the easier section below.

I think the toughest part of the upper green is the walk out, especially since you can easily portage the 2 larger rapids. However, this run is NOT roadside, so once you put on, you are comitted.

Definately check out the Asheville Brewing Company for great Pizza, Beer, and their wings are excellent too. But most importantly, let me know when you are in town so I can join you!