Pigeon

Three of us paddled Hepco at around 950 and falling on a cool sunny day. This was my first trip after Hurricane Helene and most of the changes were subtle with a couple exceptions, and the water quality was spectacularly improved. It helps that it hadn't rained in a few days. We saw three bald eagles, a couple beaver, and some fish. The surfing was great at this level, with perhaps a handful of standout fast waves and a bunch of smaller fluffy ones that allow for spins. This seems to be a goldilocks level where there is lots of play, between lower flows at which the features shrink, and higher flows in which some of them wash out (but others form).

The biggest change was at the dam rapid. The drop at the dam itself is not much smaller, and is just a nice wave on the left, followed by a taller drop below that is also just a wave down the left of a boof on the right, with a big eddy in between. The rapid has gotten easier but cleaner and arguably more fun. The rapid right below now demains that paddlers take the main fun line down the right which is clean and classy.

With the newly improved water quality, Hepco is a great alternative to Section 9 of the FB when there is adequate water. It is similar in difficulty but has much better play and a different character.

Great February day on Hepco section of the Pigeon. Post Helene, everything is still great to go at this level. Just expect larger waves and holes. Most everything is very forgiving, even the largest holes.

Plenty of excellent surfing at all of the usual spots. Scout for updated lines at the Dam at the river right eddy just above the drop. You can view the entire rapid sequence from the highest point on the rock that used to be the dam.

Pick any line through the top two drops, but the bottom drop is best run on far right. One larger hole towards the bottom. Left lines are pretty choked with rocks that were deposited in strange ways from Helene.

Four of us took a post-Hurricane Helene run down the Hepco today. The gauge said 800 something before we drove over there, but we realized it was fluffier once we put on. We put on at Panther Creek. We expected to find differences in rapids, but we were pleased to find that much of the section was the same. We did notice a landslide into the river near Jonathan Creek that changed the size of the ledge at the corner. It was smaller to me. 'Wormy's,' the first rapid of any significance and size (named after my friend's father, who owned the land next to the rapid), was the same. We ran down the center on the right like we usually do. A few rapids down, there were two noticeable rock slides on each side of the river. There is a stellar little 360 hole caused by one of those slides on river right. As we approached the old dam, I jumped out to scout and give some beta to my group. The dam seemed to be much shorter and the left side much cleaner than in the past. Three of us ran to the right side of the shorter dam, and one ran left. Then we all took different lines down the next drop, but the smoothest line was in the center pointing right. For the last drop, there is a nice tongue right of the big rock in the flow. Take that and head left to finish the rapid. There is a giant hole in the center if you don't get left. There used to be a left creek line that you could ferry over and run after you ran the dam. Know that there are three enormous house-sized boulders lined up from the left bank into the center of the river that used to be scattered on the left side. There might be some new lines/boofs over there, but best to scout from below after you run through. There is construction on the I40 bridge by the takeout so know that there is only one way through under the bridge, which is the center. We took off at 1550 cfs, which I deemed to be a great fluffy level with lots of surf waves to catch.

Buddy and I ran it this past weekend. At 560cfs my opnion is it was on the low side of what you'd want. Runnable, but lots of rock and shoal dodging for the first half of the river at that level (we used the put in at 35°36'02.7'N 82°57'03.0'W, not the Jonathan's Creek option) I would like to try it again at maybe 200cfs or more, I think it might clean up nicely and form some nice wave trains and surf spots. The character of the river using our put-in makes for a really mellow first half, with all the action in the last 3 miles.

The water when we ran it was clear and didn't really smell-- maybe a bit, but only really noticed it because I knew it had been an issue in the past. Like Sean said, the FB has been worse at times. Really pretty river overall.

Having recently paddled the run at 450 and 950 we were keen to round out our knowledge with a fluffier flow. 1700 turned out to be a great flow. The flatwater moves fast, there are lots of catch on the fly waves and 2-3 good eddy-access waves, and the rapids are generally fun with nice wave trains. The river had no funky odors and felt at least as clean as the French Broad if not better. Jack and Dan and I ran Jonathans into the run, and there was some new wood on Jonathans. A highlight of the run was a beaver paying us a visit.

The take-out was gnarly with several dead raccoons dumped there, trash, and drug evidence. We also saw a needle at the Jonathans put-in.

We paddled Jonathans Creek into the Pigeon and experienced a much different river than we did earlier in the year. The water quality in the Pigeon was much cleaner than before the upstream paper mill closed, in terms of both clarity and odor. Jonathans was actually much dirtier given the heavier rain in the watershed. We saw four immature bald eagles on the run, including three that were hanging out together, as well as kingfishers and herons.

At 450 the size of the waves and holes were much diminished compared to the much nicer descent at 950 earlier in the year. The surfing was less high quality, there were fewer waves, and the pools were slower. The dam was an easy run down the right at this level, while island rapid was kind of junky. While still totally navigable and fun, 450 felt like a pretty good minimum flow for folks seeking a whitewater run. I would not return much lower than that, and certainly had more fun with more water. I'm excited to paddle this again at winter flows for some surfing and another check in on the recovery of the water quality.

Jack Henderson and I put in upstream of 209 just a bit on Golf Course Rd for a 10 mile paddle into the HEPCO section. The section down to Iron Duff Rd was actually a nice class II run with one little ledge drop right off the bat. Surfing was excellent in the main Hepco Section. Obviously water quality in this section is pretty rough.

Ran Pigeon from 209 bridge to New Hepco bridge. Not any significant rapids before the confluence with Jonathans Creek, The best combination would be to run Jonathans from the class III down to New Hepco. 600 cfs would probably be a minimum on the Hepco gauge.

Put in on Jonathans creek behind the fire station, and ran it to the Pigeon and then followed the Pigeon to near Waterville Lake. Took out at the New Hepco Bridge, Fines Creek Rd. We had 1” of rain in Maggie Valley the day before, and the USGS Gauge on the Pigeon near Hepco was reading 850 CFS. Passed a landowner near where the Jonathans Creek gauge near White Oak used to be, she said at one time they were considering damming Jonathans Creek near the confluence with the Pigeon, (or maybe the Pigeon itself) so the gauge was for a temporary flow study. Not much on Jonathans, one set of drops about 1+ miles below I-40 bridge as mentioned by Dave, otherwise nothing even of new school class II. At the confluence I noticed the water temperature was close to 15° warmer.

Several noteworthy drops that were not listed on the AWA section for the Pigeon E & W Confluence to New Hepco Bridge. Of course having a good volume of water on the Pigeon, and getting a back ender in a rather juicy hole affected my rating. I would rate one drop a solid III+ (the surprise hole and ender). Other than a bit of a hike at the bridge it is an under valued section. We had run a section of the Pigeon upstream (from confluence of Richland Creek) and became bored, getting out after a few miles before anything fun started, so I was surprised to find some fun rapids. I hope someone will run it from NC 209 on down, looked like a good rapid downstream of that bridge where we got out.