Congrats on the trip
This is an awfully ambitious trip - and even if you don’t make the full length of it I imagine that you’ll have some fantastic memories. Best of luck to you and your son.
Why not do both??
Take the canoe for the flatwater and raft the rapids.
WARNING: The Nanty…
…is cold.
It’s a dam fed river and the water comes from the
bottom of the lake. Even if it’s 100 F outside,
the water is 48F.
There is another river close by…
…the Hiawasse which would be an excellent
alternative choice.
You forgot your PFD…
…and you paddled it anyway?
Blue Ridge Parkway
Make a stop in Front Royal and paddle the Shenandoah river. Its largely slow and flat water. There’s a few canoe companies that you can rent from if you choose not to bring your own, and they’ll drop you off and pick you up.
A few Rivers to Try
Tom,
sounds like a good time, there are alot of great rivers to enjoy in the area. One that i recommend for learning is the Lower Green…class I/II rapdids all the way. Its release is farily reliable…and the lower is the less dangerous sibling to the world famous Green Narrows, so you can always hike up and see the carnage. Also, for a great run that you can camp on check out the french broad…all within 30 minutes of asheville. Also check out boatingbeta.com for all the runs around the area and their gauges. Hope you guys have a great time on the trip, i am definitely jealous.
paddle hard my friend,
rp
2 cents
Ah the Itchatuchnee used to paddle float there 30 years ago and you could camp not sure whats going on now,I know some development.Take a mask &snorkel- awesome.Just back from homosassa springs. We take newcomers to Hiawassee (Reliance Tn.) or if I am by myself to adapt to class 1-2 water before going over to nany.Seems to usually be someone there to paddle with and play & learn. If you have a new boat it can be a little scrapey.Great area numerous camping areas.Floation on Nany, yes self rescue, same. Basic’s are pretty simple i.e. books, experienced paddler. Have fun !!! Jim
I’d bring the canoe. I have traveled
many thousands of miles, coast to coast, from Florida to Alaska with one or two canoes on my truck and never had a problem. I secure the canoes to the roof with a cable and lock. The canoe can still be stolen, but if you park where there are people, It will discourage any potential thief. You just have to use common sense and keep the car around where there is activity on the streets which is wise anyhow since your car has all your baggage inside.
Try taking a paddling course on moving and WW. It makes paddling much more fun when in control of the canoe rather than being out of control on the river. Do you know anything about sweepers and strainers? If you dump and can’t avoid a strainer what do you do? Do you lean away from a rock or into it when you can’t avoid it. Who get out first in a tandem, the paddler upstream or downstream? You don’t to want to have a cheek puckering experience of being swept into the outside bend of a river that’s full of strainers and logs because you can’t control the canoe.
If you can’t take a course at least read up on river paddling so you know the hazards of moving water. A cu ft of water weights around 62lbs so when a river is moving it has that multiplied by its flow pushing on anything in the water. That’s a lot of force. You don’t need to be in WW to get into trouble on a fast moving river so it’s wise to know the hazards.