I hope everyone was having too much fun to blather .
A really fun day out your direction somewhat. Downriver paddling on the French Broad, pig roast, local brewery, and Appalachian string bands. I’m sure I’ve had better days, but I can’t really think of one at the moment. It was Saturday, but we definitely took it easy like Sunday.
1 Like
I hope you got a good shower afterwards. The French Broad is a nasty river or was when I paddled it a few years ago.
I was at the West River in VT – the fall release at the Ball Mountain Dam. Fun run, tough put-in. You need to carry your boat down a rocky path that zig-zags for 247-feet down the back of the dam - that’s about 22 stories. I used my cart to get my canoe to the bottom, but once I got there I realized that I didn’t want the cart strapped to my canoe for the run, so I left it at the put in. I had to hike back down after the run and lug the cart back up.
Been paddling my sea kayak a lot this summer, so it’s been a while since I’ve had my whitewater canoe out. I did OK.
2 Likes
This was near the headwaters of the French Broad. Cool, clear water. Children and adults playing in the water at the takeout all afternoon. Fit to bathe in as best I could tell. To the best of my knowledge and that of a couple local adults who seemed at least somewhat knowledgeable about their river and water quality in that area, there was nothing nasty about it.
Since last Friday, New England coast has been inundated with 8-11’ swells from a slow moving ocean storm. Combined with onshore (NE) winds, it’s pretty much “victory at sea” conditions. I hoping and waiting for the swells to drop a bit and some offshore (clean up) winds later this week.
Fingers crossed.
-sing
In the meantime, just fishing, doing some housechores, and strength training to get back better conditioning for surf.
1 Like
I have yet to run the West. Drop me a note, next time you do it and you are willing to add another kayaker to your mixed river running crew.
sing
1 Like
Will do, but the portage down the back of the dam is a killer - I may wait until they fix the road and start the shuttle up again.
1 Like
I can appreciate NOT wanting to portage a canoe down that bank!
-sing
As I recall , the FB was OK near Rosman. Further downstream is was lined with cow pastures . I think the state was trying to do somthing to alleviate the brown runoff .The Biltmore House ran raw sewage directly into it from a creek.