Catawba Falls

Monday morning, we packed up camp and started making our way back to the Triangle area. On the way out of Nantahala National Forest, we stopped briefly at Patton's Run Overlook, where Shung had lost a bag a few weeks ago. No luck finding it. But I did take the opportunity to see the rapid from dry land. The ride home is a pretty long drive, so we broke up the trip by making a stop at Catawba Falls along the way. Catawba Falls is located near the town of Old Fort at exit 73 on I-40, right after coming down the Blue Ridge Escarpment along the highway. The falls are located in Pisgah National Forest, but until recently, there was no public access to the falls, which were surrounded on three sides by private property and by I-40 on the fourth. Fortunately, land providing public access had been given to the Forest Service in 2010. But the bridge leading to the public parking area was closed and we had to park along the side of the road. And we weren't the only people who were visiting Catawba Falls on Memorial Day. Many parked cars were lined up on both sides of the street before the closed bridge. We hiked in, almost immediately crossing a stream and then following the river upstream. There were quite a few cascades and small waterfalls along the trail as it got steeper and steeper.

There was another stream crossing at Clover Patch Branch and then an unnamed waterfall that flows over an old dam.

This once generated power for the town of Old Fort. Shortly after the dam, we came to Catawba Falls.

It's an impressive series of cascades falling hundreds of feet, impossible to see the entire thing from only one place. I took off my boots and socks and got in the water to get shots at different angles. But there's no way to get the whole thing. Next to the falls is a steep trail that leads up to Upper Catawba Falls.

There are a few views of the upper portion of the lower falls and then a particularly steep section with an old piece of rope to assist with the climb. The rope helped, but I wouldn't put all my weight on it. A little ways further there was another rope for assistance and then the trail flattened off as it approached Upper Catawba Falls.

This is another really beautiful waterfall, with a large freefall, followed by some cascades.

I sat here for a few moments enjoying the view while another hiker was swimming in the pool below the falls. He was probably as hot as I was making that steep climb up, but I didn't want to get completely wet, so I just dipped my head in the chilly water. I realized no one else had followed me to the Upper Falls, so I headed back down. Chih-Wei had started following then stopped. I showed him some pictures from the Upper Falls and he decided it was worth it. So while he went up, the rest of us stayed down at the lower falls.

No one else wanted to make the climb up. When everyone was finished, we made our way back to the car and started heading home. We stopped in Morganton for dinner at Las Salsas, my favorite Mexican restaurant.

Paddling Nantahala

Sunday was our big paddling day - the Nantahala River. This is a much more challenging river with mostly Class II rapids and Natahala Falls, a Class III rapid at the end. Al and a few others had done this the day before instead of Tuckaseegee and he had fallen out a few times. The water is extremely cold because it flows from the bottom of Nantahala Lake when the dam is open and never gets above 50°F. When everybody was ready, we headed out to Adventurous Fast River Outfitters, a few miles upstream of the NOC. Since the river is so cold, in addition to a PFD and funyak, we also rented a wetsuit, splash jacket, and booties to stay as warm as possible. Besides the very cold water, the skies were overcast and cloudy and it looked like was going to rain. So the extra gear was a good investment. After a quick overview, we headed out to the Nantahala River launch site near the power plant. After getting in the water, we almost immediately got to the first rapid - Patton's Run. Besides splashing some very cold water in the boat, though, we all managed to stay pretty dry for this one. The river was fairly calm for a bit, although it started to rain. But the rain was actually warmer than the river water. We paddled past a few islands in the river and made a brief stop at the put-in at Ferebee Memorial Park. Linda was having trouble and decided to call it quits. We called the outfitter and they picked her up at Ferebee while the rest of us continued on. Right past Ferebee Park were several more Class II rapids - Delebar's Rock, The Quarry, and The Whirlpool, then a little stretch of calmer water. So far, everyone was doing well. We also stopped next to a big rock on the side of the river and Al and Mel climbed up on the rock and jumped into the water. Well, Mel needed a little push for encouragement to "jump" in. But either way, I was quite content to stay in the funyak and stay as dry and warm as possible. After passing The Ledges and Surfing Rapid, we stopped briefly back at the outfitters. This gave them the opportunity to discuss the final leg of our trip and also let them know that we would be finished soon so they could pick us up by the NOC. There were two big rapids along the final stretch of our journey. The Bump, which is well advertised with a highway "Bump" sign hanging from a tree over the rapid, and finally Nantahala Falls. The sun had finally come out, but the water was still freezing. But we got back in the water and continued on. After The Bump, we stopped briefly at a takeout before Nantahala Falls. Charles had fallen out on this one and bumped his head; hard enough to be bleeding from his eyebrow. There were EMT personnel on hand, who stopped and looked it over and gave him some bandages to put on it. So, one of our group was out, but the rest continued on to conquer Nantahala Falls.

But it would not be defeated without some victims. Somehow, I was not one of them. As I paddled towards the falls, I was sure I was going to flip, but I paddled furiously and flew down the falls. Although I didn't fall out, I sure did get wet from the splash. I made my way over to the take-out and watched the carnage of those who had flipped.

Sandy had quite a spill and went nearly down to the bridge before being rescued. She had spent quite some time and was very cold. She took off her wet suit and sat in the sun to try and warm up. But it wasn't too warm and she was freezing so we decided not to do a second run. But we would be available to film those who did. So while the others started a second run down Nanty, we hung out at the NOC and waited. Al texted me when they arrived at the Outfitters and we headed over to Nantahala Falls with the cameras.

We got photos and videos of everyone paddling the falls, but no one fell out! That was kind of a disappointment; maybe not for them, but certainly for us filming. When everyone was ready we headed back to the campsite, for one last night of campfires, drinking, and fun. But not before stopping again along Old River Road to check out a very nice cascade along the river that we had missed the day before.

Paddling the Tuck

Saturday morning, we had breakfast and headed out for our first day of paddling. Our destination was Tuckaseegee Outfitters in Whittier, just west of Sylva and Dillsboro. The Tuckaseegee is a little easier than the Nantahala, so this would be a good warm-up for our paddling tomorrow. Upon arriving, we changed into appropriate clothing, applied sunscreen, and got ready for our trip. After receiving our equipment and brief safety overview, we piled into the vans and headed to our put-in near Dillsboro under the US-441/US-23 bridge. We had rented "duckies", inflatable kayaks that are better suited for the rocks and rapids along the river. The current on the river was swift and soon we were heading down the river. The first mile or so of the river contains a few Class I rapids and several islands in the river. We saw several water birds in the river, including ducks, geese, and a great blue heron hunting fish. After a few easier rapids, we came to Double Drop, a class II rapid. Two people took a spill on this one, but somehow I managed to say in my duckie and get some video of the carnage on my GoPro. After everyone was back in their boats, we continued on past a few more rapids and then stopped along a beach for a break. Sandy and I didn't bring our lunch, so while the others were eating, we got out and stretched our legs a bit. After our break, we got back in the kayaks and finished up our paddle back to the outfitters. After returning our gear, the group broke up, with some people heading back to camp and a few others heading into Bryson City for lunch. We had Mexican for lunch before making our way back to the campsite. But on the way, we stopped to see a few smaller waterfalls on the way. One is on Wayah Road right before the intersection with Old River Road.

And immediately upon turning on Old River Road is a pulloff to park and see Whiteoak Creek Falls. The waterfall is visible from the bridge on Old River Road, but a small trail leads to a better view of the falls.

Unlike many waterfalls in the area where the rocks are smooth from the force of the water, the rock around this waterfall is much more jagged. There was also a nice pool at the base of the falls that would make a great swim hole when the weather is warmer and even a rope swing into the pool. After this waterfall, we also stopped to see another small, unnamed waterfall along Nantahala River.

Pulloffs along Old River Road for roadside camping spots provided access to these smaller cascades. Back at the campsite, I went on a short hike along the Bartram Trail. The total trail is over 70 miles long with a section running through the Appletree Group Campground. This section of the trail runs right along the Nantahala River on the opposite side as Old River Road.

I went out about 2 miles to where the trail heads away from the river and then turned around. Back at the campsite, we had a potluck with everyone cooking their favorite campfire meals. Sandy and I made chicken shish-kabobs and shared some corn, burgers, and other food our friends. Once a big campfire was built, we enjoyed some drinks and stories around the fire before going to bed.

Alarka Falls

For the Memorial Day long weekend, we headed to the mountains for a weekend of whitewater fun! We headed out from the Triangle early Friday morning and made our way out towards the mountains. It's a long drive out to the Nantahala Gorge area, so before reaching the gorge, we stopped to see a waterfall. Taking exit 64 off US-74 at Bryson City, we headed down Alarka Road away from town. After a ways, the road turned to gravel and shortly after this, we saw a dog barking furiously at something on the side of the road. We stopped to look and it was a groundhog!

We shooed the dog away and took a couple pictures of the groundhog before driving to the end of the road and parking. From the parking area, it was a short climb up to Alarka Falls. The trail is not well-maintained, with several downed trees over the trail and a bit of bushwhacking in places.

But it's a short trail, not too steep or overgrown, and we made it to the falls quickly. Alarka Falls is one of the "hidden gems" of North Carolina waterfalls. It's very scenic and fairly easy to get to from Bryson City, but it's rare to ever see anyone else here. Having the falls to ourselves makes it that much better. Alarka Falls is a very tall cascading waterfall and it is not possible to view the entire waterfall from any one point.

And there are several cascades along Alarka Creek, so there isn't really a clear bottom of the falls.

We first stopped at the base to enjoy the view and take a few pictures then tried to head up further. We got stuck at a point with a tricky creek crossing and decided not to try and go up further to the top of the falls. It is possible to get to the top from here, but seemed a little tough today, so we decided not to to bother. It is also possible to drive around near the top at Alarka Laurel Preserve and get to it that way, but we wanted to get to camp soon, so we that will have to wait for another trip. We headed back to the car and made our way back to the main road and took US-19 into Nantahala Gorge. About 10 miles past the Nantahala Outdoor Center, we turned on Wayah Road and then onto the gravel Old River Road, which follows the Nantahala River. Old River Road ends right at the entrance to the Appletree Group Campground in Nantahala National Forest. We were in Group Site D, a really nice campground that was a little further away from the other sites and the Bartram Trail ran right past our campsite. After setting up camp, we built a nice campfire to stay warm. The temperature was dipping into the 30s overnight, unseasonably cold for Memorial Day weekend, so the warmth from the fire felt great. We headed to bed fairly early this night after a long drive out to the mountains. But over the course of the night, everyone in group arrived, the latest arriving some time after 1.

Paddling the Dan

On Saturday, we headed to Danbury for a day of paddling along the Dan River. We left the park-and-ride in Chapel Hill just before 8, arriving at the Dan River Company along the river around 10. We had about 20 people in our group and most were renting kayaks from the outfitter, but a few brought their own boats. Our launch time was not until 11, so we had some time to pay for our trip and get all ready to go. Initially we were going to do a 6-mile trip, but Chris talked to the owner and we ended up doing a 13-mile trip, starting from the Hart's Access area. On account of recent rains, the river level was higher than usual and the increased flow would make our float go faster. Chris thought doing the 6-mile run would take less than 2 hours with fast water currents and we all wanted a nice long day on the river. The 13-mile run would be closer to 5 or 6 hours, so that's what we did. We needed to have the rental boats back by 530, though, so we would have to move quickly. When everyone was ready, the outfitters loaded the boats onto two buses and we piled in and headed out to the launch site. Hart's Access is right at the bridge on NC-704 over Dan River, about 1.5 miles east of the intersection with NC-89. After getting our stuff together and a brief safety overview, we hit the water. Almost immediately, it started raining. First a light rain, and then a heavy downpour for a short time. But we're on the water anyway, so no worries about getting a little wet. After about 30 minutes, the rain let up, and although the skies were gray and cloudy, the rest of our trip was rain-free. Most of the run was a gradual, relaxing float along the Dan River, with a few sections of class I rapids here and there.

This was my first time doing "whitewater" paddling; I had only done flatwater previously. So, this was a great easy introduction to navigating rapids. And it was certainly clear I was a newbie - hitting rocks and getting turned around in my boat as I went over most of the rapids in a not-so-graceful way. But I managed to stay in the boat and not fall out during the trip. My rental boat was a Jackson recreational kayak, a nice boat made of plastic that is durable enough to bounce off the rocks that I was unable to avoid, but streamlined enough to be relatively fast. After about three hours, we paddled under the bridge on NC-89, roughly the half-way point on our trip.

Shortly past here, we stopped below some cliffs and took a short lunch break.

Lily and her husband had brought their dog Mango along for the trip. Mango had paddled before and even had his own life jacket. But he was a little bored on this trip, being stuck in the boat for hours with nothing to do. When we stopped here, he took the opportunity to splash around in the water and play fetch with a stick. Ken went for a little swim here, but everyone else, myself included, were already cold and wet enough.

The last section of the run was probably the most scenic.

The river runs through the northernmost section of Hanging Rock State Park.

The Dan River Bluffs, towering cliffs above the river on both sides, line this section of the river.

Right near the end of the run was the most exciting rapid of the trip - Play Wave, a class II rapid.

There was no staying dry through this one. I actually managed to navigate this rapid pretty well and didn't crash into any rocks going down, but did get quite a bit of water in my boat. After running the rapid, I paddled over to the shore to bail out several gallons of water from the kayak. After sitting in a wet seat for over five hours, I was ready to be dry. So I quickly paddled the last quarter mile back to Dan River Company just before the NC-89/NC-8 bridge and returned my boat. Although they didn't have showers, they did have a changing room and I don't think changing into dry clothes have ever felt so great. Once everyone was ready, we headed back home, stopping in Oak Ridge for Mexican at Rio Grande restaurant on the way.