Nolichucky – May 20
We had a (motley) crew of 7. Air temperature hovered around 70 and the flow was ~ 1000 cfs on the Embreeville gauge. (neither scrapey nor high) Everyone had been down the Noli before. We used the USA Raft van …
Author: Lee & Lena Thonus
Pigeon and FB9
Paddlers – Joe, Sam, Jay, and Lee The base plan was to paddle the Pigeon Gorge on Saturday and French Broad section 9 (FB9) on Sunday. We were hoping for enough rain to bring the Nolichucky, Big Laurel, or the …
Dealer’s Choice weekend
Asheville Area – Dealer's choice weekend Oct 27 & 28
Rain had brought changing water levels and several choices. On Saturday, the group divided between the “regular” Pigeon Gorge (2 turbine release) and the Hepco section of the Pigeon (at 1,000 cfs). I was the trip coordinator for the Hepco trip.
Nolichucky Gorge
Most of my trips go so smoothly that they are boring to read about. If you're on the trip, this is usually a good thing. We had a sunny day with blue skies and 1240 cfs on the Embreeville gauge. The group started out with 6 (Liz, Wes, Mort, Gary, Peter and myself) but grew to 9 by the time we were paddling with the additions of Robert, Gretchen, and Suzanne.
Big Laurel May 14, 2016
Big Laurel Creek 5/14/16
It's unusual to get the highlight of the trip before you finish setting shuttle, but this day was different. On the way back from dropping off the cars in Hot Springs there was a mama bear in a peach tree with a cub on the ground. She was pigging out after winter and apparently oblivious to how unripe the peaches were.
Participants Choice
Pigeon Gorge – May 31st
I had posted the trip as a “participant's choice” between French Broad 9, Pigeon Gorge, Nolichucky, and Big Laurel (if it came up). Not enough rain so Big Laurel was out, I was a little surprised when the Pigeon came in first.
Martha the Trip Coordinator
Two Trip Weekend
Saturday October 19, 2013 – French Broad Section 9
Martha was a bit nervous about her first time as a “trip coordinator”. However she had been on French Broad – Section 9 many times before and the crew was equally experienced. The level was a moderate 1450 cfs and the weather was also sunny and moderate. As it turned out her biggest task was organizing the shuttle. We had a crew of about a dozen, with a mix of kayaks and open canoes. It was a pretty mellow day.
Sunday October 20, 2013 – Nolichucky
Pigeon Sunday Aug 11th
The Pigeon doesn't have scheduled releases on Sundays, but the lake level was high and there was substantial inflow so we knew that Duke would generate at some time during the afternoon. There are several creeks that enter the 'Dries" between the dam and the powerhouse. Among them Hurricane Cr, Cold Springs Cr, and Big Cr, which can be seen from the put-in. On this morning the natural flow from these creeks was 700 cfs (minimum to run the Pigeon is around 300 cfs)
Big Laurel
The trip was advertised as "Paddler's Choice' and the votes were for Big Laurel Creek. It's normally a treat to catch Big Laurel up in the summer, however it has been above minimum from late June until the present. The level was about 5 inches on the painted gauge, a great level. It was still a treat. .A picture is worth a thousand words so Les Case's video must be worth a couple million. http://youtu.be/Di8c4-xdK4Y
What's going on in the video – after initially checking the gauge
French Broad Section 9
Sunday's trip was, once again, democracy in action. The vote was predictable; on Sundays people want to be on the road home earlier. French Broad 9 is closer, short shuttle, and a moderately short paddle (4.1 miles).