French Broad Section 9 4/9 & 4/10
| River: | French Broad |
| Skill: | Intermediate |
| Trip Date: | 04/09/2022 |
French Broad River, Section 9, April 9 and 10, 2022 – trip coordinator Wayne Jones
Flow: around 3,300 cfs on Saturday falling to 3,100 cfs or so on Sunday
French Broad Section 9 is just north of Asheville and is a popular destination for both Asheville boaters and others from around the region. It can have a pretty stable flow, and be fairly predictable from several days or even weeks out. This trip was planned over a month ago when it was around 3,200 cfs and turned out to be pretty much the same level when we paddled it. That reliability is a useful attribute. Anything from 1,200 to 3,500 cfs is a good introductory level.
There are 2 sections; the first 4.1 miles from Barnard to Stackhouse, and the second 4.1 miles from Stackhouse to Hot Springs. The first section consists of a nice long warmup portion, followed by many class II-III rapids, with the most challenging being Big Pillow. The second is from Stackhouse to Hot Springs, which includes Kayaker’s Ledge (III+) depending on flow, and Frank Bells (IV), with a lot of flatwater in between. Both day’s trips went from Barnard to Stackhouse. Sunday’s trip had intended for some paddlers to continue on to Hot Springs, but as the day progressed, the decision was made to not continue past Stackhouse. (Trip coordinator note: if setting up for Hot Springs, try to allow for an extra car or 2 at Stackhouse as a fall-back, if possible)
This was planned as a 2 day trip, and the weekend’s weather (Saturday, at least) did not look promising, with the result of having 9 paddlers instead of the 18 originally signed up. (Trip coordinator note: it is OK to have more than the max posted trip number signed up, there is inevitably a change of plans for someone.
Saturday’s weather was forecast as a high of 43 with clouds. At Barnard, the temperature was around 36 or so with blowing snow, which continued through most of the day! It added a certain charm to that day’s trip. Those conditions are not ideal but pretty manageable with the right clothing. Also, the water was not dead-of-winter cold, so that was a positive factor. The only first-timer on the trip was Chris’ 9 year old son Tucker, who was happy as a clam and made everyone else feel poorly about their paddling skills. A couple of great images I took away from the day were of Chris and Tucker bouncing their way down Sandy Bottoms and then later of Tucker getting type-writered laterally about 5 feet from a sideways wave in Pinball. That, and the sideways blowing snow at times!
Sunday’s trip started with a crowd at Barnard, with the clouds having cleared and a warmer day predicted. There were many paddlers that day; I don’t think I have seen quite so many people standing on the rocks down below Sandy Bottoms.
The weekend’s trip was intended as kind of a shake-down cruise for adventurous folks coming out of winter, and proved to be that. There was some confidence-building, and also some lessons learned and skills to focus on about bracing and keeping some forward momentum when entering a hole. The correct clothing kept any in-water experiences within a reasonable margin of safety. All in all, it was an excellent weekend with some new faces for me on a river I love. I can’t wait to do it again.
- Bob Wiggins (Sunday)
- Len Prosnitz (Sunday)
- Bonnie Kornegay
- Chris Chandler
- Tucker Chandler
- Donnie Fleming
- Kate Wilkerson
- Lester Hurrelbrink (Saturday)
- Mitch Engel
- Sloan Hess (Sunday)
- Steve McConnell
- Wayne Jones