Paddlers find Eno running at an enjoyable level
| River: | Eno |
| Skill: | Novice+ |
| Trip Date: | 01/19/2013 |
Section: Pleasant Green Road to Cole Mill Road (3.6 miles)
Level: 1.5 feet on the Pleasant Green bridge gauge
Difficulty: Class I-II
Date: Jan. 19, 2013
Participants: Sylvia DuRant (K-1), Robyn Maness (K-1), Bob Brueckner (C-1)
The Eno River usually reaches a good level — not too scrapey, but not washed out — in the middle of the night or during especially cold, rainy weather. But we were fortunate to find the river at such a level on a beautiful sunny day with temperature in the low 50's.
Sylvia and Robyn picked a good day for their first voyage on the river. Much of this section runs through the Eno River State Park, which has great scenery with tall bluffs harboring large stands of mountain laurel and rhododendron. We were able to spot a great blue heron flying gracefully upriver, a kingfisher zipping back and forth overhead, and a large turtle catching some rays on a rock.
The river's rise from earlier in the week was marked by cleanly swept banks, a Styrofoam cooler caught in tree limbs four feet off the water and clumps of dead leaves stuck in the branches above our heads.
There's a great little rock garden about halfway through the trip that provides an opportunity for play and practicing strokes. This is soon followed by a series of Class II rapids that provide more opportunities to tune up eddy turns, peel outs and ferries. It also provided an excellent spot for me to invert the boat and become one with the river. I really need a roll.
We found a few more rapids at the entrance to the large pool of water known at the Bobbit Hole abouty two/thirds of the way through the trip. It's a good idea to know where the Cole Mill Road access is located so you don't miss the small, nondescript, wooden dock that blends in perfectly with the soil on river left. The banks past the dock are quite steep.
After a good day of paddling, we drove all of 10 minutes from the Pleasant Green access to downtown Durham for a late lunch under the awning at Alivia's on Main Street across from Brightleaf Square.
Curiously, we saw a group of 15 riders on motor scooters cruising through the Bull City. They revved their mighty engines while waiting at a stoplight before roaring off for parts unknown. The riders chose not to roll into the restaurant, doubtless because of the presence of whitewater paddlers. By the way, a waitress said there are two scooter "gangs" in the city that have special jackets and patches. Watch out!!
Note: A ranger from Eno River State Park reminded us that the access gates close at 5:30 p.m. this time of year. Make sure you start your trip earlier enough to finish running shuttle at the end of the day.