WOR: Tuckaseegee – 7/2/05

After over five hours of drivers ed into North Carolina, I arrived at the Week of Rivers base camp. By virtue of his time at the Nantahala for work, Lucas had already established camp. All I had to do was find him. Thankfully, he parked conspicuously. He woke up when I crawled into the tent, so I wasted no time in asking him to paddle tandem with me in the morning. I knew I would be tired mid-run no matter what difficulty. Tandem is always fun, so that seemed the perfect choice to me. Lucas didn’t require much persuasion. In the morning, we saw a number of familiar faces. The Leper Colony from Rendezvous was well represented, with Rich and his daughter Sarah, Ron and Misty, and Mac all spotted within the first five minutes at the tent. David and Sandra were spotted quickly as well.

I like the way Carolina Canoe Club runs their Week of Rivers. Membership is required. Camping fees are charged, but otherwise the event is free. Each morning, the crowd gathers under the tent and the River Guru reads through the entries on the river board, mentioning both current flows and skill level required for each river. Individuals volunteer as trip leaders. The rest of the crowd divvies themselves up among the trips and the groups work out the details then. No waivers are signed. No meals are served. No fuss. No muss. Just paddling.

Every day of the first weekend, trips went out to every river that was runnable. When Rich stepped up to lead a trip on the Tuckaseegee, we decided to paddle with him and Sarah. We had such a fine time bumping and scraping down Clear Creek at Rendezvous. It seemed natural to try paddling again where there was some water. The Tuck was running a tad higher than usual, so it sounded like a fun level. We bid farewell to David, Sandra and Mac who were heading for the Ocoee.

After a little bit of lazing at camp, our group headed for the Tuck Gorge put-in at Dillsboro. As put-ins go, it’s a pretty congested area, with the raft companies and private boaters crowding through the sometimes one-way streets of Dillsboro to the small parking area at the launch. We enjoyed some more lounging at the put-in while the shuttle drivers did their thing. We launched a bit before my belly started informing me that it was lunchtime. Several boaters missed connections with us. Sarah’s mom and another friend were supposed to meet us on river since they were running late. At the launch, we had solo canoes, kayaks and a few tandem canoes. One canoe paddler paddled like a kayaker, with two blades instead of one. He claimed to do it for a combination of safety and laziness reasons.

The Tuck Gorge run starts off easy but quickly picks up the pace. It’s a definite step up from the Hiwassee, but definitely a good intermediate before moving to the Nantahala. Lucas and I began the run talking through each of our moves, getting comfortable with being in the boat together. I could tell he had been guiding trips because he kept telling me what to do. Eventually he got over that.

We took a break for lunch at a little spot on river left that had a tent set up. We lunched by the side of the river enjoying the occasional carnage below a pretty good rapid. Sarah’s mom and Woody (not of the Woodall variety) caught up with us just as we were ready to leave. Not long after we launched, an older guy pulled up beside us and asked if we were paddling with the Carolina Canoe Club and if so was it a requirement for their trips that all paddlers keep their PFDs zipped. We said yes and probably, and he wasn’t all that happy. It was a warm day and the PFD was getting in his way. Nevermind their value in case he takes a spill. Later in the day, we saw him paddling fully zipped, so apparently others had said similar or perhaps more affirmative things than we did. I was just grateful he wasn’t with our group. Surely if he’s been paddling for a while, he knows better.

We came to a fun rapid where the water constricts through a smallish channel beside some rocks. It reminded me somewhat of Hawaii 5-0 on the Mulberry. Interesting approach, fun waves, big eddies below. Rich gave each of us a turn surfing the big wave with him. I had some confusion with the bow strokes since normally I paddle left, but with him I had to paddle right.

Not long after we continued downriver, one of our less experienced kayakers took a swim. I think during the swim, she attempted to grab a low-hanging tree to slow herself down. Sarah’s mom laid into her for that, which while important to mention lacked the proper restraint one needs for a beginner. We shrugged it off and continued downriver.

Just before the takeout, Woody and Sarah swapped boats. Sarah paddled Woody’s Phantom, which looked about the perfect fit for a young woman of her stature. She paddled like every bit the expert paddler on her own.

I was quite tired when we reached the takeout. We had a small grunt of a carry up the hill followed by some standing around waiting for shuttle. Back at camp, Lucas and I decided to be lazy about dinner, choosing to dine out with Rich and Sarah rather than shop for food and cook back at camp. By the end of dinner, I was ready for a pillow and by the time I found one, I slept hard through the night.