It seems that we have run the Tuckaseegee more than the Green this summer. The crowds of float bubbas have gotten so obnoxious that we’re willing to drive the extra miles to get to the Tuck.
This was Karen B’s last weekend as a Greenville resident, so Paul W joined us for a paddling trip. As we made the long drive, I offered alternatives via radio. We passed the turn-off for Saluda, NC, and the Green, we crossed over the section of the French Broad where Paul and I encountered the horses, and at Canton, I made mention of of the nearby Pigeon River. Karen’s response was that she prefers not to smell her water – horse effluvia for the French Broad nor the Champion paper mill’s distinctive aroma on the Pigeon.
The river was running at a modest level, much lower than our last trip. There were also very few other boats – a few rafts and inflatable kayaks, but nothing like the non-stop traffic of the Green. Since this is only the third time I’ve run the Tuck, I’m still just getting to know its personality at various levels. I have a hard time keeping track of the rapids, and have yet to learn their names. Still, it was a good run, with nice standing waves and nothing that left us feeling out of control. However, on one rapid Paul’s legs splayed wildly as his inflatable kayak nearly doubled over on one big standing wave.
As usual, the take-out hit us much sooner than we expected. Since we had evening obligations, we didn’t do a second run, and we skipped the photos offered to us at the take-out.