More than 75 Riverkeeper supporters attended the first ever “It Starts With a River Film Festival” at the Reeves Theater in Elkin on September 19. The festival included films of local, regional and national interest, including the NC premiere of “The Keeper” by award-winning National Geographic documentary film maker, Jon Bowermaster. The film recently won the top prize at the New York City Climate Change Film Festival and chronicles the nation’s first ever Riverkeeper organization’s efforts to protect the Hudson River.

Earlier this month, Yadkin Riverkeeper finished its final week of E. coli testing for Swim Guide! Our summer intern, Lance Morrison, did a great job coordinating the program this summer. Thank you to all our amazing volunteers who collected water samples from swim and paddle accesses from the mountains in Happy Valley to High Rock Lake every Wednesday.

I was among many other Waterkeepers from across the world in Quito, Ecuador this past week to share ideas, connect with fellow water advocates, and think through collective goals. It’s always exciting to see a room full of Waterkeepers excited to share stories of their successes, lessons learned, and about their favorite swimming holes and paddling trips.

Well, I did it! After months of planning and preparation, I paddled the entire length of the Yadkin River State Trail—more than 200 miles. Back in January, Ward, the Yadkin River State Trail Coordinator, as well as my friend and mentor, told me he had a vision: to organize a paddle covering the full length of the trail. Well, that lit the fire, and the wheels started rolling. By June, we had an itinerary and held our first meeting. For the first time, it felt real! We had people, and we had a plan.

Don’t put away those canoes and kayaks just yet! You don’t have to have special gear; you can enjoy great paddling in the Yadkin Basin well into November. Even if you don’t join us on one of the two trips we have planned in October, you should absolutely get out to one of the reservoirs like Tuckertown, Badin or Falls.

In case you missed it, The Long Paddle ended last week. While on their journey, Nicole Eastman and Ward Swann kept journals of their travels. Click on the links below to see their pics and entries by day or scroll through all of them from the bottom of this page.

Day 1: Happy Valley

Day 2: Kerr Scott Lake

Day 3: Tailwaters to Ronda

Day 4: Elkin to Shores

Day 5: Shores to Easy Bend Farms

Day 6: Easy Bend Farms to Huntsville Access

Day 7: Tanglewood to Highway 64

Day 8: Highway 64 to Boone's Cave

Day 9: Boone's Cave to York Hill

Day 10: High Rock Lake

Day 11: Tuckertown

Day 12: Badin Lake

Day 13: Falls Lake and Morrow Mountain

Day 14: Reflections