By Ward Swann, Yadkin River State Trail Coordinator
As we move past the Winter Solstice, I am reminded that it’s harder (not impossible) to get out and paddle in the Winter months. But that doesn’t mean that I am not thinking about getting out. Short dark days mean curling up with books and maps that feed the curiosity that would normally be satisfied in the seat of a boat. Fortunately for me, work feeds me a steady diet of planning for the next year’s paddles, fulfilling grant requirements, meeting various people wearing Carhartt jackets in muddy fields to talk about access possibilities, and making maps.
That’s right, I’m currently collaborating with the Piedmont Triad Regional Council to make a new paper map of the Yadkin River State Trail. Maps are the hallmark of any “armchair paddling.” I can’t begin to tell how much time I’ve spent in my life following a blue, squiggly line across an oversized sheet of paper. Like many people who have spent time looking at maps, the symbols and shapes become 3D in my mind and I am transported to the site, if only in my imagination. When repeated study is then reinforced by a trip at a later time and imagination matches reality it’s like opening the present at Christmas that you’re hoping is a carbon fiber canoe paddle and it really is the carbon fiber canoe paddle. Happiness.
While the new paper version of the map is not far enough along to share at this time, the online map has been updated and is ready for you to ponder what you will do in warmer weather.
Yadkin River State Trail Online Map
Not only does this have the accesses of the Yadkin, it also has many of the paddle-able tributaries like:
South Yadkin Paddle Trail
Fisher River
Mitchell River
Ararat River
Uwharrie River
Zoom in and see how you can expand your paddling choices without even leaving the basin. I’ve also had fun changing the base map appearance. Each one gives dramatically different views of the same information.
And you can’t call yourself an armchair paddler without having some books to reinforce your interest. A solid choice for any paddler of the Yadkin River is Yadkin Passage. [and] A Voyage Down the Yadkin-Great Peedee River: Rogers, Floyd and Douglas L. Rights. This book talks about two different extended trips down the Yadkin River. To be truthful, I’ve only read the first book in this volume. I get so interested in one of the people in the book that I chase more information about Bob Pate and forget to read the second part. That is an error I intend to correct this year. But first, I may rewatch this interview with Bob. This is a three part interview that is truly amazing.
Interview with Robert "Bob" Pate (1928-1987) Part 1
It’s easy to see why the Huntsville access is also called the Bob Pate Access. The man was an original.
I also have a history book on my shelf in honor of the 250th anniversary of the Revolution. It’s time I learned a bit of the real history of Daniel Boone and his time in the Yadkin River Basin. No one is better to learn that from than Randell Jones.
In the Footsteps of Daniel Boone (2nd edition, 2024) — Randell Jones
The last book on my winter reading list is an ecological history of the trees in North America and how they shaped the growth of our nation.
American Canopy: Trees, Forests, and the Making of a Nation: Rutkow, Eric
I think that this is going to be one of those books that will cause me to look at the riverbanks and woods beyond with even greater appreciation.
That list should get me to warmer weather (I’m not known for my speed in reading). Armchair Paddlers out there are welcome to share their winter coping…. ahh… winter reading list with me at ward@yadkinriverkeeper.org. Perhaps your recommendations will show up on the Yadkin River State Trail Facebook page. Until the Spring, stay warm and may your hot chocolate have only fresh marshmallows.