By Ward Swann, Yadkin River State Trail Coordinator
A great way to kick off the summer is to celebrate the trails of North Carolina wit a couple hundred of our closest friends on the first weekend in June. We’ve had a bit of a tradition of leading one of the first events of the weekend, a river cleanup on the Yadkin River State Trail. River cleanups are typically well attended, but it still surprises me how many people burn a personal leave day to hit the river and collect trash out of freshly deposited mud.
Friday Morning, we unloaded the vehicles at Crater Park then parked down at Burch Station. Once we shuttled back up to Crater we huddled in the shade and enjoyed a picnic lunch. Before we got on the water, we conducted another tradition of our involvement at Trail Days, we acknowledged service to the Yadkin River and the paddling community. The “River Hero” award has been used to highlight the efforts of individuals that have contributed to the well being of Yadkin River with a significant emphasis on those that provide or promote recreational opportunities. This year it was my express joy to make sure both Edgar Miller and Richard Chatham were recognized.
Without a local nonprofit partner, the Yadkin River State Trail would only ever be a good idea on paper. It took Edgar’s leadership and the board of Yadkin Riverkeeper to allow the Yadkin River State Trail to have a conduit for funding and an advocate for the improvement and promotion of the trail. This in conjunction with Edgar’s ongoing advocacy for the Yadkin River as Yadkin Riverkeeper and executive director of YRK made this choice for River Hero an easy option.
Rick Chatham has been working for the health of the Yadkin as well as the recreational opportunities on the Yadkin for longer than there has been even a Riverkeeper. Rick has sought to preserve natural areas both above Ronda and in Costa Rica. His perseverance in this as well as his advocacy in recognizing previous River Hero recipients makes him another person worthy of calling River Hero.
Thank you to both gentlemen for setting a tall example.
After lunch we hit the water and started collecting trash. This was the first year that we did this section and there seemed to be trash ready to be found. I was in the Tire Puller; it is a contraption of two canoes designed to be stable and capable of heavy trash and tire loads. It was estimated that the group pulled 1500 pounds out of the river after we all got to Burch Station.
Saturday we enjoyed live music while greeting people at our booth. It was also nice to visit with other trail and agencies that were at the event.
Sunday we paddled with Elkin Valley Trail Association on the 6.9 mile stretch of the river from Shoals Access to Donnaha. The water was just about a perfect level. It was just full enough to not get caught on too many of the rocks that make up the shoals. And it was just low enough to catch a glimpse of some of the fish weirs. Other treats for the day were the pair of Bald Eagles and a glimpse of Pilot Mtn from the water.
The 2025 NC Trail Days event may be “in the books,” but the Summer is officially starting this weekend. There are plenty of opportunities to head to the mountains and enjoy the Yadkin River. Upper Yadkin Outfitters is a new shuttle service for folks looking to paddle above Ferguson. NC River Riders is also a great outfitter to get you on the water in the Ronda to Elkin area. Summer trips only happen if you plan them.