By Ward Swann, Yadkin River State Trail Coordinator
When preparing for a trip, the best you can hope for is to not create a situation that makes a bad experience, you know, dangerous conditions, not enough food, bad coffee. You really have no control over what makes a good trip, nice weather, good water level, good group of paddlers that want to paddle together. Our recent camping trip, August 8 - 10, was a GREAT trip! The participants got to the Pilot Mountain Ivy Bluff campsite and were set up before the staff arrived. Once YRK staff was there, we lit the fire and talked about paddle trips and what to expect for the next day. Once we turned in, the moon came up over the ridge and was so bright that headlamps were only needed for detail. We fell asleep to the river rushing through the shoals and moon shadows stretching across the ground.
After a quick breakfast of oatmeal and bagels (I introduced the braver campers to my favorite grits and gravy), we loaded up and took a couple of vehicles up to Yadkin Shores. The stretch between Yadkin Shores and Shoals is the longest paddle on the Yadkin River State Trail without a public access. We stopped for breaks under the Rockford bridge and at the confluence of the Ararat River. It took about 8 hours or so to run this section. It was easy to enjoy the company as the miles slipped by. When I would look around to check in with my fellow paddlers they were almost always beside one or more other paddlers. There have been few groups of paddlers that have coalesced this quickly, but not many. As fun as the group was, the highlight in that section is the clear view of Pilot Mountain from the water.
From Shoals to the campsite was a bit tricky for some in our group. Some glided through with an occasional rub on a rock, others seem to have rock magnets hiding in the boat. The channel on the right side, just above the campsite, is particularly rocky. But when taking the center course, you always feel the need to get right so you don’t miss the campsite. Invariably, an overabundance of caution causes paddlers to cut right too soon. I hope to make it easier to see where the campsite is in the future.
That evening was celebrated with good food, a great campfire and an early bed for some tired paddlers.
After taking down camp and setting a shuttle to Donnaha, we bounced down a more obvious channel all the way down the rest of the right side. We peeked up the Little Yadkin River to find a little arch that was fun to paddle through. And we saw Pilot Mountain one more time from the water. Donnaha came up a little too quickly, but with the temperatures rising, I was glad that we weren’t going down to Old 421. The shuttle would have been easy, but the portage and steep take out would have been HOT.
This experience has made me look forward to future trips, and future campfires. Watch for our calendar next year and join us on a camping trip.
