By Nicole Eastman, Yadkin Riverkeeper and Ward Swann, Yadkin River State Trail Coordinator
Ward Swann, Yadkin River State Trail Coordinator
The campsite was just across the very skinny lake of Tuckertown from the portage. Loading up just to paddle and unload was more of a disappointment than a problem. Even though we were told it was the same length as the portage that we did the day before, it was easier….”er.” This portage has all the aesthetics of an industrial scrap yard. After resting a bit we launched onto Badin Lake.
The upper section of Badin has a natural beauty that is still present even when you get onto the main section of the lake where houses hug the shoreline. I really understand why people love Badin. The day is hot and we found a shady corner to jump out of the boats and float shamelessly. No one can truly appreciate a cool body of water until they have performed intense, prolonged effort in the summer sun.
Needing water for the night and the last day, we stopped at Badin where YRK Board President, Colleen McDaniel met us with fruit, cold drinks, and a super special tomato sandwich waiting. Then we were off to the Narrows.
“… the Narrows were formed by the passage of the river between the high rocky hills, and that the narrow channel was little more than thirty or forty yards across. It was the narrowest neck known in the stream. The water rushed through at a terribly swift rate. No person had ever gone through alive. Casualties by accident had been reported. This was the scene of a picnic resort known to all the country around. Great fish frys were held here, and people from long distances came to share the pleasure.”
-A Voyage Down the Yadkin-Great Pee Dee River, Douglas Rights
Before it was a picnic resort it had been used by Native Americans since at least 10,000 BCE, but that’s another story for tomorrow.
The next campsite was half way down the portage trail around Narrows Dam. We got there, with our gear and boats as we were losing light. We still could see the sun’s glow on the brick dam building across the river from us, but our camp was getting dark enough to make sure the headlamps were handy. Camp was made and dinner was being cleaned up in the relative dark, I say relative because of an enormous light pointed right at our campsite. Tired, we each settled into our last night sleeping on the Yadkin River State Trail.
This is the most quiet campsite of the trip. Down in the steep sides of the Narrows there is no road noise. There is no distant train or industry to disturb the night sounds. There isn’t even much bird noise that comes over the sounds of the water passing through the dam. Zipped up in our tents and hammocks we are left to ponder what the last day of the trip will bring.
Nicole Eastman, Yadkin Riverkeeper
We woke up feeling a bit more refreshed after a slightly breezier night at our Tuckertown campsite. As I hopped into my morning routine of heating up water for instant coffee and oatmeal, I started making plans in my head to bring my family and friends back to this island to enjoy the tranquility of Tuckertown and hopefully see more river otters!
We packed our kayaks and paddled a little less than a mile to the portage on the other side of the lake. One by one we emptied our gear into bags to make our exit from the lake easier with our kayaks. Working as a team, we made our way along the portage path until we could see the solar panels next to our put-in downstream from the dam on Badin Lake. This portage felt easier than the High Rock Lake dam with more of a constant downhill slope.
We took a snack break in the shade of the trees along the bank and watched ospreys, herons, and egrets flying around the dam. Once we were floating again, I was surprised by upper Badin Lake. Right from the start, we saw unique islands made up of wetlands with tall grasses and snags with cormorants perched on their branches. There were several large woody nests resting on branches toward the top of the snags. It felt like a completely natural haven for all the wildlife.
We continued paddling down the center of the lake until we met a bridge and the lake widened. We rested in the shade of the bridge before paddling along the inside of another island. From there we paddled across what felt to be a wide cove. It seemed like we were paddling against some wind, but I’m not sure if I was just tired after our portage. Badin Lake had fewer houses on larger properties stretching across the banks on either side of the dark blue lake.
We found a rocky shore on river (lake) right and quickly hopped into the lake to float in the water. The drop off from the rocks gave us some cooler water. Each of us searched for the cold spots that periodically floated by our feet. Reluctantly, we left the water, hopped back into our boats, and started paddling toward the town of Badin where our generous Board President, Colleen McDaniel awaited us with fresh fruit and amazing tomato sandwiches with veggies grown from her garden. The sandwich definitely boosted my energy for the last section of the Badin Lake paddle!
The boat ramp in Badin is next to a couple of the sites where we have worked with the Duke Environmental Law and Policy Clinic and the Concerned Citizens of West Badin (CCWB) to sample for pollutants. The stormwater outfall from Alcoa’s shuttered aluminum smelting plant is located in between the boat ramp and the public beach in Badin, just a few hundred feet from the swim area. The CCWB have been advocating for the cleanup of the legacy hazardous waste left behind by Alcoa and accountability for their lasting impacts on the community and the environment.
We paddled out of the Badin cove and past the dark green forested land that makes up state park and forest service land. Around the corner, we could see the dam and signs warning us of the upcoming portage. It was a steep exit, but we once again worked as a team to carry our gear and kayaks down the switchbacks on the Narrows Dam portage trail. Our campsite was halfway through the portage trail which was a nice excuse to drop our things and make our dehydrated dinners which taste like a gourmet meal after a day of paddling and hiking.