By Nicole Eastman, Yadkin Riverkeeper and Ward Swann, Yadkin River State Trail Coordinator

Ward Swann, Yadkin River State Trail Coordinator

“We thought of the great possibilities for canoe clubs to enjoy frolics on the long stretches of the Yadkin.… But the time will come when boating for pleasure, a most enjoyable sport, will be more popular on the Yadkin. “

-Douglas Rights, A Voyage down the Yadkin-Great Pee Dee River, 1925

This morning was the last time on this trip that we would wake up at Upper Yadkin Outfitters. Knowing my fondness for the Dixie Donuts (local to Wilkesboro and backs up to the river), and that they are closed on Monday, Chad bought a box of donuts that we enjoyed both in taste and spirit. Then we climbed into the shuttle one last time and made our way to Tailwaters.

We intend to paddle 20 miles to an island and camp. After paddling to the island at 5 o’clock, we decided our “day four” would be easier if we went on to Crater Park. The extra 10-11 miles caused us to get off the water at 8:20. We had left Tailrace around 9:30 making it about an eleven hour day. I knew when we made this decision that I would probably be too tired to eat dinner. I was right.

While working with Ryann from NC River Riders during the Yadkin River Rumble canoe and kayak race, I learned that the water released by the Corps of Engineers at Kerr Scott takes about 12 hours to reach Ronda. We did it in ten and took a total of about two hours of break time.

From Tailwaters to Smoot Park we still saw the same abundance of wildlife that we experienced in the Upper Yadkin and Kerr Scott. Too many Ducks, Herons, and Kingfishers to count. The highlight was a pair of Otters.

The river showed signs of recently high water but was dropping. As light waned it made rocks harder to spot and harder to avoid.

Tailwaters access is near the base of Kerr Scott Dam. The river rises cool and ready. As we put on the river today, we officially began our journey on the 162.4 mile Yadkin River State Trail(YRST). In 1985, the NC General Assembly established the Yadkin River State Trail as a paddle trail which is part of the North Carolina State Trails System, and the NC Division of Parks and Recreation. There are occasional Mile Markers that start high and end with 0.0 at Morrow Mountain. In the next 10 or so days of paddling we will tick off the miles as we tick off the mile markers. They are there to also provide a point of reference for the purpose of EMS. Hopefully, stranded paddlers or tubers calling for help will be able to say that “I just passed Mile Marker 131” when they are asked where they are, rather than, “on the river.”

The YRST is more than Mile Markers. It has 19 designated access points. These are places that are public or have an easement that will allow people to use the accesses permanently. There are several sections of the river that need more accesses. The goal is to have one every five miles on the river. That is specifically so that fishermen can get on the water and enjoy more time fishing and not have to paddle a great distance. We still need at least four new access points.

One of the most common things people ask about paddling on the river is, “can I camp on it?” At the moment there are 10 public places where camping is permitted and growing. Some of these spots are really amazing places to get away from it all. This year a new campsite was added on some islands. In time, this site will be considered one of the best spots to canoe camp in NC. These islands were secured with the help of the Piedmont Land Conservancy and have been named Aquilla Islands. More Campsites will be added. There are also private Campsites on the river of which we will stay in 3 and an ever growing number of air b&b sites are being added to the internet each day.

Then there’s the portages. We’ll have two on the first leg of the trip, both are water intakes for the City of Winston-Salem. The four on the second part of the trip will be more consequential. But if you have the chance to paddle to one and just walk it, the views of the dams are incredible. Some of the portage trails are gorgeous. Paddlers don’t always have to carry their worldly possessions just to walk the trail, sometimes it’s enough to be a side quest on a day that you are paddling.

Previous paddles of the Rogers and Rights ventures have started here, (officially) or in Wilkesboro and paddled to the sea. Rights did it about a week at a time in the fall of three years. Rogers did it all in one shot but took a little more than 3 weeks. Our trip has a few more constraints on it and will need to stop at Morrow Mountain State Park.

We paddled a section of the trail where Michael Pate gave me grave warning. Michael was on the trip in 1982 and paddled the section between Smoot Park and Roaring river a few times. At that time the trees had been “in the water” enough to create stream wide jams. He felt that one of those trips was about the end of both him and his dad. But now it’s clear. I was on it earlier in the spring. It actually has one of my favorite large rocks on it. Church Rock is as big as a country church and sits like it’s waiting for you to see it. Every local who will mention this boulder will tell you to stay away from the base of it. Apparently currents have pulled people under.

Roaring River.

Along the north bank of the river between North Wilkesboro and Ronda is a community called Roaring River. So named from the river that joins the Yadkin and comes out of the tributaries of, and around Stone Mountain State Park. Every once in a while a wayward trout comes down to the Yadkin before retreating back up the waterway to cooler and clearer waters. The diner that operates as the community hub is the type that can make you feel like a “regular” before you get to your table.

When Floyd Rogers and the family Pate paddled past this spot, they remarked about it for a different reason.

“It is, sadly, not all beauty on the river. And, invariably, where the beauty is disturbed you see the hand of man.

Just below Roaring River, on the Yadkin’s north bank - the town side- there is a garbage dump spilling down to the water’s edge. ‘There’s the community trash pile,’ said Mike Pate as we passed Tuesday morning.

It was a bitter joke, of course. Roaring river is a proud community and would never sanction a river garbage disposal. But some apparently find it less taxing to dump on the river than to use the landfill. They have plenty of company; we have seen trash, in piles and scattered , virtually all the way from Ferguson.

Walter Burgiss of Jonesville, who is 83 and has spent much of his life on the Yadkin, told me earlier that it used to be worse. ‘Everything was dumped in the river back years ago: If you didn’t want it, throw it in the river.’

-Floyd Rogers, Yadkin Passage, 1982

Now there is a community landfill here operated by Wilkes County and is on the other side of Hwy 268 from the Yadkin. The county also owns the land between the river and highway 268 and has had plans to develop a park to go along with the access that Wildlife Resource Commission has constructed. These plans have had a setback but may come to fruition for the benefit of the citizens of this part of Wilkes County.

While there are still an alarming number of tires in the river, no longer are there community dumpsites along the river anymore. That is not to say that trash stays out of the river, but it’s no longer a regular way to dispose of garbage. I would suspect education and enforcement are to credit for this shift in environmental conditions.

Nicole Eastman, Yadkin Riverkeeper

On our third day paddling the Yadkin River, we started at the Tailwaters of Kerr Scott. After Chad from Upper Yadkin Outfitters dropped us off with Dixie Donuts at the access, we were sugared up and on our way.

There were tall grasses creating a maze across the narrow river. We weaved through these shallow areas and waved to the morning walkers on the greenway. Eventually, the river opened up more and we floated downstream through Wilkesboro into North Wilkesboro.

This urban stretch of river contrasted from the rural and more wild stretch of river we floated the last couple of days. There was more bustle from the roads and businesses we passed.

I have a YSI handheld monitor to measure a few parameters along the way. We floated past the outfalls from both cities’ publicly owned treatment works (POTW) and collected some measurements before stopping at Smoot Park for lunch. We noticed the soapy smell coming from the outfall that often accompanies wastewater treatment plants. I’ll share all our monitoring results at the end of the Long Paddle.

The Wilkesboro POTW receives wastewater from Tyson’s processing plant too. Their discharge accounts for a large portion of Wilkesboro’s total flow and the company has a large presence in the city. These processing plants require large quantities of water and their wastewater can contain high levels of nutrients and potentially bacteria.

The poultry industry has grown in Wilkes County, and we noticed its impact downstream from Wilkesboro too. Floating from Roaring River to Elkin, we pass several fields that smell of chicken litter. Driving around Ronda I have seen large trucks carrying liquid waste to farmers who purchase litter for fertilizer from nearby poultry houses.

After each rain we see spikes in E. Coli levels especially from Roaring River to Elkin. It is likely the application of chicken litter is a cause, but we also know of several land application sites along the river and its tributaries around Roaring River and Ronda. Land application sites are fields where treated wastewater and sludge are sprayed or injected into the soil. There are dozens of sites in this area that could be contributing to these bacteria hotspots.

On a more positive note, we enjoyed seeing stark white egrets, cormorants, and blue herons on this stretch of river. After leaving the Wilkesboros, we were mostly surrounded by farmland. We stopped at a beautiful island with clear river water trickling across the rocks. We planned to camp on this island, but with a meet and greet at Crater Park the next morning, we decided to paddle the extra 9 miles tonight.

Although we were tired the last few miles, golden hour and sunset are my favorite times to paddle when wildlife is active and the water feels more still. We watched the trees turn yellow with the warm fading sun and the water gain a silver reflection. The clouds became more vibrant ahead with the fading sun behind us. It was a great end to our day.