GARAGE D'OR
Dave finally talked us into canoeing. Christy and I hadn't paddled since our trip to Pennsylvania last June. Our last paddling adventure there was also our most humbling. We flipped the canoe in "Y" rapid on the Clarion River. We hadn't been on the water since. That had more to do with other complications than nervousness about our whitewater skills. We'd spent 5 weeks hiking and backpacking in the Rockies. Then we ran into the general laziness that always seems to strike after a long trip. My biggest concern though, was simply in getting the canoe out of the garage. Christy's sister and nephew are staying with us for awhile, and the garage has even more junk in it than normal. The real problem though, is with the garage door. You see, our electric garage door starting going up and down all by itself in the middle of the night last week. I wasn't sure if I should call a mechanic or a priest. The neighbors were already wary of us, but now I'm sure we'll a hot topic at the next homeowner's meeting.
So anyway, I got up one morning last week to find the garage door going up and down all by itself. It must've started doing it in the middle of the night, so there is no telling how long that had been going on. With a little luck and a lot of patience, I was able to unplug it when it was all the way down. If it had gone back up after that, I would've left the house and never looked back.
Our problem was temporarily solved, but I was reluctant to plug it back in. I was afraid that we'd never get it closed again. Lifting it manually didn't work. I waited until Sunday morning and threw caution to the wind. I would not be a prisoner to my own electric garage door, damn it! I plugged it in, and it worked fine. Christy and I dodged and weaved our way through the cluttered garage and eventually got the canoe on top of her car.
Christy, her 6 year-old nephew Nathan, and I met Dave near Yadkinville and drove up 421 towards Boone. I was delighted to discover that the highway that was nearly the death of me in my college years has been greatly improved. It's now 4-lanes most of the way from Winston through Wilkesboro. We crossed over the mountain and under the new Parkway Bridge, and then took the road towards Jefferson. Our plan for the day was to paddle a 14-mile section of the New River from Fleetwood to highway 163. I have paddled several of the more popular sections downstream, but I'd always wanted to explore the upper reaches of the river.
We were relying on Brenner's guidebook to get us to the put-in. The problem with guidebooks is that critical information changes over time. This is true with all guidebooks, but even more so with paddling guides. In Fleetwood (population 12, except on Sunday mornings, when it's 193), the private road to the put-in was gated. We drove upstream, but the only likely parking place was the Baptist Church / Post Office, which was rather crowded already. There were plenty of access points farther upstream, but we passed several low-water bridges along the way. We weren't too eager to portage all of them, so we reconsidered our options.
We drove downstream to a put-in on Windy Hill Road. This one looked more promising, so we unloaded. Nathan and I waited while Dave and Christy ran the shuttle. They had more fun with the takeout, as the place that the book recommended was posted as private property. Eventually they found a place to park the car and returned to the put-in shortly before lunchtime.
We finally got on the water and enjoyed a beautiful autumn day. It was sunny and pleasant, with just enough of a breeze to prevent it from getting too warm. The fall colors were starting to show, though it appeared to be a week away from peak. Still, the color added to the enjoyment of the trip. Every once in awhile we'd spot a particularly stunning tree in bright orange or gold.
A short stretch of water led to our first portage at a low-water bridge. We managed to get around it without getting anyone wet. Beyond, we entered one of the nicest stretches remaining on the New River. The wilderness character of the river has been compromised in most places by rampant development. Summer cottages and homes line most sections of the river now, but not this part. We floated for a couple of miles through deep forest. An occasional island or cliff caught our attention, and frequent ripples kept us alert. The biggest of the ripples, which could probably be deemed a mild rapid, was more than enough to thrill Nathan.
Just below it, we stopped along the wooded bank for lunch. We enjoyed the opportunity to relax and indulge in the quiet of the river. Our spot was highlighted by an immense hornet nest hanging from a nearby tree. The nest was easily 2' in diameter. We decided it was well past time to get on the water when Nathan suggested that it might be fun to throw rocks at it.
We floated downstream, and quickly discovered that our choice of lunch spots was a good one. A few bends later we passed a bulldozer clearing away trees to make way for another house. It was nice while it lasted.
We floated downstream through a more pastoral setting. We passed more farms than houses, and enjoyed views of the rolling hillside. Another low-water bridge required a portage, but it was only a minor delay in our journey. At one point we chased a Great Blue Heron downstream. Later we encountered a Wood Duck with chicks following close behind.
We reached the takeout late that afternoon. It had been a lazy day, as we'd covered 10 miles in perhaps 4 hours. A fair bit of that time had been at lunch. Still, it turned out to be the perfect way to relax after a long week. We're looking forward to returning and exploring more of the New River. I still haven't paddled much of the South Fork, and I've never been on the North Fork at all. After we've done those sections, we can focus on the main part of the river through Virginia.
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