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Ruralite Cafe: Published 8/17/00

By Lynn Hotaling



Training boaters on the Tuckaseigee

 By Lynn Hotaling Associate Editor
Sometimes you just get lucky. While I was casting aimlessly about for a col-umn topic the other day, Nantahala Power & Light District Manager Fred Alexander happened to call. Fred's usually good for a tip, and that day was no exception.

Though his opening gambit - "I'm calling to report the theft of the Tuckaseigee River," - proved less than accurate, it's certainly true that water flow is way down in Jackson County's primary waterway and its tributaries.

Fred did tell me something I didn't know about the mighty Tuckaseigee, however. It seems that our local river is esteemed by whitewater boating instructors as a great place to teach beginners the basics of kayaking and rafting.

Shane Williams, outdoor programs coordinator at Western Carolina University, said he's been using the Tuckaseigee as a classroom for years. A former river guide and instructor at Nantahala Outdoor Center, Williams said the Tuckaseigee is ideal for novice paddlers.

"The features in the river are good for beginners," Williams said. "The eddies are big enough to get a class into, and the current is easy to read."

In other words, the Tuckaseigee offers some challenges for beginners but is safe enough that Williams and other instructors can hang back and let the students learn and explore. "There's room for error on this river," Williams said. "It's a good warm up for other whitewater."

Williams emphasized that even though the Tuckaseigee is relatively safe, instruction in proper techniques and safety procedures is important and that no one should ever boat alone. "But in a group setting, the Tuckaseigee is a great novice river," he said.

When it comes to water temperature, our hometown river is just right. The Tuckaseigee is warmer than other area streams, Williams said. "That's a plus. It's not like the Nantahala where if they take a swim they're in shock for 30 minutes. We sometimes go swimming in the smaller rapids so they can experience the feel of the water."

Williams will be conducting weekend kayaking clinics throughout September for WCU students and staff, he said, and expects that he and his pupils will have lots of company as they make their way through the Tuckaseigee Gorge - the section from Dillsboro to Barkers Creek.

Despite recent drought conditions, there is enough water in the gorge to teach classes, Williams said, but the river would actually be safer with a little more water covering the rocks.

Many camps and colleges use the Tuckaseigee as a proving ground, as he does, requiring that individuals perform well on the Tuckaseigee before moving on to other rivers, Williams said. "The Tuckaseigee is a good cradle of education as far as boating experience is concerned."

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