North Toe Gorge Red Hill, NC
| River: | North Toe |
| Skill: | Novice+ |
| Trip Date: | 01/08/2012 |
Trip Leader: Rich Ruhlen
Report by by Joan Monnig
We had a wonderful time paddling the North Toe “Gorge” (as Rich calls it) on Sunday. Thirteen paddlers in the group with many first-timers on this fun paddle. There is a nice gentle warm-up at Rich’s special put-in before heading into a rapid he calls “Eighth Mile.” A few more memorable rapids with small drops but no “names” and “Three Eddy Rock” rapid that challenged everyone. No one was able to catch all three swirly eddies but we had fun trying. Rich is a terrific leader who stops periodically to give advice before leading everyone down a rapid. For this novice with her two kids in tow, that was much appreciated. For those of you who have been on the Nanty and are looking for something similar but with a new twist the Toe should be considered. If the Nolichucky is running but you aren’t up for it, try this novice run. We had a great time with a fabulous group of CCCers. We were all sad to see the bridge at the end. Let’s do it again soon! Thanks Rich!
Meeting place: Intersection of NC 226 and NC 197
Paddler Level: Novice/Intermediate
Length: 2-3 mile, Class 2-2.5
Water level: Low but runnable. (When the Nolichucky is running so the Toe)
http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River/state-summary/state/NC/
Weather: 50 degrees
Participants: Greta Durbin, Marlow Durbin, Ryland Godfrey, Mary Ellen Griffin, Jenni Hubbard, Joan Monnig, Robert Pajor, Bill Poorboy, Rick Regenfus, Rich Ruhlen, Sarah Ruhlen, Jim Wendling, April Williamson
Swims: None