Tag: North Carolina

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Paddle Bob

Paddling Glenville Lake

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I’m not a golfer and I have little interest in spas.

So when Lara and I drove over the Dragon and into northeast Georgia to meet her brother, sister-in-law and another couple for a weekend in the mountains, I strapped the kayak to the top of the truck intending to explore nearby lakes.

After debating between Nantahala Lake and Glenville Lake in North Carolina, I opted for the latter, mostly because it looked a tad closer to where we were staying and it looked very remote. The drive over there definitely suggested it would be remote. I entered the GPS coordinates for Pine Creek boat ramp (N 35o 11′ 41”  W 83o 10′ 22”) into my Garmin. The GPS took me over some rough terrain, including a single lane dirt road that ran up and over the mountains, but eventually I found the ramp.

The lake was built by Alcoa in the 1940s and currently is owned by Duke Power. While it’s a pretty lake, it’s not as remote as I’d hoped. There are a lot of vacation homes along the shoreline and there was a good bit of boat traffic on the water, though it mostly was pontoons and ski boats. No Vol Navy yachts throwing off six-foot wakes on this lake.

I paddled a large loop, covering 9.9 miles in all and getting back to the cabin in time to see most of the Alabama game. Not a bad way to spend a football Saturday.

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Paddle Bob

Back in the kayak: Fontana Lake

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I screwed up my back a few months ago and have been getting in the kayak sparingly. This week, I finally felt good enough to jump in the boat again. It helped that my buddy Jim had the week off and wanted to head up the Fontana Lake in the Smokey Mountains to paddle. It’s one of my favorite spots and I was thrilled to go back.

We drove up on Monday in a rainstorm and things weren’t looking good, but after we arrived at Fontana the weather eased and we decided to put in at Fontana Village Marina. From there, we headed up Eagle Creek amid dramatic skies and a bunch of kids in canoes. It was a nice, though tiring, paddle. All told, we went about 9 miles.

After a hard rain Tuesday night, we awoke to cloudy skies and headed up to Cable Cove and put in there. I love this put in. It’s remote, and it puts you in the heart of Fontana. We were out for a few hours and covered about five miles. I saw one canoe and a couple power boats the entire time. And the Smokey Mountains made it very clear how they got their name. The clouds and mist rising up out of the trees were amazing.

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Paddle Bob

Tackling the Dragon in an F-150

truck_kayak.jpgI finally broke down and purchased a Yakima rack system for my truck so I can transport my kayak. Paddling Loudon is getting a bit dull.

I bought Q Towers for the cab and the Outdoorsman 3oo system for the bed of the truck. Initially, I had the bed rack positioned as far back as I could get it, but when I loaded the kayak, the Mako saddles were on a very thin part of the boat and it just didn’t feel right. I moved the bed rack as far forward toward the cab as I could, and that did the trick. I strapped the yak in the saddles, tied down the bow and stern and set off for Fontana Lake in North Carolina.

To get to Fontana, I had to take 129 south, which becomes the infamous Dragon, where motorcyclists go to test their skills on an 11-mile stretch of road packed with 318 crazy curves. I generally hate that road. Most of the bikes are great, but I’ve had a few instances where I’ve hit a hairpin turn to see a crotch rocket in my lane trying not to become my new hood ornament. On this trip, that wasn’t a problem. I went early enough where I didn’t encounter much traffic on the way over, and on the way home, everyone was playing nicely and staying in their lane, though a few of those guys were going insanely fast. And the kayak stayed firmly in place as I navigated the serpentine highway.

I decided to put in at Cable Cove when I reached Fontana. There’s a campground there and a basic boat ramp. As soon as I set out, I was astounded by how beautiful Fontana is. It’s bordered on one side by Smoky Mountain National Park and on the southern shore by Nantahala National Forest. I paddled west, intending to do a large loop that ultimately would bring me back to Cable Cove. I wanted to stop somewhere along the way, but the shore was very steep and rocky. I didn’t find a decent place to land until I was almost back to Cable Cove. There’s a primitive campground just east of the cove where I stopped to take a break.

In all, I paddled about 11 miles and hope to go back there to camp for a few days so I can explore more of the lake. It’s refreshing to paddle a lake with no development along the shoreline, just giant pine trees, rocks and wildlife.
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