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Feature article
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Whitewater at The Nolichuckey Gorge
By Brad Lifford
NOLICHUCKY GORGE — On a Saturday in early May, the mood is ornery. Upstream rains at the headwaters are pushing the Nolichucky level higher, whipping the muddy water into peaks of angry white froth where river meets stone.
A fickle river, the Nolichucky: Two hours earlier, the mood was placid. But not fickle in a bad way. When Brent Ritchie spoke about the Nolichucky’s mood swings, he didn’t exclude himself from those who admire it for that very reason.
"If you talk to someone who shares your enjoyment of the outdoors," Ritchie said, "they usually have a place they go that kind of speaks to them. It’s sounds cliché, I know, but you feel it’s a two-way communication, where it’s actually speaking to you in a way, or it speaks to that certain part of you.
"The river flows through a national forest all the way from put-in to takeout. The only thing you see on the way down that reminds you you’re connected to civilization is the railroad on the left side of the river. Some days you see trains; some days you don’t."
With three major commercial outfitters located near Erwin — Cherokee Adventures, USA Raft and Nantahala Outdoor Center — the Nolichucky is the center of the whitewater world in Northeast Tennessee. But because the Nolichucky is so remote, it carries only a fraction of the traffic that two dam-fed rivers in North Carolina and Tennessee — the Nantahala River in the former and the Ocoee in the latter — have to deal with.
"Nolichucky is one of the last undiscovered pieces of commercial whitewater," said Tom Ploski, who works at the Nolichucky outpost for Nantahala Outdoor Center. "All the outfitters combined, we’ll have 25,000 people a year. That’s versus 250,000 to 300,000 on each of the other rivers."
Ritchie is a 15-year veteran of whitewater guiding, mostly on the Nolichucky. He has made the 8.5 mile trip so many times that Nolichucky whitewater might course through his veins, but that white count doesn’t diminish his enthusiasm. College courses have kept him away from his job with USA Raft for a year, and he’s ready to get back on the river. Ritchie has also guided on the Gauley, a West Virginia river that is an Eastern mecca because it is so intense, but the Nolichucky is still special to him.
"It’s a free flowing river, so it’s unpredictable," Ritchie said. "There’s no track underneath; you’re not riding on a train. Every time will be different. You may tag that little tiny rock you missed last time that may spin you around and you go down the rapid backwards."
The whitewater season on the Nolichucky opened in March and will run through late autumn. If you’re one of the 25,000 who will sample the Nolichucky this year and you’re a first-timer, there are some things you should know.
First off, you will get wet, perhaps even soaked. And whitewater rafting is not a good recreation choice for spectators.
"You’ll need to bring a change of clothing," said Sue Carney, a longtime guide at Cherokee Adventures. "You don’t need to be athletic, but you need to bring a willingness to paddle. And if you’re afraid of the water, that’s not a good thing. This is for someone who’s looking for a little bit of adventure. You’re almost out in the middle of nowhere, so that needs to be something you look forward to."
Expect the first half of a ride down the Nolichucky to contribute to more of an adrenaline rush. The Nolichucky is a mix of Class III and Class IV rapids — Class V is the most demanding level — and most of the Class IVs are in the first half of the run.
"In the Nolichucky, the first half of the trip the drop is about 60 to 65 feet a mile," said Tom Hensley, manager of USA Raft’s outpost. "The second half it’s about 30 to 35 feet a mile."
Whitewater rafts will handle groups as large as about 10. While the free-flowing unpredictability of the Nolichucky can be regarded as enchanting on one hand, it can also be a detriment where rafting is concerned. If the water is low and slow, it can shave off some excitement from a whitewater trip, so ask about water levels before you book a trip.
Those wanting to maximize their chances for a high-water trip should focus on spring or fall months. Water levels tend to drop in mid- to late June, a good time for families with children or those who want to get their feet wet in more placid conditions before trying something more adventurous.
Low water conditions also make for a good time to try the Nolichucky on your own, in a funyak. A cross between the hard-shell kayak and the inflatable raft, funyaks have surged in popularity in the ’90s because they offer paddlers the opportunity to go solo on the river, with more maneuverability than a raft without the technical demands that a kayak involves.
"It brings you closer to the level of the water," Carney said. "It gives you more freedom of movement and more feeling for what’s going on around you. They’re a little more forgiving than a canoe or a kayak. But I’m not an adrenaline junkie — I’ll take a raft. I just like to get out and enjoy the movement and the scenery.
"The Nolichucky is enough for me."
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