Bluebird Skies on the Big East Fork of the Pigeon

Photo taken by Shane Benedict

Last weekend I decided to take a long overdue trip down to Florida to visit my family. Like clockwork, as soon as I left for Florida is started to rain in Western North Carolina. I swear that it rains every time I leave time. And it didn't just rain, it poured.

As soon as my plane landed back in the Southeast Monday afternoon I was making phone calls to see if I could find anyone who wasn't already out chasing water to paddle with. As it got later, feeling a little defeated and like I missed the goods, I accepted that I wasn't going to be boating that day. What made it worse was that I heard most people were headed over to the Big East Fork of the Pigeon, a run that I had had on my list for a while now. The Big East Fork seldom runs and is known as the place to go when everything else is too high. I had heard nothing but spectacular things about it.

Fortunately for me, pretty much everything, including even the Big East Fork, had still been too high on Monday. I stayed over in Asheville Monday night to be ready bright and early the next day. I met Jeb and Mefford at the Earth Fare Tuesday morning and we were off to meet Adrienne and Shane at the take out of Big East Fork hoping that it would have dropped down to a reasonable. Seemed like all of Asheville had the same idea and the take-out parking lot was filled with lots more boaters all hoping the same thing. After checking the gauge and seeing that it was 2.5ft, which I was told was a great level, we were off to the put-in.

You start the hike in high up off the blue ridge parkway, with spectacular views overlooking Pisgah National Forest and Looking Glass. Those views were just the start of what I would call one of the more beautiful and classic runs in the Southeast. The water was crystal clear, the flora lush and green and the rapids big and clean.

Put this one on your list of runs to get on next time it rains a lot. I promise you will not regret it!