During the last weekend of September we attended the Nantahala Outdoor Center’s Guest Appreciation Weekend in Bryson City, NC. This is an annual event that they host and they have vendors, lots of freebies, contests, live music and a big gear sale.
We camped at a campground a few miles from the NOC and Scott paddled both days. I was still feeling nervous about boating after my mini meltdown on the Hiawassee so I just hung out at the NOC while he was on the river. I enjoyed watching kayakers play on the slalom course at the NOC and walking around the trade fair. There are dozens of used-gear sellers that set up at the festival and I was on a mission to find a decent waterproof jacket. I was successful and snagged a Gore Tex jacket for $30 (Scott haggled the seller down while I watched- this introverted, people-pleasing, rule-followin’ Southern girl finds haggling very stressful).
The most interesting part of our weekend came on Saturday night back at the campground. Foothills Paddling Club had a group campsite and everyone gathered round the campfire after having dinner to relax, drink, socialize, etc. Two random fellas joined our group which was fine since we usually take on a “more the merrier’’ sort of approach when it involves campfire activities. One of the men was Irish and I offered my sincere condolences to him since Queen Elizabeth II had just recently passed away. He took that as an opportunity to curse her name, and unload about all of her shortcomings. It was a bizarre response to a seemingly innocuous comment. He then proceeded to try and fight a giant Kayak Georgia paddler who is also an MMA fighter, and then sat down in his camp chair and wet his pants.
On Sunday, Scott and a group of FPC kayakers ran the Upper Nantahala and I was both Shuttle-Bunny and photographer. The Nantahala river runs right next to the road and it makes it easy to drive along, park and then wait for the kayakers to come down. The river is narrow here and has class III+ rapids in quick succession which makes it entertaining to observe especially since there were so many people on the river this particular day. Scott had a picture perfect day on the water but had to help a fellow paddler in his group when he took a spill at a rapid. The paddler was banged up but otherwise ok.
