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“Lofty
hills...magnificent forests. ..extensive green meadows….one of the
most charming mountain landscapes anywhere." So wrote naturalist
William Bartram in
1775
when he explored what's now western North Carolina. Then, as now
(borrowing Bartam's florid phrasing), the silver flood of the Little
Tennessee River flows like a vast serpent rushing after its prey. That
strong current and a fortunate absence of dams along a 23- mile
stretch make the Little Tennessee one of the best streams for canoe
camping in the southern Appalachians.
On the first leg of the adventure, from Iotla Bridge near
Franklin to the U.S. 19 bridge at Lake Fontana, you'll float on Class I
waters through farmlands and pass Lost
Bridge.
This is where the Nantahala and Cowee Mountains begin to close in and
turn the waters into jittery, Class II rapids. The houses vanish,
forests line the river , and the land grows wilder. In October through
April, when Fontana Lake is drawn down and The Narrows are exposed, the
final mile becomes Class III-N white- water. Scout it before you ride
it. Camp only on Nantahala Power Company land along the forested
riverbanks below Lost Bridge. Avoid campsites along Needmore Road; they
attract Class VI good 01' boys.
<Where:
150 miles north of
Atlanta. Iotla Bridge is on Sanderstown Road 3.2 miles west from US 441,
just outside of Franklin.
<Maps:
For a river map
and guide, see
Carolina
Whitewater ($14.95; Menasha
Ridge Press, 800-247-9437).
<More
info: For
canoe rentals and shuttles: Great Smoky Mountain Fish & Safari
(828)
369-5295.
Burt
Kornegay
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