Friday, May 08, 2009
Ramble preamble: Running the rivers before Franklin County's big paddling weekend
Franklin County's Ramble Weekend offers events for all kinds of paddlers, from beginners to experts.
Photos by MARK TAYLOR The Roanoke Times
Scott Martin paddles down a quiet stretch of the Blackwater River near Rocky Mount on Wednesday. Two casual events on the short stretch complement Saturday's 8-mile-long Pigg River Ramble.
Mark Taylor is outdoors editor at The Roanoke Times.
mark.taylor
@roanoke.com
981-3395
Mark Taylor
Outdoors coverage
- Notebook: Outer Banks beach-driving plan kicks up sand
- Outdoors commentary: Many Sunday hunting cons
- Winter tourneys invite fishermen out in the cold
- Visit our Outdoors page
The Wild Life blog
ROCKY MOUNT -- Roughly the size of an end table, the flat rock sits smack in the middle of the Pigg River here at Waid Recreation Area.
It's nothing special, really. Just a rock.
But to Scott Martin, it's significant.
"That's my indicator rock," says Martin as our kayak paddles dip into the stream's chilly water early Wednesday morning on the start of an 8-mile journey from this park to Lynch Park in Rocky Mount.
Simply put, the water's level on the rock gives paddlers an idea of what they can expect on this trip.
When the rock is covered by water or barely visible, that's good.
When lots of rock is visible, that's not good.
On this trip Martin is particularly interested.
Three days from now, the annual Pigg River Ramble will draw a few hundred paddlers to the river.
At least Martin, Franklin County's director of commerce and leisure services and a key Ramble planner, hopes it's a few hundred.
"It may drop this year," Martin says of the event's registration. "Last year was tough."
This is a risk when relying on nature when planning events. And, in recent years, nature has not been kind to the Pigg River Ramble.
The Pigg River is a modest little stream, and like many such waters in this region, subpar rainfall in 2007 and 2008 meant it was usually flowing at a trickle except when a random thundershower happened to pass through.
Paddlers in last year's Ramble spent a lot of time dragging their craft through rocky riffles.
Granted, there's nothing that says the Ramble is supposed to be easy.
Yes, one of its missions is to showcase this pretty, remote section of river, and inspire paddlers to get back on the water throughout the year. And it attracts plenty of parent/kid teams who are just out for a fun day.
But the Ramble is, after all, a race -- albeit one that sometimes rewards canoeists and kayakers who are good not only at paddling, but also dragging their boats.
But, really, good water levels are better for everyone.
Hoping to increase odds of that, Ramble organizers moved the event from its traditional spot on the first weekend in June to this coming weekend.
We are out here on a scouting mission to find out if that move will pay off.
Things look pretty good.
About 6 inches of the indicator rock protrudes from the stream. Not perfect, but not bad.
Some riffles require a little extra effort as our kayaks scrape along the bottom and require pushes on the bottom from our paddles or hands to free us.
"It would be better in a canoe because they draw less," says Martin, always the optimist.
But more rain would make him feel better.
A few miles downstream we reach the river's best paddling feature in this stretch, a two-tiered ledge drop.
A big rock protrudes from the river bottom right below the first drop.
"It's in the absolute worst spot," Martin says with a somewhat maniacal grin.
This is a spot where many paddlers end up out of their boats, and not voluntarily.
The ledge is close to a residential neighborhood and easy to reach by land, so spectators come in to watch the carnage. A video crew from the local Cable 12 station is often on hand, later airing the footage over appropriate music, such as the theme from "Jaws."
I slip through first and stop to snap some pictures as Martin takes the run.
A couple of miles into the trip a tributary enters the Pigg, bolstering the flow and helping keep our boats floating for all but a few skinny riffles down to the take-out.
The trip takes just a bit over three hours, about an hour longer than it usually takes the race's fastest paddlers.
Our day isn't over, though.
After a quick break for lunch we're off to the Blackwater River, site of the Ramble Weekend's two other events.
First is the Blackwater Blackout, a nighttime trip on Friday.
Sunday morning features the Breakfast on the Blackwater float, which ends with a hearty meal on the riverbank.
The Blackwater events nicely complement the Ramble.
For one thing, the river section is short, just 1 12 miles. Even pokey paddlers can complete the float in about 45 minutes.
The river tends to have better flows than the Pigg, too, which makes for more comfortable paddling.
The Blackwater events themselves are low key and casual.
The Blackout, added just a couple of years ago, has boomed in popularity.
Last year it drew 190 boats, just 30 fewer than the Ramble. Martin said he wouldn't be surprised if it surpasses the race this year in terms of participation.
Right after the put-in, the river flows under a bridge. Martin says friends of paddlers line the bridge rails to cheer -- and drop things.
"You've never seen so many plastic snakes in your life," he says.
The stretch features just a couple of rapids. Even though they have been enhanced by paddlers who have strategically stacked rocks, the rapids are mild.
We are halfway down the stretch when the gray sky opens up and a heavy rain starts to fall.
Splash skirts keep water out of our boats, and our paddling garb keeps us dry.
Martin can't stop smiling.
Let it pour some more.
