Originally founded by Juanita Guinn, a SE whitewater pioneer, this TN Week of Rivers trip has been offered for over thirty years and is now coordinated by Kirk Eddlemon and Ace Kayaking School. I joined up for a week in early April for the ultimate all-inclusive paddling adventure / vacation.
The trip offers lodging, meals, guides, shuttles to and from the river, and even a mid-week visit from a massage therapist.
Lodging / Meals were provided by the Grey Gables Bed and Breakfast Inn, Rugby TN. www.greygablesbedandbreakfasttn.com, a charming ten room Victorian Inn. Complete home cooked breakfast and dinners, along with a packed lunch for the river. Great accommodations and food. Linda Brooks Jones, proprietor.
Guides: Lead guide Kirk Eddlemon and assistant Natalie Haberer ran a master class in organizing, coordinating, leading and instructing a group of “veteran” paddlers over five full days of paddling. Kirk is a class 5+ paddler and author of “Whitewater of the Southern Appalachians”. Both Kirk and Natalie excelled at providing detailed information at major rapids, along with feedback and insights to improve individual paddling skills.
Rivers:
Day 1: White Oak Creek to Clear Fork (Burnt Mill Bridge). White Oak Creek is a gem, a remote but accessible small class 2+ stream, leading to the Clear Fork, with take out at Burnt Mil Bridge. See Kirk’s 8/4/26 White Oak Creek review on AW.
Day 2: (TN) New River to Clear Fork junction – Big South Fork. We left our boats in the canyon, hiked out and returned the next day to run the BSF Gorge.
Day 3 – 5: Big South Fork Gorge to Leatherwood Ford: A classic SE whitewater trip; a slightly beefier version of the Cheat Canyon. Scouting and detailed instructions at major rapids, which had sneak or portage options. Lots of video on YouTube of this classic run.
The ultimate all- inclusive paddling adventure / vacation. About a 12-hour drive from DC. For more information, contact Ace Kayaking at Ace Kayaking Knoxville or Kirk Eddlemon at Kirk.Eddlemon@gmail.com.
Jim Scott (roejanjim@gmail.com)