by John Lane

If there’s any one river that represents the wild and rugged Appalachian character, it’s the free-flowing Chattooga River. From its headwaters in western North Carolina to its chundering class-V whitewater along the Georgia-South Carolina border, the Wild and Scenic Chatooga River attracts thousands of paddlers, hikers, and outdoor enthusiasts to its legendary gorge.

Like it or not, one of the biggest reasons for the Chattooga’s popularity is its connection to Deliverance, a 1970s James Dickey novel and later, a blockbuster movie starring Burt Reynolds. Dueling banjos and “squeal-like-a-pig” jokes-made famous by the movie-continue to haunt the river corridor and the people who live near its banks.

Celebrated outdoor writer John Lane wades into the torrent surrounding Deliverance and explores its affects on the Chattooga’s physical and cultural landscape. He interviews Billy Redden, the “banjo boy” from Deliverance, who now works as a dishwasher in small-town Appalachia. He also talks to locals, politicians, and environmentalists who hope to protect the watershed from development and overuse. At the heart of Lane’s narrative, however, is his own passion for the river. He hikes and paddles from the river’s headwaters down to its treacherous finale at Five Falls, just before it disappears beneath Lake Tugaloo. Along the way, Lane recounts stories and adventures from the river-including those of past presidents, paddling pioneers, raft guides, and seventh-generation locals.

Has Deliverance ruined the river? Lane argues that encroaching development and sedimentation offer greater threats to the Chattooga than the aftermath of the book and movie. At the heart of Lane’s book is the tension between the dark, mythical river of Deliverance feared by outsiders, and the Chattooga loved by outdoor enthusiasts and long-time residents. Readers are easily swept into the current of Lane’s lyrical writing and heart-stopping adventure as he explores the Southeast’s wildest river.

–Will Harlan