paddling | Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine

The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is the largest wilderness area in the East, and it’s the largest blackwater swamp in North America. With thousands of alligators and hundreds of rare species, it’s one of the wildest and most biologically diverse landscapes in the Eastern United States. In July, an Alabama company announced plans to strip…

This surgeon has created a life of adventure he now shares with family and friends. A swimmer, paddle boarder, kayaker Chris Lechner’s enjoys all aspects of water and finds deep meaning in each adventure. He has shared a few of his adventures previously with Blue Ridge Outdoor Magazine. Now, he has completed a SUP first…

Click here to read Day 4 June 27, 2018, day 5/7 John resumed where he left off and quickly caught up in his expedition kayak– around noon. I sent him a text message to portage the Low-Head Dam in Cullowhee to avoid the dangerous river-wide hydraulic at the base. This dam is almost a century…

Click here to read Day 3 Part 2: The Tailwaters A Cherokee Legend: Uktena was a serpent as large around as a tree trunk, with antlers on its head, a blazing crest on its forehead and scales glowing like fire living in the river. Whoever is seen by Uktena is so dazed by the bright light he…

After a nationwide search, two cities were left standing as the potential future home of the International Whitewater Hall of Fame and World River Center: Asheville, NC and Richmond, Va. Yesterday, it was announced that Richmond, settled along the James River, won the bid. Asheville had hoped to interest the Whitewater Hall of Fame in…

Click here to read Day 2 June 25, 2018, day 3/7 The three of us rose early in the morning to finish paddling the 4 miles of Bear Lake. Jimbo helped shuttle us around the dam to begin Cedar Cliff Lake under cloudy skies. These man made lakes are beautiful and serene but there is…

June 23, 2018: Day1/7 The day started full of sunshine and strutting. Sitting in the soft green moss at the confluence of Panthertown and Greenland creeks we dangled our feet in the freezing water and arranged our gear under a tight canopy of rhododendron. I used my Iphone to take a short video of…

North Carolina Outdoor Guide and Carpenter inspired by Inuit Craftsmanship In 1950, the Canadian government forciblyremoved thousands of Inuit from their ancestral homeland. From this tragic epoch emerged the tale of one elder who refused to leave. Hoping to ensure their grandfather’s compliance, relatives confiscated the old man’s tools. Unfazed, he snuck out of the…

When most people come home on a Friday after work, they’ll grab a remote or maybe a drink with some pals. Josh Elder grabs his paddle and a dog leash that will most likely not get used at all that weekend. Elder has the strongest GO GO GO and GET OUT THERE AND SEND IT…

At this point in the year, I’ve abandoned all hope of fulfilling my New Year’s Resolutions. I’m honestly not even sure what they are. Maybe eat more hot dogs? I don’t know. I’m not even the same person I was six months ago, so you can’t hold me to the promises I made at that…

Vandals have spray-painted swastikas on boulders along the Chattooga River in north Georgia.

14-year-old Dominique Williams remembers his mother, world-class whitewater paddler Maria Noakes, who died in a kayaking accident last week.

Of Artists And Athletes

Have you ever felt inspired from a postcard-perfect sunset or the final steps to a summit you never thought you’d reach? These 10 regional artist-athletes have. We sat down with them to talk about how adventure nurtures the muse within, and what makes pursuing a creative life the hardest, most rewarding way to live. Josh…

Reference this handy tick fact sheet next time you set out into the great outdoors.

Kayaking is a diverse outdoor sport that can be enjoyed independently or tandem and anywhere from the oceans of the coast to the rushing rivers of the valleys. For every paddler from the morning kayak along the banks of a calm lake to the weekend warriors who rip roar through class four rapids, there is…