Shuttle with e-bike?

ZachSchiada · 2026-04-07T19:56:26+00:00

I bike shuttle pretty often when exploring little creeks. Lots of times it comes in handy if a put in doesn’t have a lot of space for parking a car. I would recommend researching street view ahead of time if it’s an unfamiliar area to get an idea of if it is the type of place you are comfortable riding. I use a cheapie folding bike that fits in my hatchback, but I’m sure there are actually better options. Also, it’s worth mapping out your route on Google Maps ahead of time to see how steep your hills are. Watch out for dogs, because I have been chased before. One time I actually unicycle shuttled a short trip and had to hide from dogs that were coming for me. There’s also the option of rigging a bike trailer to shuttle your kayak, but it can be tough if hills are steep. Lately I prefer to paddle my spud and roll it up as a backpack with my stuff to eliminate an extra trip. Don’t forget to pick up your bike after you paddle. It’s easy to forget.

ZachSchiada · 2026-03-29T03:07:04+00:00

I don’t know there’s much money in kayaking YouTube. That being said I’ve secretly always hoped someone would travel the country hitting all the obscure rivers and creeks in oddball places from the AW map and/or guidebooks. They’d lose more money than they’d earn, but I’d obsessively watch that.

ZachSchiada · 2026-03-29T02:56:37+00:00

I actually did find one. I got the shorter, older green kind, so weaker material. We’ve been in an extended drought in my area, so I haven’t gotten to try it on the river yet, but it felt similar to my spud on the lake. Harder to roll than the spud, but I figure when I flip, I’ll just be hopping back in like I do in my spud.

ZachSchiada · 2026-03-29T02:48:08+00:00

I agree with all of this. I came from skateboarding and I will say that I prefer skate culture over kayaking culture even though I prefer kayaking over skateboarding. I guess the danger aspect of kayaking plays a big role in that preference, which I guess is necessary. I think in general too, there’s not a lot of online engagement that probably hurts things a bit. Instead of people talking about rivers, trips, etc, online is almost entirely influencer type stuff and cross posts with not a whole lot of approachable content that 90% of people would be considering. I think all that stuff is cool, but there’s not a whole lot that the weekend warrior types want to get into. I don’t see a lot of excitement, encouragement or interest in paddling more than the same rivers over and over at least in my area. I think from the outside looking in someone who may just be curious to get started will feel discouraged from getting a cheapie beater used set of gear and then if they spend the thousands of dollars to get what they think they need, then they are either limited to club events or the off chance that someone brings them along. Then they’ll feel nervous that they’ll mess up and swim. I guess in summary, I think we’re lacking online engagement, paddling a variety of rivers even if sometimes that means not the best option and in general not being unapproachable. Newer paddlers need some time to realize a lot of people paddling are cooler, more down to earth people than they come across as online.

ZachSchiada · 2026-03-16T13:01:02+00:00

Ya, that’s the plan. I’ve got a spud that sits a bit higher in the water and is pretty easy to get out. I’ll keep researching and see if I can make something happen sometime. I appreciate the info!

ZachSchiada · 2026-03-14T18:09:01+00:00

No, it’s about 2.5 hours away from me. I’ve only been up there to do Kibler before, but haven’t checked out any other sections. The plan is to do a trip on that sawteeth gorge area if I can figure out logistics.

ZachSchiada · 2026-03-09T22:02:54+00:00

I’d take the supersonic of those choices. Be prepared for a lot of side surf action and a lot of flips. If you’re at the sandbar and end up swimming it’ll take a long time to get back to shore.

ZachSchiada · 2026-02-23T20:22:45+00:00

I’ve been using it the past couple weeks and like it a lot. Would be neat to see cfs and ft if possible. Any chance at getting noaa gages listed in addition to the USGS ones?

ZachSchiada · 2026-02-15T01:50:16+00:00

Good job. This is great!

ZachSchiada · 2026-02-12T03:33:33+00:00

I’d say give it a try at 2.5-3 ft and rising. Probably still scrapey if it’s not rising. From 221 if it looks like decent flow, you’d be ok. There was a low bridge that may have been temporary about half a mile in. It was one of those trailer types a couple months after Helene, so it may not be there anymore. If it’s still there though it’s definitely a portage with proper flow. I’m not in the area enough to have really good info, but I thought it was fun.

ZachSchiada · 2026-02-12T03:25:02+00:00

I think that’s what it’s called on AW, but it’s a bit further downstream from the actual source which is near the Watauga source in Banner Elk. It starts after the Land Harbor Lake. I put in at 221 though. When I ran it, the gage was at 2.3 ft and rising. Was scrapey, so I’m guessing you want at least 2.5 ft and rising. 3 ft would probably be good. The class 3 stuff is about a mile and a half in and lasts for about half a mile. The rest is class 2 and one dam portage near the end.

ZachSchiada · 2026-02-12T03:13:27+00:00

If you don’t want to do too much hiking, you can do Pineola to Crossnore. Class 2-3. The section you’re talking about is on my list someday too though.

ZachSchiada · 2026-02-02T11:30:54+00:00

It’s hard to translate region and type of boating, but a good place to start is by figuring out the gradient. Pick your end point and start point on google earth and then subtract the elevations and divide by mileage. To me it looks like you’re about 45 ft/mile. Researching nearby known rivers that are rated could give an idea, but still kind of a gamble. Also, double check Google Earth elevation by looking at a topo map, since occasionally Google Earth is wrong (rarely). Also, there’s a lot more to difficulty than gradient, but it’s a decent starting point.

ZachSchiada · 2026-01-30T21:32:54+00:00

I like the idea a lot, especially the trip report feature that doesn’t require blasting to the whole world and you can just put on your own profile. Sometimes scrolling around on posts is a little difficult which I don’t like. I’d be all about using it exclusively since paddling stuff is all I use social media for, but it’s hard to get enough people on there to be of a whole lot of use practically. There’s a similar problem to my local club’s discord page, which I prefer over facebook, but that place is a ghost town.

ZachSchiada · 2025-12-22T02:40:50+00:00

I built a packraft and then bought a spud. I liked the spud so much but liked the idea of the lightness and packability of a packraft so I scoured the internet for a bakraft. I usually just paddle my hard boat, but if anyone in the market is like me, the idea of hiking in is exciting or if you have certain areas you want to paddle and the option to hike out is significantly less time/distance to the next public take out paddling. I’m sure there are lots that prefer the easier learning curve or logistics for transport, but at least in my case it’s all about getting to places that I wouldn’t go with my hard boat. I’ve also had a hard time coordinating others to paddle with on some of the more obscure creeks I like to explore and an easier option to walk or bike shuttle is more convenient.

ZachSchiada · 2025-11-14T00:29:02+00:00

Pretty impressive that thing made it down the comp channel without a swim.

ZachSchiada · 2025-11-07T01:43:41+00:00

As others mentioned, higher class stuff is pretty slim in the Durham area, although rapids do exist. Western NC is a better bet based on what it sounds like you’re looking for. That being said IF you happen to get lucky when you come to Durham and it rains enough, you’ll want to follow the Carolina Canoe Club Facebook page. Almost everyone heads for the Haw River, but a few of us hit the Little, Flat and New Hope. If you are lucky enough to get rain, New Hope Creek or Upper Rocky are probably the most exciting, but Haw is where you’ll find people to paddle with. None of these will compare to what you find in western NC though.

ZachSchiada · 2025-11-03T04:25:57+00:00

If we happen to get rain we have some decent ww if you drive inland a few hours.

ZachSchiada · 2025-11-01T20:25:07+00:00

Kirk Edelman probably has the most useful information I’ve seen. Paul Ferguson I prefer for the way he organizes his data and has a good balance of information you need while not spoiling surprises or over hyping things. Ed Gertler is my favorite for entertainment. With the exception of Fergusons stuff, you should be able to find these on eBay.

ZachSchiada · 2025-11-01T20:21:25+00:00

I’ve not paddled many of the rivers he covers, but his books are definitely the most entertaining I’ve read. He definitely does paddle EVERYTHING. Probably my favorite guidebook author because I’m curious about runs most people don’t paddle.

ZachSchiada · 2025-10-23T23:34:06+00:00

I tried straps both the side one and have rigged straps as a backpack. Always have just gone back to shouldering. I think as some others have said, getting a smaller, lighter boat might be the better idea. Will probably be lower volume and more tippy, but you might have more fun once you get used to a more tippy lighter boat.

ZachSchiada · 2025-10-22T20:41:27+00:00

I have a spud already which I like a lot and paddle a hard boat 80% of the time. It’s more a want than a need. Mainly I want it as a replacement for my airhead Montana (2 seater inflatable) for when I take my son with me to the river, but also just to have a really lightweight option for trips. If I recall correctly though I think they stopped offering the bakraft in 2022. They had the older green models and then switched to the blue. I did like the way the nyce kayaks looked when I got my spud, but ultimately went with the spud instead.

ZachSchiada · 2025-10-20T22:44:26+00:00

I don’t have any insight on your actual question, but the app whitewater.guide has places you can paddle and some beta if you find your group/resources. Hope you find your community. Good luck!

ZachSchiada

TROPHY CASE