Hurricane Helene flooded the Carolinas during peak tourist season last year. Now, the outdoor outfitters who make their living guiding and equipping tourists are gearing up for an uncertain summer.
NC Outdoor Adventures co-founder Scott Thrift said it took the outfitter seven months to open after Helene. He coordinates outdoor trips with his wife, Christy.
“We started doing river cleanups so we could get debris out of our sections that would likely hurt people or damage boats,” Thrift said. “As an outfitter, we were incredibly lucky.”
Sees
Thrift said it’s different for every river. His team was able to restore access to enough of the Toe River — near the North Carolina-Tennessee border — to resume tours, but some outfitters downstream along the Nolichucky may not open all summer.
“Most of the outfitters in western North Carolina, their outposts were right on the river, and they lost everything,” Thrift said.
A resilient riverine ecosystem
On Sunday morning, NC Outdoor Adventures guide Jamie Young led seven paddlers down the Catawba River to see the spider lilies.
During Helene, this section of the Catawba River in South Carolina’s Landsford Canal State Park swelled about 15 feet, according to Nate Johnson, the park’s manager.
“There was massive flooding here this last fall,” Johnson said. “It was historic.”
Helene flooded paths and washed out bridges. State park staff cleared out most of the debris on shore and rebuilt the trails. Groups like the Catawba Riverkeeper and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers cleared out the river.
Visitors may notice that the trails aren’t the only thing that looks different after the storm. Helene took out millions of trees, leaving many banks exposed and vulnerable to erosion.
“When everybody comes out, they should be planning to wear lots of sunscreen,” Thrift said. “You would get some before, but you will get fried now.”
The lilies — a big seasonal draw — were completely submerged during Helene. But while the storm eroded banks, felled trees and deposited sediment all along the river, the lilies popped up again after the storm.
The flowers are endemic to the Southeastern United States, which means they don’t grow anywhere else. Landsford Canal State Park is home to the largest concentration of Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies in the world. They bloom every night from May to mid-June.
Guide Jamie Young pointed out the red-winged black birds that nest in the spider lilies.
“You'll see them when we go through the spider lilies, because they will protest when you get close to their nest,” Young said.
In the evening, luna and sphinx moths flit between the flowers and pollinate them. The white lily blooms extend in tufts in all directions, as far down the river as the eye can see.
“It really is just a beautiful bouquet of flowers that you wouldn't know are out here,” Grooms said. “It's pretty spectacular.”
Plan in advance
The spider lilies' bounce-back is also a harbinger of good news for outdoor outfitters: If they can get out on the water, the interest is there, according to NC Outdoor Adventures’ Scott Thrift. Folks had shown up at NC Outdoor Adventures’ location on the Toe River before the outfitter reopened. They didn’t have a clue about the extent to which Helene had damaged the area.
“I figured that all the dump trucks would have been kind of a clue that something major happened out there,” Thrift said.
It’s always a good idea to call in advance. Park manager Nate Johnson said people should check the status of parks online or over the phone. Updates available for South Carolina State Parks or North Carolina State Parks.
