f you have lived in this region all your life it is easy to take the landscape for granted.  Perhaps you hardly notice the beauty of the river and wetlands where Route 17 cuts through part of the Roanoke River National Wildlife Refuge between Williamston and Windsor. There are beautiful places tucked all around us, take the Sans Souci Ferry, for instance, that affords sweeping views of the Cachie River. There is a long list of lovely sights and places here, including The Roanoke River Paddle Trail and Camping system.

Yet most likely you are surprised when you hear that people come from far and wide to use our Paddle Trail. It is quite popular, not just locally, but with paddling enthusiasts throughout the country. How do they hear about it? In 2002 and 2003 articles about the trail appeared in such publications as National Geographic’s Adventure Magazine, Outside, Backpacker and Wildlife in North Carolina.

Certainly the articles mentioned above helped to spread the word, but also much of the exposure in the past year is thanks to the Roanoke River Partners (RRP) web site. Planning and reserving platforms is made easy on this site and being on the World Wide Web gives the Trail international exposure. The platforms have hosted campers from as far west as California, as far north as Vermont and as far south as Florida. Many recent visitors have been from Virginia, Georgia, Florida and, amazingly enough, Alaska.

Even more encouraging is the number of repeat visitors, particularly from states that surround North Carolina. I can understand why folks want to return, for not only is there variety in the surroundings at each platform, making each camping experience different, but the character of the river also changes with the seasons. The anhinga and lazing turtles of summer were gone when I returned in winter, but they were replaced with the spectacular sight of tundra swans flying overhead, and such surprises as pintails and goldeneyes flushing when we rounded a bend in the river. This spring’s trip was filled with the voices of newly arrived neo-tropical songbirds.

Pick your season, paddle on down to the Roanoke and Cashie and find out what all the excitement's about!

Backyard Briefs
A syndicated weekly column 
By Judy Jessop, Nature Conservancy Volunteer