The plan is to paddle 3 days and 2 nights on the South Fork of the New River from Rt 88 bridge near West Jefferson, NC to Rt 93 bridge near Mouth of Wilson, Virginia.
After viewing the fast moving river at the Rt 88 bridge, a bit of anxiety set in. The flow looked mighty fast and it was quite windy. With my paddling partner, Will, I drove downriver to survey the conditions. I felt better after seeing this and we decided to put the boats in. There is a staircase leading to the river directly under the Rt 88 bridge for the purpose of launching boats. We shoved off at 11:55. The flow was very swift and choppy. At times the wind was all I could handle. The forecast called for 21 mph wind, not a good paddling condition.
It was immediately noticeable from the start, the high level of development along the river. We commented on this for the full 3 days. 
A Canada flew right at Will, coming perhaps a foot from his head. We suspected "she" must have a nearby nest.
In a little under an hour we were at the Wagoner Road access, 5 miles downriver. I'd had enough of the wind and called it quits. Will, in his low sleek kayak, was in a much better situation to deal with wind, so he continued on to Rt 221 Access campground. He made the 11 mile paddle in a bit under 2 hours. Now that is a swift current.
I joined up with him at the campsite. There are a dozen or more riverside campsites, many of which had already been reserved. I suspect, reservations are a must throughout the warmer weather season. We had a roaring fire into the night. It was chilly and quite windy. In the early morning hours the wind died.
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