Outdoor enthusiasts who have struggled since Hurricane Helene ravaged much of the region have a reason for joy: The Poplar Boat Launch on the Nolichucky River reopened earlier this month for the first time since the storm, making a way for whitewater rafters and kayakers to get back on the water.
“Without Poplar, it’s been near impossible to get out there,” Slayton Johnson, co-owner of Wahoo’s Adventures Nolichucky, said. “It’s been a lot of work, and a lot of emotion and a lot of hard times and good times. And then to finally that end with folks going down the Nolichucky was pretty special.”
The rafting company, which Johnson co-owns with his wife Lilly, opened just a few months before the storm hit. When Helene destroyed the Poplar Boat Launch, Johnson was unable to run trips down the Nolichucky.
Since the storm, the U.S. Forest Service has partnered with the National Forest Foundation to rebuild the site.
“In particular here on the Nolichucky, we know this is a really important place for a lot of businesses that rely on rafting on this river and so we’re really glad to be able to have this back open and available,” N.C. National Forest Supervisor James Melonas told NC Local at the re-opening.
The Nolichucky has been a flashpoint during Helene clean-up for environmental organizations who have pushed back against Forest Service logging operations in the area and illegal mining in the riverbed.
Construction to rebuild amenities at the launch will continue this summer. The completed site will have restrooms and a picnic area.
Editor’s note: This story was updated to reflect the accurate date of the reopening.
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