Hiwassee River

I stumbled upon the Hiwassee quite by accident. I'd heard of it before, but my first visit was a result of getting lost while looking for a creek in the middle of the woods. I love Google Maps, but in this instant, it failed; leading us on a wild goose chase through the woods while looking for Goforth creek. When we emerged from the woods, we were driving down a country road and happened upon a little quick stop store. We stopped, and the kind couple gave us directions to the actual Goforth creek. But they then said, "If you drive down this road for a few more miles, you'll go through Reliance, TN and the Hiwassee River." We changed our plans, set off, and a few minutes later arrived in Reliance.  I was enchanted.
This adorable little store name the Webb Brothers General Store is one of the few stores in Reliance and it doubles as the gas station, convenience store, post office, tourist stop, and boat rental shop. I felt like we had gone back in time. We then explored the Hiwassee River itself (which runs right behind the store). It's a meandering river surrounded by mountains, that winds through the Cherokee National Forest.

Since then, I've taken many subsequent trips to the Hiwassee and spent two summers exploring its different parts. This past summer we decided to rent duckies (sit on top kayaks) and float down the river. You put in not too far below Appalachia Dam (where the water is released) and float 3 miles downstream to the little store in Reliance. The Hiwassee is a fairly tame river, so it was mostly a leisurely trip. However, it was absolutely beautiful floating down this winding river surrounded by mountains. Not long into our trip, it started to sprinkle rain. Then the thunder and lightening started, and soon we were caught in an all-out thunderstorm. We were in a part of the river with no take-outs nearby, so we had no idea what to do! At first, we parked on a (very) small island, but it provided us barely any shelter and I was pretty worried about getting struck by lightening. We then noticed a couple of boaters inside a tall concrete culvert on the shore. They motioned us over, so we paddled across the river and jumped out of our boats. We waited out the storm with our new friends in the culvert. After the storm, we continued our trip downstream. I was now very wet and cold, but the mist rising off the water after the storm gave the river an enchanted look.

Later that summer I bought a tube and ended up tubing different sections of the river several times. I was disappointed when fall and winter arrived, thinking I would have to take a break from the Hiwassee. Instead,  I've found that it's still a fun place to go. The little store in Reliance closed for the winter, but I discovered another cute store farther down the river that is open year round. I obviously don't get in the water during the winter, but it's still pleasant to walk along the river or to sit on its banks. One of my favorite places to walk is the John Muir Trail, which stays right next to river for around 4 miles. While I enjoy the different experiences the Hiwassee offers in the winter, I'm thrilled that it's summer again so that I can explore this lovely river some more.