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500 Pumpkins, 30 Kayakers & 1 Beaver-shark. It’s NOCtoberfest!

October 27, 2014
Fall rafting contest with pumpkins

Fall 2014 has been a season to remember. Colors in the southeast started appearing early and slowly improved each week. The weather has been mostly gorgeous. And the conditions for outdoor adventure… prime! In fact, autumn is still hanging on in NOC-land. 

Just this weekend we celebrated our annual NOCtoberfest. Many first-timers came out for The Great Pumpkin Pursuit and long-time participants did their best to show ‘em how it’s done. This video captured by a reporter from the Asheville Citizen Times pretty much says it all: http://www.citizen-times.com/videos/news/local/2014/10/25/17923295/

We had a great showing of kids in costumes, pumpkin decorators, paddlers and overjoyed spectators pointing fingers while laughing hysterically at one of the most outlandish extravaganzas they’ve likely ever seen—500 pumpkins being hurled into a rushing river (and then gathered into boats) in a matter of minutes. These are just a few great images captured from the day.

 

Folks driving to or from the event couldn’t have asked for a better display of fall foliage. Here’s a peek at what we saw that day in close proximity to the Nantahala Gorge.

While it’s inevitable that the color will soon fade to winter skies, we can’t help but appreciate the wonder of this year’s autumn show. In the spirit of adventure we’ll soak up every last drop of it by hitting the trails and rivers today!

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