Float the James
By Liz Barry on May. 27, 2009
One-by-one, the tubers plop into the water and shove off from the muddy riverbank.
Spring marks the start of river season for livery and guide companies throughout Central Virginia. A number of companies operate within an hour’s drive of Lynchburg.
What they sell is an experience.
Rod Bryant, co-owner of Beaver Creek Canoe Rental in Mount Athos, says the river is a different world.
“It’s just like you’re in the wilderness all the way down through the river,” Bryant says of his company’s four-mile route down Buffalo Creek and the James River.
About 50 miles up river from Lynchburg, where Buchanan-based Twin River Outfitters operates, the landscape gives way to mountain views.
“Up here we are truly in the Blue Ridge Mountains. It’s a lot more remote and more scenic,” says co-owner Dan Mays.if you’re going
—James River Float Co.
122 Rocky Hill Road, Madison Heights (434) 846-8823
http://www.floatva.com
—Beaver Creek Canoe Rentals
237 Mt. Athos Road, Lynchburg
(434) 609-3003
—Twin River Outfitters
653 Lowe St., Buchanan
(540) 261-7334
http://www.canoevirginia.com
—James River Runners
10092 Hatton Ferry Road, Albemarle County (434) 286-2338
http://www.jamesriver.com
—James River Reeling and Rafting
265 Ferry St., Scottsville
(434) 286-4386
http://www.reelingandrafting.com
When the last person hits the water, Mason Basten watches the orange inner tubes drift downstream. A grin spreads across his sun-kissed face. For a brief moment, the chaos subsides.
Today marks the grand opening of the James River Float Co., a guide and livery company based on the downtown riverfront. For owners Mason and Katy Basten, it’s the beginning of a gamble against Mother Nature and the economics of running a small business.
For weeks, the Lynchburg couple has been chomping at the bit to get their trips under way. Mother Nature was less than accommodating. Foul weather and dangerous river conditions forced them to postpone their grand opening.
“The calm before the storm can be very frustrating,” Mason says.
Today is hardly an improvement. The James runs brown from mud churned up during a week’s worth of thunderstorms and rain showers. High waters and swift currents make the river unsafe for clients, especially novices.
Instead of canceling again, Mason scoped out a new route on the Tye River in Nelson County, about 25 minutes north of Lynchburg. The Tye is usually too shallow for floating, but this spring it’s ripe for tubing.
So it begins, the maiden voyage of the James River Float Co., albeit on the Tye River.
James River Float Co. rents out tubes, kayaks and canoes for trips that range from two-hour floats to three-night guided trips with gear, food and transportation included. Their outpost overlooks the Lynchburg skyline from the Madison Heights side of the James River.
The Bastens are self-described “river people.” During last year’s James River Batteau Festival, Katy and Mason undertook the journey from Lynchburg to Richmond in their handmade batteau, an ordinary journey if not for one big wildcard: Katy was nine months pregnant. (They left the trip early when Katy began having contractions on the river. Their second daughter was born not long after.)
Mason worked in the outdoor recreation industry during high school and college, and spent several years as a semi-professional kayaker. Living out of the back of his truck, he traveled to competitions across the country.
Now, with a wife and two children, his roots are in Lynchburg and his focus on the James
While Mason runs the company, Katy works a full-time job in marketing at Tyco. They share the business’s economic burden with their financial partner, David Basten, Mason’s father.
The couple is nervous but encouraged by the number of people stopping by and calling before the season got officially underway.
The James River is still haunted by its industrial past and the stigma of being too dirty for swimming. Earlier this spring, the Bastens pulled two dumpsters worth of trash from the strip of river that runs along downtown.
But despite some lingering problems with litter and pollution, water quality has improved significantly during the past 20 years, says Amanda Gray, a water planning engineer for the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. There has been significant decrease in bacteria and an increase in nitrogen oxide, which is essential to river life.
The Bastens play their own part in preserving the river. They participate in river clean-ups and educate their customers, not only about pollution, but also about local wildlife and history.
“If we’re successful, we hope to influence people to take better care of the river,” Mason says.
They expect the tubing to be most popular because it requires minimal effort and offers maximum relaxation. Canoeing and kayaking give people more control over where they’re going, allowing them to set the pace and take side-trips to creeks, islands and other landmarks.
“It’s like an exploration,” Katy says.
Once beyond Lynchburg, floaters experience the solitude of the river as it winds through the countryside. The scenery can include old railroad bridges, bubbling creeks, historic stone aqueducts, wildlife and even bald eagle’s nest.
Katy and Mason have a simple response to people who cling to negative perceptions about the James.
“Come out and float. You’ll be amazed,” Mason says.
“It will change every stereotype you have about the James River being dirty or not being healthy.”
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