I spent my spring break whitewater kayaking on multiple rivers in the southeast. I was fortunate enough to travel through multiple national forests and spend time out in the wilderness. My favorite river that we ran was the Tellico, located in Tennessee.

This paddle was a wilderness creek run. There were several interesting rock structures, beautiful tributary waterfalls, and steep gorge faces. While the deciduous trees – mostly comprised of poplars, red oaks, white oaks, sycamores, and beeches – were still leafless, plenty of hemlocks and pines gave the banks color.

While paddling, several bats flew over the crew, darting back and forth between riverside caves. A pair of water snakes rested on twigs hanging over the water. Huge turkey vultures soared through the sky.

Located much further south, this spot differed quite a bit from my phenological site in Burlington. But, since both are located along waterways, I did see some similarities. Specifically, there were some overlapping woody plant species.