21-05-2025
Hartford rafting companies gear up for peak season after Hurricane Helene
HARTFORD, Tenn. (WATE) — Rafting companies in Hartford are gearing up for one of their busiest weekends of the season for the first time since Hurricane Helene.
It has been nearly 8 months since the hurricane devastated the community, and they said this is one of the first steps in bringing tourism back to the area. After losing nearly everything, Olwen Claiborne at Smoky Mountain Outdoors said they are ready to take people back out on the Pigeon River.
'We didn't know if it was going to be possible to recover from that flood,' she said. 'This property that we're on right now was completely destroyed, and in a few short months, we've got all of our public and guest experience buildings back up.'
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Just down the road from them, the Nantahala Outdoor Center, or the NOC, was also devastated by the hurricane.
'It's been a big, big roller coaster for sure,' said NOC's Pigeon River Outpost Manager, John Ortt. 'As best way I can put it is we are in a better place now, mentally, than we've been in some, some time now, several months now, so we're excited.'
Being part of the Smoky Mountain community, the Gatlinburg Convention and Visitors Bureau said rafting groups like these are essential for tourism, and bringing the economy back to what it was.
'We are known for our outdoor activities,' said Gatlinburg CVB public communications manager, Caroline Bean. 'With this being right down the road and having this opportunity to look to the mountains and to really see the growth and see the natural beauty that we have surrounding us, just, you know, right outside of town is really great, and might not think of it as Sevier County, but these are all of our mountains,'
As a raft guide himself, Andy Gallatin said while the Pigeon River hasn't changed much, his community has.
'I grew up around this area, so there's a lot of emotions everything around it,' he said. 'But the river was a huge concern for us, where we were going to be able to work, but the community was another one who has always supported us.'
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But now that the river is open, they are ready to take on a season like never before.
'The biggest thing that we want to see is people to come rafting, we need it and they'll have a great time,' said Claiborne.
However, she said there is still work to be done. Specifically, they are waiting for repairs to Interstate 40 between the Tennessee and North Carolina border to be completed before they can fully return to normal.
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