The "Peaceful" Watauga River

This is a photo of the Watauga River, just a short walk from my house.

On the river there are many places that appear to be just as peaceful as the photo above.

Though the river hosts many places along it that are popular among the college students in the area, it should be noted that the river did not meet the EPA's standard for E-coli as of last July.

The river also has several different places where you can see parts of the past. The photo above shows the remains of the Flat Shoals bridge, which was destroyed during the '40 flood, never to be rebuilt.   

All of that to say, looks can be deceiving. The Watauga River may look in some places just to be a peaceful, boring, fresh water river with little danger...  

But beware of the roaring falls, called the "Foaming Hole" by locals. The inconspicuous falls has claimed a handful of lives because the water creates a suction that can hold a person under the water until they drowned. At least according to the stories I've heard my whole life.