First whitewater paddle in Nantahala area.

[Mangomon]

I'm taking my YOLO 11' inflatable to the Nantahala area in a couple weeks.  Any recommendations on a paddle for a newbie to whitewater.  I'll stop at NOC for recommendations as well, but I thought some zoners may have some insight.  Is the Little Tennessee fun?  I'm not doing Wesser Falls.

[TN_SUP]

The Little is wide and slow by Bryson City, not sure how it varies. The usual progression of WW paddling is starting on the Tuckaseegee which is mostly Class I and has bus shuttles if you need them, right by Bryson City, and working on skills there for the Nat,which is a lot of fast water and rock avoidance. You can also park and play at several spots along Nat and Tuck. Beware of heavy raft traffic on weekends and that they turn the water on and off at specific times. Ben Frieberg has several standup WW videos posted to vimeo.

[Mangomon]

Thank you TN_SUP.  I'll look into the Tuck and check out the videos.  I've been paddling in bathtub temp waters down here in Southwest Florida.  Hopefully the Tuck isn't as cold as the Nantty.