January, 2005 Appomattox River – Mike Watson
| River: | Other |
| Skill: | All |
| Trip Date: | 01/08/2005 |
Date: Saturday, January 8, 2005
Where: Appomattox, from Chesdin dam to Rt. 36 (Petersburg, Va)
Water Level: 3.65’
Trip Coordinator: Mike Watson
Paddlers: Mort Barlaz, C-1; Vic Cavalieri, C-1; Paul Clawson, K-1; Jack Imbriani, K-1; Kathy Imbriani, K-1; Trevyn Leighton, K-1; Edwin Talley, K-1; Charlie Williams, K-1; Mike Watson, C-1
Knowing that the Appomattox is rain dependant, I had the Roanoke as a back-up plan. As it turned out, the App. was lower than I wanted, but still paddleable. I really prefer 4’ for plastic boats & 5’ for glass. I don’t think we left too much plastic up there though. The Roanoke was real high, which is actually easier, but there’s not much to play on at that level. Everyone who responded showed up at the take-out. We set shuttle & put on below Chesdin dam. The more enthusiastic folks played on eddy-lines below the dam while those who wanted to keep their heads dry looked on. Once everyone was ready we headed on down the flat stretch. There is one dam that we all portaged. I normally go right, but Edwin suggested left. I hadn’t been left in many years & it’s much easier on that side now. Thanks Edwin, I’ll remember that.
We played our way down the river. Before we got to Jughandle a couple of folks seemed concerned with the description of the drop. No problem though, instead of paddling down the canal to the break, we paddled the main river. Then, below Jughandle those who wanted to run it carried up the canal wall & put in. Trevyn nearly caught the top wave on the fly. I’ve never seen anyone catch it, so I was impressed that he came so close. Then somehow, both Trevyn & I managed to paddle up from below & surf that wave. It’s a real nice wave & it was my first successful attempt at catching it. Maybe it was the low water that helped.
Everyone had a clean run at Pipeline & we gathered again at the bottom to discuss Target Rock (Va. State rapid). Since this is the biggest rapid on the river & we had some first timers along, I wanted everyone on the same page. We described the rapid, where to be most importantly where not to be. I gave the standard line & also offered the hero line (which I do not take). At this level it’s not too bad; the hole in the middle won’t swallow you. Other than one swim, everyone did fine. All gear was quickly recovered. Thanks to everyone who responded so quickly & efficiently. The only injury was one unnamed kayaker’s pride.
Below the bridge at the take-out is probably the best righty eddy-line that I’ve ever played on. It’s the first place that I felt the water actually make a stern-squirt happen. At high water a large whirlpool forms that has been rumored to give mystery moves to open canoes. This day the water was low & the whirlpool was not a factor. A few of us played here before taking out. For you lefty’s there’s also a good lefty eddy-line under the bridge. It’s just not quite as good as the righty. It’s fun to have a lefty on one side & a righty on the other peeling out into stern squirts at the same time.
This was my first time being a trip coordinator for the club. For those who have not done it, it’s a piece of cake. If you know that you’re going to paddle a particular weekend, just pick a river that you know & put it on the schedule. Folks will e-mail & call Wednesday night to confirm, then just show up & paddle. You’ll probably have some folks that have not paddled that particular stretch, so be prepared to explain & show the lines. How often do you have 3 C-1’s to 6 K-1’s? Not often. But it’s fun.