Potomac River – Tom Womble
| River: | Potomac |
| Skill: | All |
| Trip Date: | 05/14/2005 |
Date: May 14, 2005
Paddlers: Brian Breedlove, K1; Cleo Smith, OC-1; Tom Womble, K1
River: Potomac – Sandy Beach to Chain Bridge (about 10 miles)
Level: Little Falls Gauge 3.59
Weather: Sunny, high 70s with late afternoon T-storms
A beautiful day greeted us on Saturday for a full helping of the Potomac. After setting up the shuttle we got to take a look at Great Falls from the Maryland side, always an inspiring view, and contemplate our fates if we were to attempt running it. We also looked at Fish Ladder rapid, intimidating at any level, but run by those who also run Great Falls with regularity.
The hike down to the put in at Sandy Beach was just long enough to get the blood circulating good and there were many other paddlers heading the same way, so we did not look out of place to the tourists visiting the park. At Saturday’s water level the Rocky Island Channels were just rocks, so we worked our way up to where Fish Ladder joins the main flow at S-Turn. Zoom! We were off, instantly paddling in the boiling, swirling waters of S-Turn. Brian immediately impressed us with a spinning, turning, collision avoidance roll as he was got spun out and stalled right in the path of Cleo’s 17 ft canoe. No harm, no foul and some good laughs.
As we settled into the rhythm of Mather Gorge’s offerings the serenity was interrupted by an “Apocalypse Now” moment as a Park Service helicopter roared up the gorge at tree top level, executed a U-turn below Great Falls and roared back to where it came from. Once the sounds faded we were able to enjoy the scenery and watch the multitude of climbers on the Virginia side of the gorge. Cleo had the opportunity for a passenger as one of the climbers remarked that she really wanted to go canoeing.
Difficult Run at the end of the gorge proved uneventful and Brian got several nice rides at both the Virginia Chute and the Maryland Chute, popular play spots easily attained from the Anglers Inn parking area a short distance further downstream.
With the big thrills over for the moment the river opened up to quarter mile wide gentle trip, allowing us to swap stories and tales of adventures past. We chose to go to the right of the numerous islands and enjoyed a few nice drops with long wave trains that offered some surfing. After passing under the 495 bridge we enjoyed a quick lunch before setting off for the slackwater of Brookmont Dam.
Brookmont Dam is a low head dam that can be easily run near the river left bank when water levels are 3-5 feet. We had no problems here and continued to the feeder canal slalom course where a group of cadet racers was practicing under the watchful eye of their coach.
And then the fun began.
At the end of the slalom course, there is a channel, called Z-drop, (I wonder why?) to rejoin the main flow of the river. The channel is about 30 feet wide and winds it way down to a nice pool at the bottom. In the middle of the channel before the pool is a moss covered Yugo sized boulder that splits the current. The more conservative route is to the left, the more challenging to the right. Having run the left side numerous times… I ran right and got nicely stuck. I just did not have enough speed to get to the right and although I high sided and tried to move around and forward on the slippery rock, the kayak was definitely stuck. The only movement was the slow rotation of the upstream edge going down. So…. I slid out of the kayak and sat on the rock with my feet resting on the right side of the cockpit rim and was fortunate enough to be able to reach in to get my rope and “bag of tricks”. By this time Brian and Cleo had figured out that their guide had royally screwed up and were coming to render assistance. After some futile direct pulling attempts from different angles, we, mostly Cleo, got a nice Z-drag going and managed to pull the kayak free before the kayak completely folded. I had set up Z-drags a few times, but quite a few years ago, and had never had to use one. It was really interesting to see one actually applied. Stomping on the cockpit got most of the dent out of the bottom and we were able to get on our way in about 45 minutes. Thanks again to Brian and Cleo for helping to free my kayak. Thoroughly humbled and angry with myself, I was safety for Brian and then Cleo to take the left route without incident.
As we started down to finish the last mile, the skies to the west darkened with the thunderstorms that had been forecast. As we approached Little Falls I could sense that Cleo and Brian definitely wanted to be sure where to pull off to scout. (From upstream, Little Falls is pretty scary for first timers. The river gradually narrows down from a quarter mile wide, with a series of wave trains to just 100 feet with a definite horizon line. There is a rocky island dead center that all of the current appears to crash into. Fishermen line the left boulder strewn bank and Chain Bridge looms a short distance down stream.) Fortunately there is a nice 7-11 parking lot sized eddy on river left just above the drop that can be easily caught if you do not underestimate the speed of the current and start for it early. We boulder hopped and scouted the left side route which is a 100 yard series of large breaking waves. Staying left of the island is the preferred route and I was definitely not up for another challenge.
We agreed on our route, Cleo opting for the extreme left bank to avoid swamping. I ran first and noted with consternation that several of the fishermen were completely ignoring us. The one time I was able to get a good view back upstream during my run I saw Brian catching air as he launched over one of the waves. Cleo’s route worked nicely for an open canoe although I was afraid he was going to have to cut a fishing line or two. Somehow he was not snagged.
The take out is just below Little Falls and before Chain Bridge. After a short hike to get into the C&O Canal for the paddle up to the cars, the skies opened up and we were treated to a tremendous downpour and thunderstorm. Had we made it in about 45 minutes earlier, (the time it took to get my kayak unstuck) we would have been on the road before the storms.
In all, a successful river trip. A few rolls, some fun paddling, great scenery, a Z-drag, and some lessons learned or relearned. Inspired by the physics of unpinning kayaks, Brian wants to sign up for the next river rescue class.