O.C.T. North Branch Potomac at Bloomington May 27 & 28
Posted: Mon May 08, 2023 8:52 pm
If some of this sound familiar it's because I'm stealing bits from last year that worked and we had a good time.
This run forms part of the border between West Virginia and Maryland. I consider it to be a fairly fast-moving class II / III run. Years ago, for me it was a test to see if I was ready to move up to the lower Yough in Pennsylvania.
Dam releases are scheduled for both days. This allows for consistent good flows, almost always. Exceptions are when we have too little or too much water, neither of which is likely this year, fingers crossed. Water can be released from the reservoir from various depths so the water temperature can cover a significant range. Come prepared for chilly.
We usually paddle both days with a later start on Saturday to allow for travel there and earlier on Sunday to allow travel time home. Exact times to be determined.
A good river description can be found here.
https://www.americanwhitewater.org/cont ... /2430/main
I had hoped to schedule this trip for a non-holiday weekend (Memorial Day) but I was slated to be in Oregon right now, trip cancelled due to high snowmelt, dang it.
Lodging will be an issue. The local campgrounds that I know of are apparently full. Robert W. Craig and Big Run State Park are reporting all booked up. There are cabins (haven't checked on availability) and tent sites at the put in (first come, first served so go a day early?). 304-788-5732. There are hotel rooms in Keyser, WV, not so far away.
===================================================================
More details to come. Please sing out if interested, here, messaging, or email. This is another one where it is not okay to just show up.
Cheers,
Ken Dubel
This run forms part of the border between West Virginia and Maryland. I consider it to be a fairly fast-moving class II / III run. Years ago, for me it was a test to see if I was ready to move up to the lower Yough in Pennsylvania.
Dam releases are scheduled for both days. This allows for consistent good flows, almost always. Exceptions are when we have too little or too much water, neither of which is likely this year, fingers crossed. Water can be released from the reservoir from various depths so the water temperature can cover a significant range. Come prepared for chilly.
We usually paddle both days with a later start on Saturday to allow for travel there and earlier on Sunday to allow travel time home. Exact times to be determined.
A good river description can be found here.
https://www.americanwhitewater.org/cont ... /2430/main
I had hoped to schedule this trip for a non-holiday weekend (Memorial Day) but I was slated to be in Oregon right now, trip cancelled due to high snowmelt, dang it.
Lodging will be an issue. The local campgrounds that I know of are apparently full. Robert W. Craig and Big Run State Park are reporting all booked up. There are cabins (haven't checked on availability) and tent sites at the put in (first come, first served so go a day early?). 304-788-5732. There are hotel rooms in Keyser, WV, not so far away.
===================================================================
More details to come. Please sing out if interested, here, messaging, or email. This is another one where it is not okay to just show up.
Cheers,
Ken Dubel