...Sort Of, Anyway.
Went out to Rockbridge County this weekend. Fired up a PFD for me and Gromit on Mill Creek on Saturday. Mill Creek runs into the Maury just below the town of Goshen. There's no gage, but if the Maury is stompin' like it was this weekend, then Mill Creek is probably running. A few problems: The main one is there's some wood in it. Some of it looks to be deliberately cut down to cross the entire stream -- maybe by fishermen, maybe by inhospitable landowners. Also there's a low head dam just upstream of a fairly beefy steel bridge. The best portage for the dam is on river left where you will likely encounter the most inhospitable landowner. He will bring a large white dog out to meet you and call you bad names. Just get back in your boat and get on downstream. You may hear some gunshots as you pass his house. Do not be alarmed. He's a bad shot, or just trying to scare you. Enjoy the river, anyway. It's the best way to put that kind of encounter in perspective. It is a pretty stream.
Sunday we figured the Maury from Indian Pool to the store might be a good place for me to get some seat time in the open boat, with some able adivsers along side. NOPE. I made it upright through several smallish rapids, but all I could do was make right hand circles in the boat. It was comical. I felt like I was in a spirograph. Thankfully Ken and Alicia had decided to tandem, so Alicia and I switched spots and I finished the run with dry hair and sore ankles.
A good weekend that I really needed.
I Did It...
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I Did It...
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hydrophilic
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I'm glad you also got to meet the inhospitable land owner. We apparently met the wife. I see she called in reinforcements for the second group that came through. She was pissed though and clearly knew nothing about laws governing trespassing and/or navigable streams. I'm not sure if this couple owns the land on both sides of the river though. There is a really nice takeout above the dam river right and if you walk past the bridge there is a really nice put in downstream where you won't shave off half your boat on the seal launch. We were quite curious to know what was going to happen to you guys. Glad to know you didn't run the dam.
Jon Dzielak
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hydrophilic
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riverpirate
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Thanks Jim.riverpirate wrote:seeing these tea-party retards freak out for petty irrational reasons (oh no, we stepped 5 feet on the river bank!, wahh! oh nooo....conservationist/ecologist paddlers) makes me wanna poach john's creek ten times more. the channels of law abiding citizenry is going to fail
It's absurd statements (attitudes) like this that make it impossible to defend our position and helps close rivers.
Wade
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming....WOW What a ride! . . . . . Trying to live up to this, Priceless. As long as you have good insurance!
Way to keep stretching the boundries WnG,spose to keep you young. The mind anyway.
Everyone should experience; owning property, being part of a rural community,and especially spending some time with those less fortunate.
Agree.Mango wrote: absurd statements (attitudes)
Everyone should experience; owning property, being part of a rural community,and especially spending some time with those less fortunate.
Ain't it like most people, I'm no diffferent, we love to talk on things we don't know about - The Avett Brothers
freeheeled friends
friends getting high
water temp
freeheeled friends
friends getting high
water temp
Fun part first, I'll start by shouting out a misjudgement by me on choice of venue for Wallace's first brave foray into the sanctity of the world of OC from the evil land of K. (Kidding of course on the OC / K thing there folks, kindly brush thy hackles back down.) In my defense, local options were limited.
"It didn't look that big from the road ..... "
As it turned out the section of the Maury from Indian Pool to Rockbridge Baths was about maxed out. I was expecting it to be more washed out as happens when the river is even higher. I'm usually off messing about on a creek somewhere at times like this so I don't have it dialed in well when levels are high.
With all of that said, we had a plan A plus a plan B, (and, well, a plan C) in place. I don't view this section as being particularly dangerous, Wallace knows whitewater, he can swim like a dolphin, it's roadside, we added the tandem swap out option, and we left an extra car at a midpoint takeout.
To his credit Wallace made it through a couple of beefy rapids in his canoe off course but upright. I'm sensing potential there in terms of natural balance. Keep the faith, bro, keep the faith.
Once we made the boat switch, meaning Alicia in Wallace's OC-1 and Wallace in the bow of the OC-2 things got better. It took some time but as the run wore on Wallace got more comfortable and started doing some learning. With an ounce of patience an OC-2, even a Ferrari like an Esquif Blast, is a great teaching platform. He tried to twitch me into the drink a few times but I managed stave off those attempts and we both managed dry-what's-left-of-our-hair days.
Additional OC warm-and-fuzzy was found when Alicia filled Dave's new OC nearly to the gunnels at Brillo and found it to be reasonably stable.
Side note to Wallace, eesh, sorry, rough introduction but hey, you learned a bunch on the very first day!
=====================================
=====================================
On to the grrrrr factor on Mill Creek.
It was an unfortunate encounter, of course. Offering a wee bit of background information, nearing the end of the run there is a clean horizon line suggesting something man-made perhaps 25 yards above a steel girder bridge a few feet off the water (at our river level). I'm guessing the underwater structure to be a low water bridge but can't really say, might be an old low-head dam. I did a little map work and found that the bridge serves a small farm nestled between the river right and the railroad.
I boat scouted it and could see the hydraulic was ugly but felt sure I could boof into the left bank eddy below for a better look, calculated risk, did so, and that worked out fine.
It's indeed an ugly spot. It's only about a three foot drop but the boil lines are well downstream and the return currents on both sides would feed a swimmer back to the middle. A drowning machine. There's something of a break on the right bank but at present there's a small tree blocking that.
Options? I motioned the group to portage. River left. It seemed like no big deal. Land not posted, portaging right would be more difficult. It's basically a lift-over.
Merely reporting at this point. I am somewhat sympathetic to landowners having issues with us. I don't like it, but I am somewhat sympathetic. To some we are intruders. Unfortunately we seem to have near-zero legal basis in Virginia in cases like this and so do better by being humble and apologetic.
This particular Mill Creek (there are many) is a nice run to have as an option when all things Maury aren't working out. Looking into it a bit more, .....
Ken Dubel
"It didn't look that big from the road ..... "
As it turned out the section of the Maury from Indian Pool to Rockbridge Baths was about maxed out. I was expecting it to be more washed out as happens when the river is even higher. I'm usually off messing about on a creek somewhere at times like this so I don't have it dialed in well when levels are high.
With all of that said, we had a plan A plus a plan B, (and, well, a plan C) in place. I don't view this section as being particularly dangerous, Wallace knows whitewater, he can swim like a dolphin, it's roadside, we added the tandem swap out option, and we left an extra car at a midpoint takeout.
To his credit Wallace made it through a couple of beefy rapids in his canoe off course but upright. I'm sensing potential there in terms of natural balance. Keep the faith, bro, keep the faith.
Once we made the boat switch, meaning Alicia in Wallace's OC-1 and Wallace in the bow of the OC-2 things got better. It took some time but as the run wore on Wallace got more comfortable and started doing some learning. With an ounce of patience an OC-2, even a Ferrari like an Esquif Blast, is a great teaching platform. He tried to twitch me into the drink a few times but I managed stave off those attempts and we both managed dry-what's-left-of-our-hair days.
Additional OC warm-and-fuzzy was found when Alicia filled Dave's new OC nearly to the gunnels at Brillo and found it to be reasonably stable.
Side note to Wallace, eesh, sorry, rough introduction but hey, you learned a bunch on the very first day!
=====================================
=====================================
On to the grrrrr factor on Mill Creek.
It was an unfortunate encounter, of course. Offering a wee bit of background information, nearing the end of the run there is a clean horizon line suggesting something man-made perhaps 25 yards above a steel girder bridge a few feet off the water (at our river level). I'm guessing the underwater structure to be a low water bridge but can't really say, might be an old low-head dam. I did a little map work and found that the bridge serves a small farm nestled between the river right and the railroad.
I boat scouted it and could see the hydraulic was ugly but felt sure I could boof into the left bank eddy below for a better look, calculated risk, did so, and that worked out fine.
It's indeed an ugly spot. It's only about a three foot drop but the boil lines are well downstream and the return currents on both sides would feed a swimmer back to the middle. A drowning machine. There's something of a break on the right bank but at present there's a small tree blocking that.
Options? I motioned the group to portage. River left. It seemed like no big deal. Land not posted, portaging right would be more difficult. It's basically a lift-over.
Merely reporting at this point. I am somewhat sympathetic to landowners having issues with us. I don't like it, but I am somewhat sympathetic. To some we are intruders. Unfortunately we seem to have near-zero legal basis in Virginia in cases like this and so do better by being humble and apologetic.
This particular Mill Creek (there are many) is a nice run to have as an option when all things Maury aren't working out. Looking into it a bit more, .....
Ken Dubel
It was only half full!Ken said: Alicia filled Dave's new OC nearly to the gunnels at Brillo
Kudos to Wallace for trying something new. We'll try to do better show-n-tell next time.
Alicia Jahsmann
"Do you live by the river? I hope so, because people who live near running water are much nicer than people who don't. I'd be mean as a scorpion if I lived inland." - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
"Do you live by the river? I hope so, because people who live near running water are much nicer than people who don't. I'd be mean as a scorpion if I lived inland." - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
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riverpirate
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Wade, you're correct--that is probably not a very productive statement or attitude to have on this forum, and I certainly would not actually do such a thing. However,(and I hope my frustration was adequately expressed) that does not void the fact that land owners continue to exceedingly present an ever-increasing challenge to the Virginia paddler, more so than any "gnarly drop" could.Mango wrote:Thanks Jim.riverpirate wrote:seeing these tea-party retards freak out for petty irrational reasons (oh no, we stepped 5 feet on the river bank!, wahh! oh nooo....conservationist/ecologist paddlers) makes me wanna poach john's creek ten times more. the channels of law abiding citizenry is going to fail
It's absurd statements (attitudes) like this that make it impossible to defend our position and helps close rivers.
Wade
The problem is that the closure of rivers in this state, if we use John's as a precedent, does not depend upon our position or our adherence to follow existing laws, period. (The ruling on that one was entirely dependent upon the good ol' boy network) I'm not sure that maintaining the status-quo of tiptoeing around the issue will get us anywhere other than more restricted/off-limits rivers anyway.
This issue will come to ahead, AGAIN. I just hope that paddlers start outfitting themselves with kevlar vests if they dare venture on something remote
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riverpirate
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Saturday on the river
Riverpirate conducted himself with sense and restraint on our river trip. He saved his comments on the landowner's character until a private conversation downriver.
Riverpirate also had good sense to figure one exciting river trip was enough. A paddler of a certain orange canoe thought the Indian Pool section at 3000 cfs was big class 2, but when he got on the river realized it was full of holes and waves and very big and fast. He hung in for a while but eventually parted ways with his boat and was seen clinging and standing on a flat rock with about 2" of water running over it. At no small inconvenience and risk his companions worked to retrieve him and his boat. This boatless canoeist was about to swim for river right when another kayaker appeared and offered to tow him to shore.
Kicking all the way the canoeist let go of the kayak stern when asked and was close enough to swim the last few feet and pull himself to shore grabbing at some saplings, but some other saplings broached the kayak. The kayaker escaped and with some help from Z-drag John the kayak was saved too. Downstream Tom corraled the canoe. So all were OK and gear was recovered, including the rescue kayaker's paddle which was found somewhere upstream from Lynchburg.
Yes the canoeist was me and I am most grateful for the help and the outcome and regret the bad judgement of getting on too big a river when tired from from what had been a most excellent and entirely satisfactory run on Mill Creek.
I say entirely satisfactory because the level was good and the continuous rapids were fun, plus we all took out and carried around four riverwide strainers as well as a lowhead dam with a boil line at least six feet out from the dam. I had the pleasure of being the paddler directly addressed by the unhappy landowner. She said we should not be on her land. I said that was our preference too but that it was necessary to avoid drowning. She said there was a law that said people could not paddle rivers with dangerous impediments. I said I was not aware of such a law. She said we needed to get in the river and get going. I said that was our intention all along. She said she did not want to see me here again. I did not reply but launched my canoe and joined the rest of the group.
To determine if there is enough water to run Mill Creek, go to Coastals links to river levels, go to Virginia, then find Maury River at Rockbridge Baths and Calfpasture River. Subtract the latter cfs from the former cfs and if you still have 1000 cfs you probably have enough water to run Mill Creek. On March 3 the difference was almost 2000 cfs, and it was the highest of the 3 or 4 times I have run Mill Creek.
Riverpirate also had good sense to figure one exciting river trip was enough. A paddler of a certain orange canoe thought the Indian Pool section at 3000 cfs was big class 2, but when he got on the river realized it was full of holes and waves and very big and fast. He hung in for a while but eventually parted ways with his boat and was seen clinging and standing on a flat rock with about 2" of water running over it. At no small inconvenience and risk his companions worked to retrieve him and his boat. This boatless canoeist was about to swim for river right when another kayaker appeared and offered to tow him to shore.
Kicking all the way the canoeist let go of the kayak stern when asked and was close enough to swim the last few feet and pull himself to shore grabbing at some saplings, but some other saplings broached the kayak. The kayaker escaped and with some help from Z-drag John the kayak was saved too. Downstream Tom corraled the canoe. So all were OK and gear was recovered, including the rescue kayaker's paddle which was found somewhere upstream from Lynchburg.
Yes the canoeist was me and I am most grateful for the help and the outcome and regret the bad judgement of getting on too big a river when tired from from what had been a most excellent and entirely satisfactory run on Mill Creek.
I say entirely satisfactory because the level was good and the continuous rapids were fun, plus we all took out and carried around four riverwide strainers as well as a lowhead dam with a boil line at least six feet out from the dam. I had the pleasure of being the paddler directly addressed by the unhappy landowner. She said we should not be on her land. I said that was our preference too but that it was necessary to avoid drowning. She said there was a law that said people could not paddle rivers with dangerous impediments. I said I was not aware of such a law. She said we needed to get in the river and get going. I said that was our intention all along. She said she did not want to see me here again. I did not reply but launched my canoe and joined the rest of the group.
To determine if there is enough water to run Mill Creek, go to Coastals links to river levels, go to Virginia, then find Maury River at Rockbridge Baths and Calfpasture River. Subtract the latter cfs from the former cfs and if you still have 1000 cfs you probably have enough water to run Mill Creek. On March 3 the difference was almost 2000 cfs, and it was the highest of the 3 or 4 times I have run Mill Creek.
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riverpirate
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