Brunswick to Point of Rocks

August 20, 2016

This weekend a group of 6 of us met at the Brunswick boat ramp for a float down the Potomac to Point of Rocks, MD.

We started just before noon, paddled up river from the Brunswick boat ramp until we got tired and then paddled about 7 miles down river to Point of Rocks (MD side; there is a POR VA side too).  It took us a little less than 4.5 hours with lots of stops.

The river was very crowded, more so than usual.  We passed a large group of tubers who ended at Lander's Lock as we kept going to Point of Rocks.

We saw a bald eagle swoop down to grab a fish.  We also saw some danger noodles (aka - snakes).  Perfect weather day.

Shenandoah - favorite run

August 14, 2016

On Sunday August 14, 2016, a group of 6 of us met at the Berry's Ferry boat ramp for Sunday Funday.  Hottest day of the year = best time to be on the river.

We had 1 SUP, 1 canoe and 4 kayaks with us.  This is probably my favorite run in the area for an all day paddle.

We started roughly just before noon and paddled over 9 miles in just under 6 hours.  I'm estimating because my tracker wasn't working properly and I didn't stop it for breaks.

About 1/3 of the way into the trip there is a spring fed waterfall/swimming hole on the left just past the 1st set of wires that cross over the river.  You can hear the waterfall from the main part of the river.  The waterfall/creek is called Spout Run and is ice cold compared to the river.  Very much needed after being out in the 100 degree heat.

As is the case each time I've been on this portion of the river, we saw a couple bald eagles.  We were able to get pretty close to them as they hung out in the trees on the side of the river.

Belle Haven

We again decided to meet Josh for a last-minute paddle, this time at Belle Haven Marina in Alexandria, VA.  The weather was not our friend so we were only on the water for about 40 minutes before the storms came.

Parking was easy, we drove all the way down to the right once you enter the marina.  There was no boat launch fee, however, I was told that technically there is but it is not enforced.  They also have rentals.

We started to head toward Dyke Marsh but due to the pending storm we decided to just do a quick loop around so Josh could introduce us to his local paddle spot.  Can't wait to go back here for a longer paddle.  It was pouring by the time we got back to our car.

rough start to 2016

Our 2016 kayak season got off to a slow start.  Cool weather in the Spring followed by me breaking my foot in May delayed us getting our boats out.

In late July we tried taking my friend from Atlanta out on the Potomac.  She rented at Fletcher's Boat House and we launched there for free.  We got on the Potomac at 11:15ish, paddled up river towards Chain Bridge.  The sky looked ominous so we turned around, making it to the cars just as the skies opened up.  Total time on the water was less than 45 minutes.

Shenandoah to Watermelon Park

Saturday, August 8, 2015

We launched under the Route 50 bridge which is called Berry's Ferry.  Easy launch and no launch fee.

Our plan was to paddle to Lock's Mill boat ramp (about 10 miles) and meet some friends who were at Watermelon Park for camping and tubing.  We started about 10:30 am and paddled leisurely for 3 hours and 45 minutes to Lock's Mill in Berryville, VA.  According to the Fitness Tracker app, our avg. speed was 2.6 mph, with our fastest speed being 10 mph.  I didn't stop the tracker during our stops on the river so the speed stat is slightly skewed.

We first stopped at the Spout Run waterfall off to the left of the river about 3.5 miles in.  After the first set of wires that go over the river, start listening for the sound of the falls.  If you hit the 2nd set of wires you went too far.  The falls are tucked away but you can definitely hear them.  The water from Spout Run was almost painfully cold compared with the river water.  There is an awesome swimming hole back there too but other folks were diving off the waterfall so we just watched for a few minutes.

Along the way we saw a couple of adult bald eagles.  Such beautiful animals.  The trip is interesting, good tranquil spots mixed with small rapids that were deceivingly difficult to run.  The water level was just under 2 ft. at Millwood when we left.  I think much lower and we would have been walking our kayaks through some spots.

Our second stop was about 7 miles in.  We found a good swimming spot that is across the river from a large rock wall.  The water in the swimming spot was moving but not too fast and it was about chest high there.

Once we got to Lock's Mill, there were large groups of tubers that were dropped off from Watermelon Park.  We happened to paddle up to some friends and floated the last bit of river to our campsite at Watermelon Park.

I love this route and like to do it at least once a year.  10 miles in about 4 hours at a very leisurely pace.

Brunswick, MD to Lander's Lock Potomac River

Sunday, August 2, 2015

Today we met a group of friends in Brunswick, MD for a paddle from the Brunswick boat ramp to Lander Boat Ramp.  There were 8 of us in kayaks and 1 on a stand-up paddle board.  This was the first time we attempted (with success!) to get 2 kayaks on the top of my MINI Cooper.  No more driving separately for each trip!  The river was medium high, didn't encounter too many places with low water on the route. 

http://www.riverexplorer.com/details.php4?id=656

http://www.riverexplorer.com/details.php4?id=1361

We started out a little rocky with one person falling in immediately as she launched and another requiring first aid after a gash on the leg as we were preparing to enter.  After 6 years of kayaking I finally got to use my first-aid kit for the first time!

The trip itself is relatively short, we started around 9:45/10:00 and were off the river shortly after 2:00.  This is with very little paddling, lots of stops and hanging out along the way.  We fooled around quite a bit at each of our stops.  A dog even came out of the woods at one of the stops to say hello.

The river wasn't too crowded this day, there was some light traffic but overall we felt we had the river to ourselves.  As we came up to the boat ramp at the end, we weren't quite ready to get out so we hung out on the rocks in the middle of the river.  Good spot to sit in the river and let the water rush over you.

I like this trip but it is short.  We were somewhat limited in time as we had to rush to the airport afterwards but you can continue downriver to the Point of Rocks boat ramp or the mouth of the Monocacy for a longer paddle.

I also have recently installed the Sports Tracker app on my phone that allows you to track distance, speed, etc. but of course forgot to start it up when we started our paddle.  Will try to use it this weekend.

Harper's Ferry WV

Saturday, August 1, 2015

Today we met a group of Chad's friends out on the rocks in the Potomac river in Harper's Ferry, WV.  Parking is tough here but we finally got a spot near the Maryland Heights hiking trail.  There are a few small parking areas along the Maryland Heights side, otherwise you have to park in the town of Harper's Ferry and trek it with your stuff across the walking bridge.  After parking, we unloaded our back-pack cooler and a couple of tubes and walked down to the river.  The river access is along the tow path, you will see small trails cut out that lead down to the river.  Just pick a spot on the rocks to set up and you are done.

The view is amazing.  You can sit in the water while it rushes over you or find a low-current pool to chill out in (we did both).  This is looking downriver towards the train bridge:

The area is pretty crowded as outdoor companies have group tubing trips coming down all day. It is pretty hilarious to watch and listen to the groups as they hit those first rapids.  Chad saved an errant tube for a guy who lost it just prior to the rough stuff.  We walked up the tow path a few hundred yards and tubed back down to our spot.  Our tubes sit very low in the water so we had a few "COWABUNGA" moments.  Next time I would want a regular tube that sits higher in the water.

Overall, very relaxing and great place to swim.

Monocacy

Saturday July 11, 2015

Our friends Jeff and Christa recently moved to Frederick across the street from the Monocacy Blvd. boat ramp.  Since Chad was at the beach, I decided to join Jeff/Christa for a trip down the Monocacy.

We started shortly after noon.  Three of us put in at the boat ramp at Devilbiss Road.  We then leisurely paddled about 6 miles to the take-out point at the Monocacy Blvd. bridge.  Both the launch and the take out were easy.  The river was high and moving faster than normal but still somewhat slow.  It was also very muddy.  We brought along a floating cooler, named Boozey, that we towed behind us.  I did notice a slight drag on the kayak from towing the cooler but it wasn't too bad.

The trip took us about 3-3.5 hours.  We saw some cool rock formations along the banks.  Part of what I love about the Monocacy is that it feels like a private river with no distractions/light traffic.  We saw some Kingfishers, Osprey, Herons.  A train crossed the bridge right as we were going under it so we wave to all the passengers.

Overall it was a very easy paddle and one that would be good to do on short notice.

Annapolis day 2

Sunday, June 14, 2015--Beverly Triton Beach Park, Annapolis, MD

http://www.aacounty.org/recparks/parks/community/beverlytriton.cfm

After having to carry our kayaks a good distance yesterday, we were looking for a place that had easy water access.  This place lets you pull up to the beach, unload everything then you can move your car to the parking lot.

Similar drive from DC as yesterday's trip, about an hour out Rte. 50 east towards Annapolis.  Along the way there were plenty of gas stations, ice, food options.  Chad wants to stop at Chad's BBQ whose sign advertised "best chicken wings in MD."  There were also a handful of other BBQ options along the way.  We arrived around 1:15 pm and were probably in the water by 1:30 pm.

The beach at the launch site was really nice, lots of families enjoying the water.  We put in and paddled to the right towards the Rhode River.  The shore is protected most of the way by breakers which protected us from the waves and wakes of the larger boats farther out in the Bay.  Most of the shore had small beaches and we got out at a few to rest, eat, swim.  This area was a lot less populated than yesterday's trip.  Some of the swimming spots we stopped at were a little murky but overall I would say there are good swimming options.

We did have to be cautious of the nesting Ospreys and various other birds.  They build their very large nests on the ends of docks and breakers.  It was pretty clear they were watching us as we paddled by.  We were both wary of getting dive bombed by an aggressive bird but luckily that didn't happen.  Very cool to see them flying overhead at such close distances.

We continued along the shore line into the Rhode River.  There is some sort of camp there and we took advantage of their swimming hole/beach as no one was using either.  There were some small sailboats out and some larger boats going up/down the river.  We didn't venture too far into the river as our arms were so sore from yesterday.

On our way back we paddled past the launch beach towards the opening of the South River.  This location is a good spot as you can paddle either direction for some nice scenery.  Playing in the waves was also fun and we probably would have lasted longer had we not been so exhausted from the day before.  A storm came in as we were leaving but we got out just in time around 5:30 pm.  This is a good place if you are short on time as you can customize the trip according to the amount of time you have available.