155 cfs - minimal The
run 12 M to 3pm. rain at beginning (1.2 in in DC)
We were 8 on the river - 4 meeting at Beach Drive, 4 at Papermill Bridge. Barb, Ken Durr*, Jon Hauris, Alf and Wayne, John S*, Linda B*, and Matt Atkinson. Linda in a slicy long C-1. Asterisk means new to the stream - another two hadn't been on it for 20 years. 155 cfs is on the new Castle Fin gauge at the put-in - it was near CZ.
Rain at the meeting place - Rock Creek 8:30am - but little on the highway or put-in. Brad ran the shuttle.
At Snap Falls - 3 of us dumped, 1 swam. At "the Gorge" Barb went down and found a hoped for eddy wasn't sufficient - and Ken came and helped her up the shore. That portage is the absolute pits - and it was raining as we proceeded over those horrible rocks.
After the trip, Linda rushed off to a class she teaches at Montg Comm College - probably got there by 5:30.
Barb, JS, Ken & I went to local resto in Delta - K & I then split after coffee, and we inspected the big rapid on the Deer Ck at Rocks (94 cfs) - below CZ.
Great day - glad the rain stayed largely away while we were paddling. That portage is an unshirted hell - Wayne says it's why he hadn't been back for 20 years !
John Snitzer writes: MC Falls looks interesting, maybe with more padding. Two bad rocks just below the key drops. The Class IV carry was a challenge. We had enough mud that footing was treacherous and potential for a bad fall was high. With more water Snap Falls would have a nice ramp on R left but also a bad hole where we ran on the right.
The gorge is geologically beautiful, very dramatic, very rugged. But the riverbanks are covered with Japanese knotweed which ruins it for me. It was nice, healthy knotweed but it isn't supposed to be there. Like hanging out with Americans in a Hilton in Paris.
The flatwater is a downer. If we could yank Conowingo Dam out of there we would have another mile or so of nice whitewater, maybe 60' more gradient. We could hire out-of-work coal miners for the project.