Four of us (Alf Cooley, Wayne McDaniel, Paul Schneider, Brad Hammer) hit the lower Patapsco Saturday morning. The forecast didn't provide much hope, but the weather came around for us with mild temps, mixed clouds, and even a bit of sunshine. We put in at Old Frederick Road bridge around 10:15am with the river running approximately 315 CFS and slowly falling.
We cruised on down the river and stopped for a quick break at the bottom of Oella Falls. After a nice, clean run through Suicide by all, we continued on feeling very good, and possibly a bit too comfortable, as we came into Donut Bend rapid. And here, my friends, is where the mild carnage began. A flip near the top of Donut Bend turned into a swim and a strainer-trapped boat for one paddler. What initially appeared to be a few submerged sticks mid-stream, turned out to be a much nastier strainer in the form of a mostly-submerged old bicycle stuck completely upright with the wide handlebars just poking above the surface. The handlebars caught the cockpit of the overturned boat and did not want to let go. The boat was eventually pried free, but be warned, this could be a dangerous trap for any swimmers at the bottom of Donut Bend Rapid. With the boat free, we cruised on down to the takeout at Ilchester Road and were off by 1:15pm. A good time was had by all. Stay safe out there, everybody.
-Brad
https://youtu.be/Tj3bQ0YEQsg - Suicide Rapid - by Paul Schneider