LF gauge 2.72, 1,560 cfs, water temperature 74°, high tide
The weekly Thursday trip was moved to both Wednesday and Friday to avoid and then take advantage of predicted rain on Thursday. Wednesday we had Chris K. and Gary and Ginny Q. in OC-1s. Mark B, Peter R, Chris O, David M, and trip coordinator Lisa L paddled kayaks. Most walked the shuttle from Chain Bridge. After a few minutes of light rain, we had cloudy but dry weather. Z Channel was low but passable, although the slot in the last drop was not. The kayaks scrambled over to the right side to get down the drop, and there was enough water that no one broached on rocks at the bottom. We worked our way across the dam and down to Spicy Cheeto. At this level the eddy turn and peel out are only mildly spicy. Peter and Chris K. ran Beaver Slide. Sitting in the left eddy before the easy final drop, Chris decided to make things more interesting by ferrying to the far right. He found too much rock and too little water, but got himself sorted out. He later attributed this decision to testosterone poisoning. The top wave in the rapid below Beaver Slide was more surfable than usual. At Little Falls, each of us eddied out in the staging eddy behind the rock island before ferrying behind Welcome Wave (rock at this level) to the Maryland side. Four kayaks did the Hairy Ferry over to the VA side eddy. The Hairy Ferry was about as benign as it gets. The open boats ran the Maryland side, which had a bit more happening than on a previous run with lower water and incoming tide. The high tide allowed us to paddle to the head of the outlet creek. The canal is covered with a nearly solid blanket of duck weed. Very messy. David M. avoided it by carrying back to Lock 6. Five of us reassembled at Fish Taco for an al fresco lunch.