By John Snitzer
Surgery is disorienting and alienating in many ways, so it was wonderful to have my first post adventures-in-healthcare trip be a fine one. Alf (TC), Barb and I tackled the rewatered C&O Canal from Carderock up to Anglers and rediscovered a wonderful stretch of paddling. Back in the day, it was a fine evening paddle to put into the canal at Anglers, paddle up to Lock 15, return, then loop down to Carderock, and return. After years, with the repair of the canal at Highwalls opposite Vaso Island, this trip is again possible. Back in the day it took just over an hour to make the loop in a wildwater boat. Today it took that long just for the 1.7 miles from Carderock Lot 4 to the bridge at Anglers. Time moves on.
This trip is flatwater, with a seal launch entry at Carderock and a timber step exit just before the bridge at Anglers. It is a beautiful spring paddle. Chartreuse sassafras and pale purple redbud brighten up the forest with a few dogwoods starting to flower. The pawpaws are covered with dark chocolate colored fifty-cent-piece sized flowers. Pro tip--you will get more pawpaws if you hang roadkill in your trees. Carrion beetles are good pollinators, attracted to the dark flowers. For the squeamish, a swirl with a small pointed paint brush does the job. The spring ephemerals are well out with masses of spring beauties and blue violets and spots of woodland phlox, golden ragwort, bluebells, and toothworts. This stretch of the canal is beautiful, with the newly repaired section feeling parklike and the older section feeling more wild. The white sycamore branches were brilliant in the bright sun. There were many birds today but they did not have their name tags on so I can't ID them for you. In the past, I have seen loons in this area.
Consider this section of the canal for a paddle with your non-paddling friend. It is dead flat, perfectly suitable for beginners. Although we set shuttle, it can be run as an out-and back, with length adjusted to suit and there is generally ample parking at Carderock Lot 4. The variety of scenery is nice, particularly if you paddle up to Widewater.
Trip was rated 10/10.
Technical note by Alf Cooley
Please note that Level 14 that we ran is now navigable mainly by virtue of the C&O NHP’s running water down from the intake at Violettes, the water to be used to flush out sewage sediment from Locks 13, 12, and 11 left by the recent Potomac Interceptor break. The whole Level reaches from the Beltway Bridge, up past the Carderock parking lots, over the newly restored Highwalls section, through two fine wide sections, past Anglers bridge (splendid take-out steps on the berm side) and on into Widewater to the high Lock 15. It totals 4 miles, though our paddle covered but 1.7 miles. Estimated flow was 50 cfs, and all but the first 100 yards from Carderock Lot 4 to Milepost 11 at Highwalls was plenty deep. Our lead in was a trifle shallow (6 inches). The mile or so down to Lock 14 is unexplored but appears from the towpath to be navigable. Alternatively, you can do a no-shuttle loop by descending the river from Anglers. But you must take out just above Stubblefield Falls and be willing to hike uphill through the Carderock playing field to the Canal, which may not be everyone’s cup of tea. CCA has asked the C&O Park to keep this level navigable on a regular basis.
Here are Barb Brown and John Snitzer in the deep (4 feet) section behind the restored Highwalls at MP 11 in the Logwall section of the Canal:
Alf& John (photo by Barb Brown)
