Trip Planning 'Cheat Sheets' Offer Ideas for Dry Conditions

As the water in our area rivers dries up, new trip coordinator stream sheets on the CCA website offer some ideas for easy paddles where there still will be water. These are among five additions that now bring the number of "cheat sheets" to 50 individual segments of rivers and creeks.  The new sheets cover:

Three easy paddles likely to stay watered this Summer and Fall:

 • Anacostia (Bladensburg to the DC line)

 • Swains Loop (flatwater loop of the Potomac above Great Falls)

 • Paw Paw Bends (Upper Potomac camper)

Two small streams unlikely to flow unless a hurricane drops by:

• Lost River Gorge (rugged 40 fpm descent of the upper Cacapon)

• Broad Run (Dulles Airport north to the Potomac)

Also in the current dry season, you could try some streams in the older cheat sheets:

• Potomac - Mather Gorge

• Shenandoah - Route 50 to Lowes Landing (600 - 700 cfs min)

• James - the Richmond Fall Line (Class III)

• Potomac - Mallows Bay Wrecks

• Potomac - Needles (900 cfs min @ Shepherdstown)

• Potomac - Anglers to Lock 10 (minimum 2.6 ft?)

How to Find the Cheat Sheets: From the navigation pane on the left side of the CCA home, select the tab entitled "Trip Planning/ Handbook" and then "Trip Coordinator Sheets" to see all 50 cheat sheets. As a trip coordinator posting or sending out your call to the river for your trip, you can refer to them and suggest that your trip participants peruse them before arriving at the river.

—Alf Cooley