Chair's Cockpit
By Hugh Hilliard
I hope that everyone enjoyed celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th in their own way and is taking advantage of the warm weather and more normal water levels to get out on the river. I was in Idaho for the 4th and enjoyed a drive along the North Fork of the Payette River, described by American Whitewater as "big-water Class V" and "the site of the North Fork Championship, regarded by many as the most challenging whitewater competition in the world." This 16-mile stretch of almost continuous, steep whitewater is quite impressive; I wouldn't want to swim there!
I've had the opportunity to paddle Mather Gorge several times recently and am awed each time by this beautiful stretch of river in our backyard. The club trip that David Cottingham and I planned to paddle the Chattooga River on the Georgia/South Carolina border in June was foiled by a lack of enough water to justify the long drive, but many of the folks who had registered for that event had nice trips to the Lower Yough and Lehigh, so all was not lost. There have been some great CCA trips over the past couple of months, including to Sideling Hill Creek, Smokehole and Hopeville Canyons, the Remington section of the Rappahannock, the Upper and Lower Youghiogheny, Stonycreek, and the Lehigh (as well as many local trips on the Potomac and the C&O Canal). Thanks to all of the trip coordinators and participants for making these happen!
We had a great turnout at our first Spring Picnic held at Riley's Lock June 7, including lots of CCA and Team River Runner paddlers and families as well as some Scouts. In addition to a smorgasbord of food offerings, the event featured games (rope toss, slack lines, cornhole, and others) and paddling in various watercraft on Seneca Creek. Thanks to Tom Hackman and Lynn Miller for making this event a success. We hope to make this an annual tradition.
Looking ahead, there are still slots available for open canoe and kayak clinics on the Lower Yough Aug. 22 and 23 and the Guppy Gulch event for kids of all ages Aug. 23. The Great Falls Foundation will be sponsoring the Great Falls Race Aug. 8 and 9 and the Potomac Fest on the 8th. The annual Lehigh Classic whitewater race is scheduled for Aug. 29, and there likely will be a good release that weekend that would be fun also for folks who prefer a more leisurely (or playful) pace. Ed Gertler has planned a program to celebrate the life of Dick Griffith Sept. 15. And there are many other club trips yet to be scheduled based on water levels, weather, and interest, so keep checking your emails and the Trips and Events Calendar.
CCA Access Committee members, primarily Alf Cooley, David Cottingham, and John Snitzer, have continued to refine the project to improve access between the Potomac River upstream of Pennyfield Lock and the C&O Canal at Blockhouse Point/Mile Marker 21. The team compiled a comprehensive plan for the project, submitted it to the National Park Service, and are engaged in dialogue with the NPS in anticipation of constructing the project this fall, probably late September into October. The team will be looking for volunteers who can work in shifts to set the stones for the steps. We will also initiate a fundraising campaign to recover costs of the project by soliciting donations from CCA members and others in the paddling community who frequently use the access pathway. The CCA board also is discussing the contribution of some CCA funds for this. The March-April Cruiser has a full description of the project.
For other items of interest, I direct your attention elsewhere in this Cruiser edition, covering items such as the webmaster position and potential changes to the website, the prosecution of local legend and former Olympian paddler Davey Hearn, and the aftermath of the Potomac Interceptor sewage spill.
Enjoy the rest of the summer, and I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on the river.