Ten slightly sleepy paddlers -- Barb B., Laura T., Diane H., Kathleen S., Tim T., John S., Hendrik v.O., Wayne M., Mikey B. & Alan G. (the last your intrepid reporter/coordinator) -- dragged themselves out of bed a full half-an-hour earlier than is customary to paddle the Violette's loop. The gauge at Little Falls was reading 2.94 feet at the time we put in at 9:00 AM.
I am sorry to have to report that a major controversy erupted right at the start of the trip concerning the number of paddlers in attendance. I (and every one else) counted 10. But, somehow, John S. insisted that there were 11 (Barb B. snarkily said she counted 9.5). After recounting, it was determined that we indeed only numbered 10. But part way down the GW canal, a mysterious 11th paddler in a skin-on-frame canoe with a double-bladed paddle came out of nowhere to join us, thus temporarily making John S.'s prophecy of an 11th paddler come true. The paddler, who called himself "Ted," claimed to have been a CCA member some 20 years ago. After hogging the surfer's ledge for an extended time, "Ted" announced he had "friends" to meet back on land and left us -- if he was ever really there at all.
Beyond the dispute over the number of paddlers in our group, the only other drama of the trip was coming across the remains of an earlier drama: a Mad River Explorer canoe (much like your intrepid reporter's own Explorer) was observed thoroughly wrapped around a rock in the last rapid above the surfer's ledge, open end facing upstream, ash gunnels snapped. Some discussion ensued among the CCA crowd about whether we could unwrap it with the gear we had on hand; but with the canoe's gunnels shattered and with both bow and stern submerged, the decision was made that it would have to be cut out and were were without a saw among us. A call was placed to Calleva to alert them to the potential hazard.
After diagonal rapid (where you intrepid reporter took a bad line and hung up, twice), the group headed river right and paddled jacuzzi rapid without incident. The passage previously cut out by Calleva in the accumulated wood that had been blocking the last drop before the left and right channels come together remains clear; but caution should continue to be exercised as there is a partially exposed rock at this water level which makes that somewhat narrow passage even narrower.
On recrossing the river to the Maryland side, a bald eagle was observed high atop a tree in the mid-river island.
On the return paddle up the C&O Canal, 19 turtles were counted, along with one doe (a deer, a female deer).