Paddling --- 6/17/1999 - 6/20/1999 --- Potomac River

Canoeing the Potomac River.

The canoe trip was wonderful. We arrived at the put-in Thursday night. By the time the Ithaca contingent unloaded their boats it was around midnight. We then paddled a mile down river to our first campsite. The night was silent and the river was incredibly still. The moon only a few days old cast a small amount of light which reflected off the river but didn't overpower the millions of stars shining down on us. I knew why I had been looking forward to this trip for so long.

Friday morning we got off to a slow start and paddled 12 miles to our campsite. On arrival we discovered a massive contingent of Boy Scouts overrunning the camp ground. We continued on a bit downriver. I wonder if the Scouts thought they ran us off. Actually, we just didn't want to disturb anyone with our raucous evening of singing (and disturbed they would be when I started singing). We discovered a flat patch of ground with a large tree. The tree actually had a big long vine hanging from it. Luckily I was not encumbered with excess maturity. I jumped on and gave a pitiful Tarzan yell as I demonstrated whatever principal of physics applies to an oscillating pendulum. Very cool.

The next morning started our big day. 18 miles of paddling with the river gods providing the requisite headwind. About 5 miles were spent in rapids of various levels of difficulty. Luckily the summer has been a dry one and the water levels are low. The rapids were fun, but not particularly challenging or dangerous. The sun was strong and SPF 30+ was the order of the day. The constant cadence of the paddle stroke emptied the mind and allowed cares to flow away down the river. The occasional stretch relieved muscles which were not nearly as happy with the constant paddling as was the mind. At the end of the day we discovered an island in the middle of the Potomac and made camp on the beach. We had to avoid a Kingfisher's nest. They lay their eggs in the sand right on the beach. We saw four black and white speckled eggs and a nervous Kingfisher. We stayed away. And no, we did not eat eggs that night for dinner. The island did have plenty of poison ivy. Poor Sarah managed to find most of it when a log broke while she was crossing over a patch. A good soaping in the Potomac kept her reaction to a minimum.

Late that night it started to rain. The rain continued all day Sunday. I was thrilled! It isn't a canoe trip unless it rains continuously for at least one day. Our journey Sunday was brief. We paddled about 8 miles to the take-out. Then we shuttled canoes to their appropriate locations and said our goodbyes.

Click on the thumbnail to see a version sized to fit a 1024x768 screen. For best results, maximize your screen (F11 in most browsers). Click picture to cycle to the next picture.