It all started the morning before with a screenshot of projected water levels for the Goose Creek - which was sent to me by Pam W. - daring / willing us to paddle the creek after a very dry, anemic summer for the Goose. The paddle looked promising especially with the steady rainfall in the afternoon/night. We gave it a go after reviewing the evidence (trusty back-deck water-glass gauge showing 2.5 inches and my 7 am video of the Clapham Falls with 350 cfs).
At 8:30 am, Pam W, Kyle H and I set shuttle with the help of Pam's son Jack. Thank you Jack! We actually started paddling at 9:30 am with 2.3 ft and 330 cfs, cloudy weather and air temperature in 40ties, At the Fairfax Dam, the buoys across the dam were missing - as they sometimes are. We got out of the creek (river right) and descended down the side of the dam with the help of tow leashes.
The paddle was slightly rockier once out of the reservoir but we circumvented the occasional rock with aplomb. In short, our paddle was uneventful and fun. We did scout the Golf Course rapid to decide on the proper route, given the downed sycamore halfway down the rapid on river left (extending to center). Pam and Kyle took center line and I went right with a bit more waves/holes;.
The river receded even more ( 2.15 ft /250 cfs) by the time we run our last rapid (Clapham Falls), which, surprisingly, was not too boney and actually fun to run at that level.
[ Actually, the level at Clapham Falls when they got there would have been the same 360 cfs as at the time they put in. They simply rode that bubble. So the 250 cfs back at Leesburg at take-out time at Clapham was irrelevant. No surprise that it "was not too boney." - Alf ]