Lovely day - sub minimal level - 56 cfs We did the top 6 miles of the easy 22 mile stretch up from Moorefield and before the Canyon. Bob Maxey led, with Wes Mills, & me coming from Manassas - 9:00 departure. Met Ron Shanholtz promptly at 10:30 at Moorefield Sheetz and drove up the So Fk looking at the water and figuring that it was just barely doable. Put in ca 4 miles down from Milam bridge at a tiny spot called Peru, where a retired State dept civil servant and his wife had set down roots. Very gracious - the stream was Cl. I - pretty simple -it took us 3 hours to navigate 6 miles. The weather improved to 80 degrees, and the 30 mph winds were mainly up in the treetops. We thought of our friends blowing around on the Staircase.
This was a PFD for all but Bob, and first time out this year for Wes and Ron. Fine mountain scenery, which most of us have seen when we drive up to the Moorefield Gorge. I would say that the water level was -2 inches. 56 cfs at Brandywine, 89 at Moorefield. At Stumpf Farm's low water bridge, a friendly tractor driver let us take out (and park car.) Buhl Farm Rd (38.9025, -79.0302) 236 sq. mi.
In all, we were impressed with how receptive people were to boaters - and that when ending the Canyon trip, it's much better not to brave the brambly steep slopes of Milam Bridge, but to float down another 4 miles to one of the LWB places