We were six, a civilized number of paddlers for a trip on a beautiful day: Barb B, Jim S, Dmitry D, Mikey B, Miki K, just back from a class 4 trip to Tel Aviv, and your author. We split just below Surfers Ledge with three of us going left left to check out that channel in low water, LF @ 2.8', 1800 cfs +/-. After the left left channel, we rejoined the main stem Potomac and caught the last few hundred yards of the Seneca Breaks rapids. Three paddled the left channel to reexamine the carnage of a few weeks ago. Two of the three pinned boats remain. Left left channel was delightful.
We are deep into fall. Flowers are gone. The falling leaves reveal the structure of the forest with many of the tall canopy sycamores and maples having wind damaged tops and thickets of pawpaws filling in the light gaps where large trees have fallen. Mid-day there were few birds. We saw an eagle and a few herons with kingfishers evident but not visible. The best sight of the trip was looking straight up at the river takeout through the crowns of the sycamore grove there with the leaves, chartreuse and burnished gold against the deep blue sky.
All paddled elegantly. Water level in the canal was down slightly. There was general discussion of another trip next weekend if the weather remains nice. Our last measurable precipitation here was 2 October. But after the devastation of Helene I'm reluctant to wish potential tropical cyclone eighteen on anyone.
John Snitzer