The river was at a nice level – it’s hard to tell from the gage, but it was probably around 1,500 cfs. Temperatures were in the mid-30’s. It took us about 3 ˝ hours to do the five-mile run. We had a little rain while we were paddling (and a few flurries on the drive home). We had only one swim – it wasn’t me, but I was involved.
At the top of Pinball, I pulled into what looked like a nice long eddy, only to find a strong downstream current. I got pushed to the bottom and pinned (still upright) against a rock. Denise followed me into the eddy thinking that she could stay high, only to get caught in the same current. She pinned against my boat pushing the stern back out into the current. Once my boat hit the fast moving water, it pivoted off the rock and literally ran her over. No wonder yakkers stay away from us open boaters!
By the time we got to Zoar Gap I was tired. I paddled down to get some pictures, but I wimped out and walked my boat around the Gap. I probably should have run it – Mike and Andy said it was fun.
Few pictures here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/eckilson/sets/72157640401445735/
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