Hi I am interested in paddling the potomac in a sea kayak starting from after the falls at Great Falls. Destination would be around Roosevelt Island or the Marina near National Airport(aka Reagan). I would be doing this sometime in June or after. I would appreciate any suggestions as to putins close to the falls in either Virginia or Maryland. thanks sid *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On Sun, Jan 20, 2013 at 11:57:34AM -0500, Snstone wrote: > I am interested in paddling the potomac in a sea kayak starting from after the > falls at Great Falls. Destination would be around Roosevelt Island or the > Marina near National Airport(aka Reagan). I would be doing this sometime in > June or after. I would advise two things. First, get a copy of "Maryland and Delaware Canoe Trails" by Ed Gertler, *or* "Classic Virginia Rivers" by Ed Grove, both of which contain extensive entries on the Potomac. Second, be aware that there are significant hazards between Great Falls and tidewater. Those guidebooks go into much detail of course, but two notable ones I'll point out are (a) Brookmont Dam and (b) Little Falls. The former is a low-head dam with a vicious reversal that has killed repeatedly. Relatively recent modifications have made it less dangerous, but I still think it's critically important that Potomac paddlers know its location and portage around it. The latter is a significant rapid with several places that you really don't want to be. Depending on flow levels, it can be quite formidable and I really wouldn't recommend attempting it in a sea kayak. That said, your trip is probably feasible given favorable water levels as long as either (a) portage some things or (b) shift to the C&O Canal when necessary/possible to paddle around them. ---rsk *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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