Fort Springs to Glen Ray Rd at Alderson

We had another Wednesday adventure.
Water was at 2.84 and the speed was about 484.

We prefer above 3 feet.

It doesn't seem like a lot, but those 3 or more inches make dealing with rocks easier.

Most of the rapids were not a problem. I was a lot stressed about rolling again, mostly because it seems like such a fail when that happens. The water was moving slow enough today that it wasn't going to run me way down the river like it did last week, but it was low enough that working through an area would result in hitting more rocks with legs and such. Luckily, I only rolled one time and that was the very bottom of a rapid. Everyone was sitting there watching.

Right after that was our lunch stop at Stuart's. Good food, high price. It is what it is.

A couple of tubers joined us after lunch. It slowed us down a little, but made for more fun.

The one thing I was afraid of was under the old bridge in Alderson. We went through one time when the water was so low we had to walk through the cobble.

Fortunately, 2.84 was enough through there. Past that there are some cobble areas. We should stay in the middle at this level. I went right and bounced a bit.

Finally made it to our pull out. All was a good day.

High water on the Greenbrier

We kayaked Talcott to Willowwood on June 13, 2018. Water was 3 feet last night and 765 cfs. It jumped to over 4.5 feet today and 3200 cfs. We did not check that before heading out. It turns out there was a lot of rain upstream overnight. If we had known we would have done something different.

Four feet is too high to hit the first rapids. We did not think it through. Just went on bad information assumptions. Five kayaks, dumped four of them, I road the entire "Lindsey Slide" in the water to the end, a lot of rapids, a lot of water. It was about a mile and a half, which may be more than the actual slide, but the water was moving so fast we couldn't stop. Billy stuck with me while I held onto my kayak. Then I let it go and we tried to get to shore, but all that happened is I ended up dumping him by hanging on. We caught up with my kayak a little later and then the rest of the crew found us sitting on a bank waiting for them.

Information: that part of the slide is good on the right for less than 3 feet and slower water. The guys did it before. It might be better on the left side with higher water. We didn't even look due to our assumption that the right side was always good.

Rules for future trips, which are obvious, but somehow we let our excitement about the first run of the season get the best of us.

1. Check the water levels before leaving the house. Weather check up stream might be smart too.

2. If you end up in the water, especially with so much speed and rapids to deal with, Try to hang on to the kayak. I used it as protection from the rocks. Held on to both sides of the cockpit and did everything I could to keep my body, hands, knees, and feet inside as I went over the rapids. Basically, ride it anyway you can.

3. Find an eddy, get in it and rest. If you still have the kayak, empty it out, and keep going. If you don't have it, hope your friends are still coming down the river.

4. Wear your life jacket. Make sure it fits. Tighten the straps. My waist strap seemed tight, but the whole life jacket was slid up and was only caught by my shoulders. That helped keep water out of my face, but I had to be careful.

5. Water is fun and dangerous. Be careful out there.

New River Pembroke to Bluff City 2 July 2017

We went out on the New River today. 

Water was 3.69 at Glen Lynn.

Flow was 3010 cfm.

Lots of class I and II rolling rapids and a few slow spots. 

Below is what happened after one of the really good class II runs.

Everybody had to dump the river out of their rides.

Just three of us today. There was a note on a kayaking site about not parking down by the water at Bluff City. I think the area has been cleaned up and is used a lot more now than when that was entered. I wouldn't worry about it next time.

Below Alderson to Talcott 25 June 2017

The water was deep in some places and shallow, but floatable in others.

There were almost no rapids, just ripples.

We did hit some rocks and had to watch for them or get turned sideways.

FabHub got turned by a rock in one drop off and got pretty well swamped.

That was the only time we had to use the sponges.

For the record and because I am thinking about it:

June 25th, we put in from some private property below Alderson and got out at Talcott.

Alderson gauge was at 2.97.

Hilldale gauge was at 1.80.

Both considered Lower Runnable by the people who measure such things.

Us included.

When we run Fort Springs to Alderson we like the gauge to be between 3.5 - 4.0.

Our June 3rd trip in kayaks was 3.51. Splashy and fun.

We have done less than 3 (too shallow) and more than 4 (too fast) in river tubes. 

It was not fun for everyone either time.

More than 4 would be good with kayaks, but we haven't tried it yet.

Kayaking Without ME! Talcott to Willow Wood 29 June 2017

Today, (29 June, 2017) FabHub and friends went kayaking without me. I stayed home and cooked, shopped with Mom, mowed the lawn, and then cooked some more. Just saying.

They did the next section of the Greenbrier running from Talcott to Willow Wood.
The water at Alderson was 2.85 this morning and 2.81 this evening.
The water at Hilldale was 1.50 this evening.
So, very low, but runnable. It took them 7 hours.
IF the water was up they would have had better rapids and finished in about 5 hours.

They said it was fun, but rocky. The youngest said it was the best ride yet, but then she floats over top of stuff that the rest of us hit.

They also said it is important to stay to the right side.

And they took no pictures.

Rolling with the Kayaks

One of the places we take the kayaks is Sherwood Lake in Greenbrier county, WV.

We spend a week up there in July, which gives us plenty of chances to get out on the water. The lake is a short walk through the woods from where we are camped. I don't like the idea of loading up the kayaks, driving over there, unloading....

sounded like an opportunity to DIY a kayak cart! 

I built these last year.

I wanted carts that could be taken apart if necessary.

So, a few plumbing parts, a 6 foot double female ended hose, 

some hardware, wheels, and PVC glue later and I had what I wanted. 

They can be disassembled by pulling cotter pins out of the axle, which will let you take the wheels off. Then unscrew the garden hose from the axle and store it away.

To use them we just slide the end of the kayak under the garden hose and on top of the axle, strap it down with a bungee cord across the top and connected to the axle. Attach another bungee from the top of the garden hose pulling toward the front, inside the seat or wherever.

Pick up the nose of the kayak and tow it away. 

The pink kayak was my first. I really liked the way it handled in the water, 

but I had a hard time getting in and out of it because the opening was pretty small.

The orange one below is my new ride. It doesn't handle as well in the river, 

but I can get in and out of it. 

This was taken after our Greenbrier ride on June 25th.

Making Kayak Sponges

Our first trip on a river with actual splashing water and 

a kayak with a larger seat opening proved one thing to us.

We need to be able to bail water out of there!

I looked online and found bilge pumps, but that seemed too simple.

I looked some more and found Kayak Bilge Sponges.

And most importantly, a DIY for how to make them myself.

I have grommets, a sewing machine, and something to tie them up with, so for another $10 in sponges and synthetic chamois, we have now got two kayak sponges.

I started with two sponges and a 3 foot square piece of damp chamois that I cut in two.

The chamois has to be damp or it is very hard to work with.

 I fitted the sponge to the chamois and then sewed up two sides.

Because the chamois was damp it didn't want to pull through the feed very well, but it worked.

I didn't get a picture of stuffing the sponge into its new home, but it was a hassle.

The damp chamois and the dry sponge wanted to stick together, but I finally got it right.

To get the open edge shaped the way I wanted it I clipped it right up to the edge of the sponge. 

I used the zipper foot on my sewing machine and made a double seam across the top.

Honestly, the first pass was too far away and I realized I could get closer with that zipper foot.

So then I had to make the other one the same way. 

Looks good though!

I added the grommets and had some cotton belts that worked perfect. 

That lets us tie them to something in the kayak in case they float away in the tail.

How did it work?

Great! This is after our last float (June 25th).

They survived and still look good. 

There really wasn't too much to get excited about though.

This is pretty much the most white water we saw.

None of us had ever floated that section before so it was an adventure.

If you are wondering, this was on the Greenbrier River.

The water was deep in some places and shallow, but floatable in others.

There were almost no rapids, just ripples.

We did hit some rocks and had to watch for them or get turned sideways.

FabHub got turned by a rock in one drop off and got pretty well swamped.

That was the only time we had to use the sponges.

For the record and because I am thinking about it:

June 25th, we put in from some private property below Alderson and got out at Talcott.

Alderson gauge was at 2.97.

Hilldale gauge was at 1.80.

Both considered Lower Runnable by the people who measure such things.

Us included.

When we run Fort Springs to Alderson we like the gauge to be between 3.5 - 4.0.

Our June 3rd trip in kayaks was 3.51. Splashy and fun.

We have done less than 3 (too shallow) and more than 4 (too fast) in river tubes. 

It was not fun for everyone either time.

More than 4 would be good with kayaks, but we haven't tried it yet.