Seven PFDs on the North Branch
Coming down from a greasy and thoroughly enjoyable Sunday breakfast up at New Germany State Park - we were an hour late in meeting up with Peter and - surprise - Paul Schelp - at the Black Oak take-out. We should have realized that with the days far shorter now that waking up by the sun (in a forest, yet!) wouldn't get us started in time.
We were attracted to this 10.3 mile section of the North Branch Potomac due to having discovered that with the paper mill at Luke having been closed, the former heavy air and water pollution had dropped to nil. And 22 fpm (Bloomington is 33) meant that the release, continuing until 11:00 am today would speed us on our way (impossible without it) if we could get on the water by 2 pm.
As it was, we launched at noon, but only after dumping all boats, gear, and non-drivers at the Westernport sewage treatment plant and hustling down to leave off John's van and Barb's car at Black Oak Landing and returning in Peter's car - 5 paddlers deep. The put-in over a formidable sewer line was a 2+, but the riverbank easy, and so we were off on a 1,080 cfs flow between steep wooded banks on a delicious sunny day in the 70s.
We? Well, count seven: Barb, John Snitzer, Allison Holliday, Kathleen, Paul Schelp, Peter Ryan, and Alf, all in kayaks. None of us had been on this section before - most unusual in our paddling world.
The river was a Class 1-2, with one 2+ hole on the left about half-way through the first section, its being easily avoided by staying to the right. This section parallels Md 135 at a respectful distance, where its noise is not at all intrusive - down to Keyser, WV. After that the rio bends away from the road in a loop to the right, ending at the little truss bridge at Black Oak (aka Gary Yoder) Landing. Here there is less gradient and fine 100 foot high cliffs on the right. Along the way we pulled off for lunch, with Paul starting a small sycamore-twig fire - nothing cooked. Another way-point was the McCoole, Md state boat put-in, where a family of rec boaters was launching. At the Keyser US 220 bridge there is another informal put-in.
The section below this - 5 miles to the bridge at Pinto and even prettier - has less gradient but a difficult take-out (see TR for Aug. 25)
Paddlers should try this section out - a difficult choice, with a second day on the Bloomie steeps beckoning - but we seven explorers found it was a pleasant way to calm down the muscles while enjoying wonderful scenery.