Scott's Journal South Branch Shenandoah 2005

The Old Men's Trip

Shenandoah River Trip Journal

(Journal Recorded by Scott Clark)

Friday, May 13, 2005, 7:30 PM
Theresa, Ray, Jean, and I paddled nine miles this afternoon, nine miles from Luray heading north (downstream) on the South Fork of the fabled Shenandoah River. This is Theresa's first trip with us since the Delaware eleven years ago, a well-deserved break from the responsibilities of young parenthood. We are camped at the end of a piece of National Forest Service land next to Bealer's Ferry Rapid. There have been several such shallow, easy, ledge drop rapids, none more than class one. With over forty miles of river between Luray and Front Royal, completing the remainder in two and a half more days will be a piece of cake.

The weather has been overcast and cool (high 6o's?), but tomorrow is forecast to hit 80. We are prepared for almost anything.

This evening Jean served us her specialty of quinoa and chicken with sun dried tomatoes. We finished that off with very chocolate brownies washed down with a delectable red wine and hot tea. Now we are all just sitting, admiring the river, enjoying the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains, reading or writing, and basking in the glow of good exercise, good company, and a day well spent. We even stopped earlier to explore a limestone cave in the side of the "cliff" (hill), something you don't see in New England.

The river banks abound in poison ivy, something we have learned to watch out for in the South since our trip on the Potomac many years ago. Hopefully a southern spring trip will become a regular part of our adventures.

This is living!

Saturday, May 14, 2005, 7:40 PM
What a day this has been! We paddled sixteen miles, ran countless more ledge drops, two class two rapids, and endured three pounding afternoon thunderstorms. One occurred before we made camp and two after we arrived. The forced interruption in paddling for the first storm gave us the chance to examine a strange giant insect/worm/creature, one with a long body, multiple sets of legs, and nasty pincers on its head. Unfortunately none of us could identify it.

We are camped at mile 25 at the beginning of the "Old Mill Race" in a very open site complete with table. A tarp, of course, was necessary for protection from the rain. Theresa treated us to kielbasa and beans in the midst of the last storm. Now we are ready to polish off apricots with apple-cinnamon dumplings. The sun is peeking out before it sets to remind us that it is still up there. Theresa was civilized enough to bathe, Ray is reading, and all are happy. Hopefully fair weather lies ahead.

Sunday, May 15, 2005
We finished our trip today, a half day early. Unable to find a good camping spot this afternoon, we elected to paddle all nineteen miles to Front Royal, easily arriving by 5:00 PM. I guess that is a tribute to the good current of the river, our paddling skills, and the relatively decent shape we must be in. It was also nice to know that Theresa's home was not far away offering us warm showers and soft beds.

The scenery was beautiful as the river wound back and forth from one side of the narrow valley to the other, each time giving us a great view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. If we looked down as we paddled we saw a fast moving river, wide, shallow, and very clear rushing over ledge after ledge. If we looked around we saw more turtles than the sum total of all we had ever seen in our lives. Turtles were everywhere, five to ten at a time sunning themselves on logs. Limestone outcrops punctuated the banks like exclamation marks. All this, mostly good weather, and great companionship added up to a trip we will long remember. Shenandoah, we will be back!