Thursday, August 30, 2007

Tough Day in the Trough


The Trough is a beautiful straight section of the South Branch of the Potomac River in West Virginia. We kayaked it with some friends, Mary and Mike, on a hot, sunny day last weekend. It was a great day to be on the river, splashing water on ourselves or stopping to take a dip in the bathtub temperature water. There were only a couple sections that were 'white water', with most of the river looking like the photo above, still, and glass like, but still with a bit of current. It took us four pleasant hours, including a restful stop on a pebbled beach for lunch. Mary said the last time they paddled this section it took them 2 hours because it was just below flood stage.


There were massive boulders jutting out of the river.


Mary and Mike taking it easy on a hot summer day.


Cliffs arose on both sides for most of the 7 miles of the Trough. A bald eagle flew right over us, riding the currents of the wind as we rode the current of the water.
After loading the boats up, we drove back to Mary and Mike's cabin in the woods where we prepared a delicious apre paddle meal of grilled veggies and turkey burgers and for dessert we gathered around a big fire and made s'mores. Can it get any better than this?!

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