A peaceful evening Kayaking & Attaining with the Potomac Valley Fire Company., Inc. Station 11's, Boat & Hose Company 11 and ‪@FrankensteinDIYkayak‬, on "The Needles" section of the Potomac River, at Harpers Ferry West Virginia & Sandy Hook, Maryland, at 1.22ft./2,260cfs
Each season offers its own unique set of conditions that cannot replicated in any of the three drastically different seasons, making the good times and sights to be enjoyed and taking it all in in their own special way. So just like when, "the brown is in town," and the rollercoaster is primed, the low flow brings on its own uniquely desired fun and technical challenges for those who enjoy attaining. When the flow gets low, comes the welcoming of the full swing of attainment opportunities, with coming into play of the lines that are normally submerged and often unnoticed. Comparatively, the drop down does bring some features out of play, making portaging necessary at times, or having the full attainment to become un-passable, such as is the case with 100 Yard Dash, in its connecting Upper and Lower sections. Contrastingly, the under two foot range makes for the golden opportunity of giving the attainment of White Horse a go.
On this particular glorious evening of pristine conditions, with no spraying in the sky, we had the pleasure of meeting and kayaking with those who protect us, and being the most highly skilled whitewater rescuers around, aptly named, that being the "Protectors of the Valley," the Potomac Valley Fire Company. They were great to get to know and just two days later, on June 24th, they came to the rescue with multiple other firefighting crews to provide river safety and extinguish the bridge deck fire on CSX's B&O Railroad Bridge at the West Portal of the Harpers Ferry Tunnel (1894) in Sandy Hook, MD (for pictures see - / photos_by . If you see them out there, give them a big thank you for their advanced training and operations to keep us safe, especially at the particularly dangerous high water conditions.
Details:
- Date: June 22, 2024
- Class: I-II
- Level/Stage (flow rate):
- Potomac River: 1.22ft./2,260cfs (Point of Rocks)
- Shenandoah River: 1.60ft./617cfs (Millville)
- Water Temperature: Potomac River: 91°F
- Location: Harpers Ferry, West Virginia
- "The Needles" Section of the Potomac River
- Harpers Ferry National Historic Park
- Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historic Park
- C&O Canal: Lock 34 (mile marker 61.5)
- Blue Ridge Mountains/Appalachian Mountain Range
- Maryland Heights
- Potomac Water Gap
- Featured Kayaks:
- Prijon T-Slalom
- Dagger Green Boat ‪@FrankensteinDIYkayak‬
Stream Gauges:
- USGS 01638500 POTOMAC RIVER AT POINT OF ROCKS, MD
- USGS 01636500 SHENANDOAH RIVER AT MILLVILLE, WV
* The NOAA Harpers Ferry Stream Gauge, which is the most accurate gauge for The Needles, was offline & has been offline since it was destroyed from the damage to the Winchester & Potomac Railroad Bridge & the Goodloe Byron Memorial Pedestrian Walkway (footbridge) from the CSX train derailment at Harpers, Ferry, WV on 12/21/2019. The combined readings of both the Harpers Ferry & Millville stream gauges provides the most accurate measurements of the true flow rate for all of the rapids from The Confluence to the U.S. Route 340 Sandy Hook Bridge.
* The Point of Rocks gauge is used is approximate the flow rate for the Potomac River at Harpers Ferry, WV...To determine an estimation of values at low water, view the Point of Rocks gauge. At low water, values at Harpers Ferry are generally within a quarter foot - usually slightly higher - of those at Point of Rocks. Streamflow is typically a few hundred cfs lower at Harpers Ferry than Point of Rocks at low water."
Resources:
- Potomac Valley Fire Company's Website: potomacvalleyfire.com/
- Address: 202 Dargan School Rd, Sharpsburg, MD, United States, 21782
- Phone Number: (301) 432-2130
- "The Potomac Valley Fire Company is a Volunteer Fire Company that provides emergency services to southern Washington County and surrounding areas."
- "The Potomac Valley Fire Company known as the “Protector of the Valley” has been serving the citizens in an area known as “The Valley” since 1966."
- Potomac Valley Fire Company's Facebook Page: / potomacvalleyfire
- Potomac Valley Fire Company's KZfaq channel: / @firepvfc11
- USGS Stream Gauges:
- USGS 01638500 POTOMAC RIVER AT POINT OF ROCKS, MD: waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring...
- USGS 01636500 SHENANDOAH RIVER AT MILLVILLE, WV: waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring...
"The Spirit And The Bride Say, "Come!" And Let The One Who Hears Say, "Come!" Let The One Who Is Thirsty Come; And Let The One Who Wishes Take The Free Gift Of The Water Of Life." - Revelation 22: 17