Cabin Johners were out on the Potomac River on July 10th in record numbers. We had 67 people paddle about 20 canoes and 10 kayaks down the river from Old Anglers to Lockhouse 10—pretty much the largest group in the last ten years.
Calleva could rent us only 10 canoes, so we borrowed another six from Dave Smith, who used to run Potomac Outdoors in Cabin John in the location where Level Fitness is located. But we still needed more canoes so we sent a desperate request via listserv to the CJ community who responded. Many thanks to Mac Thornton, Drew Engleson, Trudi Bick, and Tim Kallman for loaning us their trusty watercraft. We had exactly the right number.
The river level was at 3.3 on the Little Falls gage, which is perfect; high enough to cover most rocks but not too swift. Once again, our Calleva Head Guide was CJ resident Olivia Murphy. Calleva is such a valuable resource when it comes to group water adventures. There is no one else around who can provide canoes, guides, and overall coordination for a large trip like ours. Liquid Adventures has joined forces with Calleva and provided most of the kayaks. Our intrepid Cabin John adventurers this year included the following: Dale & Hannah Stahl, Stephanie & Mike Lai and their two kids, Ulrich Apel, Bob Walsh and David Shell and two youngsters, Robert Patt-Corner, Nancy and Craig Russell, Dave McGaw and a slew of friends, Anne Reb and a friend Maureen, Greg Da Re & Catalina Marulanda and their two children, Patrick & Allison de Gravelles, Sarah Craven & Matt McGuire and son Jack, Angela Miller and her two children, Mike Liebman & son Seth, Javier Barsantini and family, Elaine Hornauer & Gil, Darren & Monica Hornauer, Diana and Irena Bojanova, Eduardo Cortina, Grey & Jessica Emmons, Rose Braue and friend, Steve Bergstrom and his wife, Peter Bross & Vicky Gray, Burr & Fiona Gray and Lily Robinson, Jim Blitz plus one, and the ubiquitous Reed Martin.
Regardless how long you have lived in Cabin John, if you haven’t been out on the river, think about coming next year. We had lots of novice paddlers this year and everyone did just fine. OK, OK, so
one boat and one kayak did tip at Stubblefield, the bouncy wavy whitewater stretch, but I figure that
was probably an obligatory gesture of respect to the river gods. On a warm summer day, not so bad to
do a little swimming in the Potomac. As always, the event is funded by fees from the participants and with support from CJCA, based on the principle that getting Cabin Johners out onto the river is always a good thing.
By Burr Gray