Anyone Aqua blazing in 2011 ?

[johnnybgood]

Wanted to know if any NoBoers' had thought seriously about doing this?Aqua blazing is one way to beat the heat in Virginia during the summer.

There are a quite a few options for Aqua blazing Shenandoah Nat'l Park.
* Waynesboro is the southernmost put-in point using Rockfish Gap Outfitters. www.rockfisfgapoutfitters.com/ (http://www.rockfisfgapoutfitters.com/) Aqua blaze the Shenandoah River all the way to Harpers Ferry,WV or maybe a shorter trip to Luray.

* Luray also has a great Outfitter , www.shenandoahriver.com (http://www.shenandoahriver.com)
that can hook you up on a aquablaze with take out points at Front Royal and Harpers Ferry.

One warning though; the water levels can get low during the droughts like we had this past summer which makes for a tougher time navigating the river. All said though , the experience can be great.

[Speakeasy TN]

Not so much planning it, but I'm open to the possibility. If the conditions are right I may go this route. I can hike the Park to fill in later. Fall in THE valley would be great!

[dirtnap]

I did the aqua blaze in '03 from Waynesboro to Harper's Ferry. It was not so good. Nice for a change, but the Shenandoah is wide, slow, dirty, and filled with pooing cows. Poor water quality and a very boring rafting trip.

If you want to aqua blaze I suggest taking a canoe instead of a raft so you can move along at a better pace.

[Porter99]

Here's some info on Aquablazing the Shenandoah River. Rockfish Gap Outfitters does NOT do this. You need to head further North to get a livery company that rents canoes and does drop off and pick up. The river in Waynesboro is the South River. It does flow into the South Fork of the Shenandoah, but is generally not the best river to do a mulit day trip on. It gets low early in the season and twists and turns a lot (not to mention the hungry alligators and piranha). The following are several companies that do rent canoes and will allow you do multi-day trips of various sections.

Shenandoah river Outfitters Luray, VA
800-6-canoe-2


Front Royal Canoe-Front Royal, VA
540-635-5440 or 540-635-5050


Shenandoah River Trips-Front Royal, VA
800-727-4371


Shenandoah River Adventures-Shenandoah, VA
540-478-5032 or 540-298-2385




Hope this helps some.

[Cookerhiker]

I would add Downriver Canoe Company (http://www.downriver.com/) to the list They're located right on the river in Bentonville. My daughter and I rented from them last summer when we paddled the Shenandoah and found them pleasant to deal with.

[vitamaltz]

Just yesterday I finished an aquablaze with 2011 hikers Badger, Road Dog, and Whoop. We did Dooms (just north of Waynesboro) to Elkton. This translates into roughly Rockfish Gap to Swift Run Gap on the trail. I'd disagree that the South River isn't a good run. It's narrow and beautiful, and the class I and II rapids are more interesting than those on the Shenandoah, which has a slack current for long stretches. Our leg involved Port Republic to Elkton on the South Fork of the Shenandoah, so I feel like we got the best of both worlds.

Porter99 is right that RGO doesn't do a shuttle and rental service, but they're still good guys. The South River is more of an adventure and requires more logistical wrangling, but it's worth it.

There is a rapid in Grottoes on the South River that should definitely be portaged. I tried to post about that this morning, but WB signed me out while I typed. I'll retry again when I have more energy.

[vitamaltz]

I'd add that I think the guys saw more wildlife on the 20 miles of the South River than they did on the hike from GA to central VA. Bald Eagles were out in force, and there were a few snakes, an otter, a few beaver, and other critters.

[Porter99]

The south river is up big time right now, but if we end up in a drought or it stops raining on a regular basis, it will drop quickly. Sounds like you had a great aquablaze. Enjoy the rest of you trip.

[Blissful]

Seems a good many hikers are doing it this year. I know of at least 6 others also.

[vitamaltz]

Thanks, Porter. Good point about the levels. The South was at about 200 cfs at the Waynesboro gauge when we did it. I've run different stretches of it at different levels. I'd say 200-400 is a good time. I've done it at 600, but it takes a lot of concentration. Below 150 and it gets pretty rocky in spots. Luckily, the main hiker herd moves through the area just when river levels are usually at their best.

Here's the gauge: http://americanwhitewater.org/content/Gauge2/detail/id/8700/

[wishful1015]

Is it quicker to hike or aqua blaze?

[vitamaltz]

Is it quicker to hike or aqua blaze?

Probably slightly faster to paddle. Depending on the levels, the Shenandoah will move an actively-paddled canoe down the river between 4-7 miles per hour. The river has many bends and meanders though, and you have to cover more distance than you would on the trail. Also, paddling seems to tire people out more since it's a different muscle group from hiking, so the days tend to be shorter.

I have a group going out this morning doing the entire Shenandoah all the way to Harper's Ferry.

[kip wing]

I aqua blazed from Waynesboro to Harpers, "Team Aqua Blaze 2011" Segway-AAA-Stitch-Old Crow -Goopah-Old Spice-Paddle Dancer-Pebbles-Wiggles-Driftwood-Daydreamer-Mouse-Pickles. WE HAD A BLAST!!!!!! If you start where we did make sure the levels are above 1.80- when you get near Grottoes there is a nasty Rapid that will dump you also as well as Compton rapid mile marker 17 on the Shenandoah..Be sure to stay left and wear a life jacket. You will have a blast!!!! To get canoes yogi around Waynesboro and when you get to Harpers rent a U-Haul or get the outfitters for the river adventures to shuttle you and canoes to their owners. Either way its roughly 280 bucks to get them back. you can map your trip with this site and check mileage etc. http://web.eecs.utk.edu/~dunigan/at/

[vitamaltz]

Kip Wing, I think I saw a note that you guys left at Elkton. That was an epic trip!

There's a portage (small path to the road) at Grottoes, right before the river turns 90 degrees left into that nasty rapid. I'd encourage everyone to carry the boats around that mess.

No need to yogi around Waynesboro, just PM me for canoes and you won't have to worry about paying someone to get them back at the end.

[WingedMonkey]

I aqua blazed from Waynesboro to Harpers, "Team Aqua Blaze 2011" Segway-AAA-Stitch-Old Crow -Goopah-Old Spice-Paddle Dancer-Pebbles-Wiggles-Driftwood-Daydreamer-Mouse-Pickles. WE HAD A BLAST!!!!!! If you start where we did make sure the levels are above 1.80- when you get near Grottoes there is a nasty Rapid that will dump you also as well as Compton rapid mile marker 17 on the Shenandoah..Be sure to stay left and wear a life jacket. You will have a blast!!!! To get canoes yogi around Waynesboro and when you get to Harpers rent a U-Haul or get the outfitters for the river adventures to shuttle you and canoes to their owners. Either way its roughly 280 bucks to get them back. you can map your trip with this site and check mileage etc. http://web.eecs.utk.edu/~dunigan/at/ (http://web.eecs.utk.edu/%7Edunigan/at/)

Did you "finish" the trail? Did you do your flip-flop?

[kip wing]

Still hiking, im in boiling springs now debating the flip flop... But I will "finish" and loving every step/paddle/hitch its amazing

[yushan]

I would echo what a previous writer said: the rivers are quite low now - you have to do a lot of work. The hikers that I have met coming off an aquablaze in Harpers Ferry report that the first couple of days were great fun and the fun tapered off after that. Not to mention drowned phone, drowned camera, etc. Research what you are getting into.

[kip wing]

Vitamaltz, we are doing a aqua blaze next season so we will see you then...and yushan, the people who had complaints with the aquablaze are lazy and just expected to skip a section of the trail and float.. Fact is you gotta earn the rewards of the river! And the turn at Grottoes is a BITCH!! Flipped us and another boat

[vitamaltz]

Kip Wing, I'll have boats and coolers all ready for you. Glad to hear you're coming back!

[Timber]

I would echo what a previous writer said: the rivers are quite low now - you have to do a lot of work. The hikers that I have met coming off an aquablaze in Harpers Ferry report that the first couple of days were great fun and the fun tapered off after that. Not to mention drowned phone, drowned camera, etc. Research what you are getting into.

Haha...yeah, that was Triton and me. We lost our cells, some gear, our paddles and our canoe...but I would do it again, my time on the Shenandoah was a blast. Beside of cuts and bruces we came out of this quite unharmed. Our problem was, noone told us it was highwater...you would expect the boatrental gues to mention, but they didnt. Luckily the Canoe was ours, so we werent charged for loosing it...
We had to rest a couple of days, which we did at the HF KOA. The manager there gave us a cabin for free, the only reason why we didnt stay at Teahorse... :)
I remember the lady there was very nice and helpfull to me.

[Lando11]

Is it quicker to hike or aqua blaze?

I hiked instead of aqua blazing, but know a lot of people who paddled. for 9/10 people, it was way faster to hike. shenandoah is in my mind the easiest 100 mile section on the AT, and you can easily hike over 25 miles a day without breaking a serious sweat(and grab 1$ budweisers at the campstores!).
if i hiked the AT again (which might happen in the near future) i would prob hike the park again, even though shenandoah was pretty boring as a whole

[Spokes]

Makes me think "Man-up and hike the AT".