Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 12
  1. #1
    Member SwitchbackCat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Candiat, NH
    Hammock
    DIY Tablecloth
    Tarp
    Superfly
    Insulation
    KAQ Jarbridge
    Suspension
    Whoopies
    Posts
    72

    Shenandoah Canoe Trip

    My brother and another friend decided to spend 3 days on the south fork of the Shenandoah river. We started at mile 1 near Luray and ended at mile 44 near Front Royal. This was our first trip using hammocks with no bail out plan (car or house close by).

    Day 1: We didn't need to get an early start because we were only going about 12 miles, so we put in around lunch time. Even though it was August, the water levels were high enough that we could clear, or scoot over any shallow areas in the river. We had great weather and reached our camping area in George Washington National Forest by 6:30. We hung our hammocks right beside some small rapids in the river, fished a little bit and made some dinner. No rain was forecasted so my brother and I pitched our tarps in porch mode. Our friend was brave and let us talk him into the hammock thing, so this was to be his first night.

    Day 2: We slept well and had a nice leisurely morning and pushed off the bank around 10. We had to go 19 miles to get to the Shenandoah river state park. It was going to be the longest day of the trip. It started off nice. We were catching a lot of smallmouth bass and just enjoying the float. A rain shower caught up with us around lunchtime so we pulled over under some trees to wait it out and eat. This is when the real fun begins...our canoe isn't built for whitewater, but my brother and I have successfully navigated class II and III water in the past with little issues. This 43 mile stretch of river has one class II rapids so we didn't foresee any issues. We got to said rapids and didn't stand a chance! We were swimming within the first 10 feet. I could write a whole thread on that experience, but just know that it was a complete goat-rope. I'm sure the folks on the bank were enjoying the show. What we didn't account for was all the extra weight. In the past we had only done day trips, so the canoe was much more stable. We had packed our insulation and hammocks in dry bags and our clothes were in a trash compactor bag. I think we packed our dry bags too full and didn't get them rolled enough times because our insulation and hammocks got soaked! Our clothes were dry though. Made me an instant believer in the trash compactor bag. We regrouped and headed on down the river. We barely reached the SP before another storm hit, "rehydrating" some of our stuff. We found a suitable camping spot and were able to dry our stuff out enough to sleep comfortably...through some more storms I might add.

    Day 3: We got off by 9:00 and we were ready to get back to civilization. All the events from the previous day had taken their toll. It was an uneventful beautiful day on the river. We made it back in time to get lunch at the local pizza joint.

    All in all a great trip. Our gear performed perfectly, minus the dry bags. I was using a DIY tablecloth hammock with whoopies/tree straps, DIY shower curtain tarp, DIY fronkey style bugnet, KAQ Jarbridge, and sleeping bag. My brother was using a ENO SN with UCRs/tree straps, another fronkey style bugnet, KAQ Jarbridge, sleeping bag and a silnylon tarp (can't remember the specifics). Our friend was using a ENO DN with ratchet straps, a ccd walmart pad, some bugnetting just wrapped over his ridgeline and tucked in around him, and a walmart poly tarp. He was a trooper and I think if we can get him some better stuff, he will be 100% converted.

    I highly recommend doing this if you get the chance. There are plenty of outfitters along the river that can rent you a canoe. You'll need 2 vehicles for it though because I don't know of a shuttle between Front Royal and Luray.

  2. #2
    Member SwitchbackCat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Candiat, NH
    Hammock
    DIY Tablecloth
    Tarp
    Superfly
    Insulation
    KAQ Jarbridge
    Suspension
    Whoopies
    Posts
    72

    Shenandoah Canoe Trip

    Here are some pics from the trip.

  3. #3
    Member SwitchbackCat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Candiat, NH
    Hammock
    DIY Tablecloth
    Tarp
    Superfly
    Insulation
    KAQ Jarbridge
    Suspension
    Whoopies
    Posts
    72

    Shenandoah Canoe Trip

    brother after getting dumped
    seat go bent when the canoe flipped
    good Chaco tan lines

  4. #4
    Senior Member Ratdog's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2012
    Location
    Swamp in the woods
    Hammock
    XLC, DIY, GT Dbl for day hiking
    Tarp
    WL OMW
    Insulation
    AHE KAQ JUQ, HG0B
    Suspension
    Web with Triangles
    Posts
    4,504
    Images
    2
    Outstanding!

    If you ain't swimmin' you ain't livin'

    Sounds like a good time, nice smallie.

    And yeah, you have roll those dry bags to get the seal. Not enough to just fold and close it.

  5. #5
    Senior Member 2eez4life's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2013
    Location
    Salt Lake City, UT
    Hammock
    WB Eldorado
    Tarp
    Thunderfly
    Insulation
    Tewa Breeze
    Suspension
    Cinch buckle
    Posts
    310
    shell yeah nice post, looks lie too much fun!
    Palm made products a portrait of modern triumph

  6. #6
    Senior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Charlotte, NC
    Hammock
    WBBB XLC 2.0,WBRR,ElDorado
    Tarp
    12' Silpoly DIY
    Insulation
    HG TQ, WB UQ
    Suspension
    Outdoor Ink Straps
    Posts
    199
    Images
    9
    Nothin' better than Chaco tan lines after canoeing.

  7. #7
    Senior Member Turtle Creek's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Southern MD
    Hammock
    3 custom hk2001 Hammocks
    Tarp
    WB SuperFly
    Insulation
    IX Double Dog Bun
    Suspension
    Dutch cinch straps
    Posts
    428
    My brother and I had capsized a canoe on the Shenandoah and saturated everything about 15 yrs ago .... wish I could blame it on extra weight, our problem was that we lightened the cooler 12oz's at a time way too quickly. Wet sleeping conditions are no fun and can turn out to be dangerous. Glad you all survived. Trips with 'battle stories' like yours will be told over and over again on future trips.

    Nice camp set up. I bet laying back in that hammock was sweet after 19 miles in the boat. That smallie looks great for that stretch this time of year.
    -Turtle Creek

  8. #8
    Senior Member mbiraman's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    West Kootenays,BC,Canada
    Hammock
    Warbonnet BB DL 1.1 & Lite Owl
    Tarp
    Black MacCat Del.
    Insulation
    Yeti 3,4 & HRQ/HGB
    Suspension
    webbing/whoopie
    Posts
    4,244
    Images
    7
    Looks like a good trip. Curious how the HPG Kit Bag worked out.

    bill
    " The mind creates the abyss, the heart crosses it."

    “The measure of your life will not be in what you accumulate, but in what you give away.” ~Wayne Dyer

    www.birchsidecustomwoodwork.com

  9. #9
    Senior Member Veto 65's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Location
    Cohoes, New York
    Hammock
    WBBB 1.7 DL
    Tarp
    Chinook 9.6x9.6
    Insulation
    AH New River UQ
    Suspension
    Came with the BB
    Posts
    704
    Images
    6
    Nice trip, thanks for the report. I have the same lines on my feet, now I know what they are called.
    I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority. - E. B. White (1899 - 1985)

  10. #10
    Member SwitchbackCat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2012
    Location
    Candiat, NH
    Hammock
    DIY Tablecloth
    Tarp
    Superfly
    Insulation
    KAQ Jarbridge
    Suspension
    Whoopies
    Posts
    72

    Shenandoah Canoe Trip

    Quote Originally Posted by mbiraman View Post
    Looks like a good trip. Curious how the HPG Kit Bag worked out.

    bill
    Sorry Bill, I'm a little slow. What is an HPG kitbag?

  • + New Posts
  • Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

    Similar Threads

    1. Opasquia 14 day canoe trip.
      By MagicPaddler in forum Trip Reports
      Replies: 2
      Last Post: 07-16-2014, 12:17
    2. Replies: 47
      Last Post: 06-09-2014, 22:12
    3. Replies: 20
      Last Post: 04-29-2013, 06:45
    4. Shenandoah Nat. Park Trip Part 2
      By lazy river road in forum Hangouts, Campouts, and Trip Planning
      Replies: 27
      Last Post: 04-22-2011, 16:33
    5. Canoe trip ideas?
      By 6 feet over in forum Hangouts, Campouts, and Trip Planning
      Replies: 4
      Last Post: 04-18-2011, 13:48

    Bookmarks

    Posting Permissions

    • You may not post new threads
    • You may not post replies
    • You may not post attachments
    • You may not edit your posts
    •