River: Middle and Lower Haw

Level: 508 cfs (4.06 feet), Bynum gauge

Date: Saturday, May 25, 2019

Paddlers: Paul Ferguson (OC-1), David Freeman (OC-1), Angela Wiseman (K-1), Mark Kuttrus (K-1 inflatable), Bob Brueckner (C-1)

I went to bed Friday night promising to run the Middle Haw if the Bynum gauge reported at least 340 cfs Saturday morning. So I was pleasantly surprised when the first reading was 496.

A weird rain schedule for the spring had me despairing for a good novice run. The Middle Haw and Eno were too low, but the Fear, due to current lake levels, was too high. Digging back through my trips journal, I found notes for running the Upper Haw at levels below where I'd run the Middle (Haw at Haw river of about 4.3). Perfect. I hadn't announced the specifics for the trip to avoid the problem of having to redirect everyone at the last minute (and risk missing someone).

* Sections: Middle and Lower

* Length: 5.3 miles

* Level: 2,760 cfs to 3,150 cfs (USGS: 6 feet to 6.2 feet; PADDLING: roughly 1 foot)

* Paddlers: William Holman (K-1), Nate Taylor (K-1), Eliot Mintzer (K-1), John McDonald (K-1), John Kriener (K-1), and Bob Brueckner  (K-1).

 

I'll have to revise my window for the best water levels at the Super-Secret Whitewater Training Course after today's trip. From now on the range begins at 900 cfs and goes up to at least 2,760 cfs.

Participants: Bob Brueckner (C-1), Morgan Randall (K-1), Brenda Randall (K-1) and Keith Chilton (K-1)

Level: 1140 cfs or 4.81 feet on USGS Bynum gauge.

After a week of high water, access closures and numerous reports of Florence's many miseries down east, it was good to escape to the Middle Haw for a pleasant trip on Saturday.