Rafting the Shenandoah River

Friday, June 3, 2022

Hi Blog! 

We are in Luray, Virginia again for a few days as we work our way back toward Arlington in time for William's last day of school. We arrived Wednesday, but the excessive heat kept us inside the rig with the air conditioner on high. Thursday was full of random thunderstorms which also kept us housebound. Luckily, none of the storms were very big and the cold front that came through cooled everything down. It was time to get out and about.

Having visited the Luray Caverns several times, we set our sights on a trip down the South Fork of the Shenandoah River. We thought of taking our kayaks and arranging a shuttle, but decided a nice relaxing float trip would be more fun. We contacted Shenandoah River Outfitters and arranged for inner tubes.

When we arrived to check in, the crew was concerned that the weather might not be warm enough to tube and suggested we switch to a raft. We were not sure if the concern was for our comfort or for the fact that no other tubers signed up, but four other groups had arranged to raft, so they really wanted us to join the rafters.  Either way, we agreed to go forth in a raft. We joined the other groups -- three families and a group of 30-somethings -- and loaded on a school bus for the short drive to Seakford's Boat Launch, which is number 16 on our map.

After helping unload the rafts, we jumped into the smallest one and began our journey downstream. 

 

The South Fork Shenandoah River begins at the confluence of the North River and South River near Port Republic, Virginia and flows north 97 miles to meet the North Fork Shenandoah at the Town of Front Royal, Virginia. The South Fork Shenandoah watershed covers 1,650 square miles. Surface runoff from the western slope of the Blue Ridge Mountains, parts of the Allegheny Mountains, Massanutten Mountain, and ground water from the karst regions of the Shenandoah Valley and Page Valley make up the flow of the river.

 

But enough geography and all that -- Kathy just wants to go with the flow:

Dave is keeping the raft pointed downstream:

Dragon flies were our constant companions:

Twenty public access points along the entire length of the river creates the opportunity to plan many different float trips of varying distances, geared to varying river water levels. Except for the public access points and small sections of George Washington National Forest land on the west bank of the river, the majority of the land bordering the river is private property. However, the dense foliage hides much of the development and you almost believe you are floating in a wilderness.

Did you know there are over 132 different species of dragonflies in Virginia? We saw at least a dozen different types. Apparently, they love Coppertone Suntan lotion.

These rocks were formed millions of years ago when layers of sandstone, shale, and limestone were being built along the edge of an ancient predecessor of the continent we now call North America. The gradual deposition process that created the sedimentary rocks went on for 200 million years—a period about 1,000 times longer than modern humans have existed as a species. That's some old rock!

The limestone karst formations in these mountains are filled with caves. There are nine different cave structures you can visit in the Shenandoah Valley. We spotted this cave high up on a cliff wall.

Just before we reached Compton's Class II Rapids, we pulled off on a gravel bar to stretch our legs and have a bite to eat. We wanted one last meal just in case we didn't make it.

As we prepared to run the rapids, butterflies joined us on our beach. We took this as a good omen, since butterflies are a metaphor for hope.

After lunch, we shoved off and headed right into the belly of the beast. We have no photos or video since all our attention was focused on getting through without tipping the raft. After surviving our near death experience, Kathy took a moment to marvel at "The Cliff."

As we looked back, we could see the tents of Golden Rock Campground, a private campground run by the Downriver Canoe Company.

Just around the bend was the Riverrun Campground. This campground is open to the public. Eac of the primitive sites has a picnic table, fire ring and a port-a-potty, but no water or electricity.  Now that Memorial Day Weekend has passed, the geese have Riverrun to themselves.

Below, Kathy watches as two families ahead of us navigate the next set of rapids.

If you wish to share more deeply in our adventure, click the link to take a look at our run through some of the minor rapids. See if you can tell where David dropped the camera to help straighten the raft! 

During the warm summer months when the river level is lower, stop number 19 is the last stop. With the recent rains, the river level was high enough that we could make it over three ledges to Stop 20.

The swift current made it challenging to land our raft, but the other families helped pull us in. We took one last look at the river before jumping on the bus.

And so ends a beautiful day on the water. We hope to get out again tomorrow and hike another section of the Appalachian Trail. Until then, stay thirsty my friends!