On June 6, 2009, with the Stony gauge at about 330 cfs our group encountered a very dangerous
strainer situation in a rapid approximately 5 miles into the run. This is a mile or so after an
earlier river wide log/strainer that we portaged on river left. The extreme danger of the 5 mile
strainer exists because there are two separate strainers is the same rapid and the second strainer
cannot be seen from above the rapid. The first strainer in this rapid is a large tree visible from
upstream that obstructs most of the river blocking about 3/4 of the river starting on the
river-right bank. The second strainer is downstream of the first strainer in a channel on river
left. This river-left channel flows around the left end of the first strainer but is extremely
dangerous because most of the current follows along the river-left bank into a 1-2 foot drop where
the second strainer is located. This second strainer is difficult to spot and can only be seen by
getting out of your boat above the rapid and scouting from the river-left shore. What also makes
this situation dangerous is that the river-left channel appears to be a potential way to avoid both
strainers by following the small part of the current that does not flow down the river-left shore
but instead flows sharply to the right just above a boulder that guards the right side of the drop
with the second strainer. However, this part of the channel is narrow with swift current. It is
also shallow and has several exposed and partially exposed rocks making it impossible to take
effective paddle strokes. On our trip, 4 strong paddlers attempted this route and all had major
problems. All hung-up on rocks and two were almost pulled into the second strainer backwards. After
our run we talked to another group who had run this section ahead of us (see the next post). One
member of their group got caught in the upper river-right strainer and was held under water for
some time. (Although he survived, I did not hear how he got off the strainer). That group told us
they had tried unsuccessfully to remove the upper strainer. They did attach a silver foil streamer
to a small tree on river right about 6' above the ground near the first upstream strainer. This
streamer is visible from upstream and the first strainer itself is visible from well upstream.
There is an easy carry around both strainers on river left. Edit

Robert Farmer---I paddled this 6/6/09 with some other people. The level was higher and better than
the other 2 times that I ran it, although the gauge was reading 360-390 (below the official
minimum). This was a very good level. In reference to the 2 strainers, the first log is obvious;
the second one is at the lower end of an island where we went down the right side, the left side
being much smaller. A small tributary waterfall is on the right, opposite the island. When you see
this waterfall, the next rapid has the hidden log. I was boat-scouting very carefully and did not
see the log until I was committed. I warned the group to stop, but one boater ran it anyway and got
pinned. For a brief while, we thought he was dead---very scary! We will try to post pictures of the
strainers on this site. I did manage to slide under the first strainer by flipping on river right,
but portaging is the safer choice. At the second log, I slid over it tight to the right side. A
group behind us said that some of them ran over the log deliberately, but that would be an
unusually bad idea, although with more water, that would seem less stupid. It was a delightful run,
other than this log. We started to cut it out, and worked on it until the saw broke. Maybe someone
could bring a bigger saw and finish the cut that we started. Have fun, be careful. Edit

Ran the Stony today, 5/6/2009, and there are several new strainers down in the run, two of which
completely block the river. The first is obvious, and comes about halfway down the run; we portaged
along river left. The second strainer, an old knotty pine, blocks one of the larger class 4 rapids
in the last mile and is very dangerous; it blocks the entire channel, and it is not obvious until
you have already committed to the rapid. Be very careful when the rapids start getting harder; the
rapid is a boulder rapid where most of the flow is channeled against the river right bank. You can
see the left side of the tree from above the rapid. Additionally, as noted under the North Branch
page, several strainers block the railroad drop that is usually run on the far river left. These
strainers are also not obvious from upstream, but completely block the rapid and are very
dangerous. Edit

This is a great creek for boat-scouting. I had to shore-scout only one drop--the last big ledge
before the Potomac. Speaking of which, if the Stony is running, the Potomac will be cranking! Be
prepared. Also, FYI, the takeout at Laurel Run is never really an option in winter, due to extreme
icing of the north-facing road.

Ran this stretch several times over the course of 2003 at several different water levels. This run
is one of my favorites, providing a nice training ground for class 4 paddlers to work on their
creeking skills. While very similar in nature to an easy Upper Yough, the Lower Stony has alot of
variety in its rapids, including several high ledges and slides to break up the boulder garden
action. The first 4 miles of the run is continuous class 3, consisting of boat-scoutable boulder
drops and ledges reminiscent of the "warmups" on the Yough. One of these drops is particularly
vigorous, beginning with a lefthand turn over a ledge that leads into a series of constricted 2-4
foot drops. Soon the gradient will pick up, and the Stony enters a long stretch of class 4 boulder
rapids which make up the most exciting and difficult part of the run. While these rapids are all
boat-scoutable, there are a number of undercut rocks and pinning spots to tangle with if you get
off line; also, there aren't many eddies, so leave plenty of space between paddlers. About a mile
above the confluence with the North Branch, paddlers will encounter a fun three-tiered slide
containing several ledge holes and some powerful lateral waves. This last mile of the Stony is
tougher than the sections above, consisting of technical boulder gardens and large ledge drops.
Upon reaching a small pool and a very distinct horizon line, paddlers will know they have arrived
at the single largest drop on the run, a roughly 8-10 foot ledge. This ledge is solid class 4 at
all flows and bumps up in difficulty as the flow increases. The best line is down the left, where
the ledge is broken into 3 drops. The first drop is a funnel-shaped 2-3 foot drop into a hole, just
slightly to the left of an ugly sieve/crack. The second drop runs directly into the first, a 3-4
foot slide over a cheesegrater rock into a pourover. After avoiding the pourover, the paddler is
immediately launched over the final drop, a 4 foot ledge into a powerful hole. The runout from this
ledge slams into a large, box-shaped undercut boulder about 15 feet down from the final hole; make
sure you get over to the right when you finish! In high water the drops run together, creating a
mess of lateral waves which funnel the boater into a trashy hole at the bottom. Below here, the run
continues over a nother nice slide- which can be mean at high flows due to some large holes in the
approach- before dumping into the meat of the North Branch.
GAUGE: There is a gauge on the Stony which monitors the outflow from the VEPCO dam at Mt. Storm
lake. While 250 cfs is listed as a minimum, this should be taken as being a "bare minimum"- we made
a run at 280 cfs one day and barely made it down with our Shredders; lucky for us the run gets
pretty channelized towards the end. A level of 400-600 cfs on this gauge is optimal for a class 3-4
"creeking" experience on the Stony; this run is also done in the 600-1200 cfs range as well, but
the run changes significantly in character, developing fast currents, large waves, and powerful
holes- call it 4-4+. A gauge at Rt. 50 also exists, unfortunately it does not get posted anywhere
as far as I can tell. This gauge, however, does provide a nice visual indicator; from the put-in
the gauge house can be seen on river left about 15 feet down from the bridge- if the 2x4's
extending from this silo out into the river are at or below water level, the run is good to go.
Unfortunately, the Stony rarely runs; a MAJOR (i.e. hurricane) rain event is necessary to get the
wonderful people of VEPCO to put water into this gem (another note: I've heard rumors of the dam
operators purposely shutting off the water on people running the Upper Stony, so be VERY discrete
when putting on at the dam or else you might be hiking out in an hour). Basically, if the North
Branch at Kitzmiller is at 5.5ft and rising, the Savage below the dam is flowing above 1000 cfs, or
the Blackwater is outrageously too high, the Stony *might* have water in it.
SHUTTLE: One aspect of this run is that if you don't know where to take out, you must run 10 miles
of the Kitzmiller section of the North Branch to reach your shuttle car. However, there is an
obscure takeout for the Stony at its confluence, provided you know how to get there. This access is
on river left at Laurel Run, near the "town" of Schell:
- From the Rt 50 bridge over the Stony, head west to Gormania and turn right onto 560.
- Turn right onto White Church - Steyer Road (sign for Laurel Run/Wallman recreation area).
- Veer left onto Audley Riley Road. Road turns to gravel and you enter the state forest.
- Veer left at split and follow gravel road to deadend turnaround next to Laurel Run. You are about
2/10ths of a mile from the North Branch Potomac. To get to the river, ford the creek at the fiber
optic cable right of way and walk down the river. There you'll see old bridge abutments and the
cable right of way posts as indicators of the takeout, which is shown as Schell on the map. *NOTE*:
It is advisable to walk down to the river and take serious note of where the trail to the takeout
is in relation to the Stony confluence- this is NOT a good area to get hopelessly lost in.
ONE FINAL NOTE: This run is notorious for picking up strainers and has killed due to this factor. I
ran this stretch the day after Hurricane Isabel came through and found no strainers, but I have run
into some riverwide blockages in the past. Be careful out there.

Ran this stretch again today (9/18/2004) at a level of 900 cfs at Mt. Storm- what a rush! The run
was definitely solid class 4-4+ the entire way, with the largest ledge- Sawmill Ledge- being a
major 4+ rapid. Overall, the lines and the rapids were the same as at lower levels; however, the
currents, waves, and holes were much more substantial. Below one of the larger ledges in the middle
of the run, we did come across a riverwide strainer; at today's water level we were able to scoot
over the trunk, but at lower levels it could present a real problem.