Potomac

Great Falls

On July 19, 2008, an attractive blonde lady took great pictures of me on the Spout (of Great Falls) and promised to send them to me, but I never heard from her. This is probably a long shot, but if anyone happens to run into her, or if she sees this, please send pictures to rjsfarmer@yahoo.com, call me at 410-624-6421, or mail me at P.O. Box 41115 Baltimore, MD 21203. I was in an orange boat with red or purple paddles, black lifejacket, and red helmet. Thanks---RF

Surfiin first wave at 'O' Deck at Great Falls on The Potomac. 1998

Putting the carve on Second Wave at Rocky Island at Great Falls on The Potomac. 2004 I Love makin that move, you gotta comit.

Shiver me timbers, them's some great inoframtion.

U Hole @3.2

Low Water

Thanks for your input. As the streamkeeper, I have to use my best judgment when listing river data. The solutions aren't always ideal, but I will try to explain my rationale with regard to gradient. 'Please explain how a 1 mile stretch of river can have average gradient of 100 fpm and maximum gradient of 500 fpm.' The river drops 100 feet between the put-in and the take-out, which are 1 mile apart. So the average gradient is 100 fpm. However, the heart of the run drops 50 feet in 0.1 miles, for a maximum gradient of 500 fpm. 'Maximum gradient figures cited 'up top' should always be computed across a full mile, otherwise they are meaningless.' Says who? There is no standard way to calculate gradient. Leland Davis calculates gradient mile by mile in NC Rivers & Creeks, but Stafford and McCutcheon use terms like '200 fpm,' '200 fpm action,' and '200 fpm crux' in The New Testament. Which is right? Great Falls is a park and huck, so calculating gradient mile by mile would be meaningless. Nobody puts in above Great Falls unless they plan on running it. They're not there for the paddle in and the paddle out. The only section that counts is Great Falls itself, which is 500 fpm. I would put '500 fpm crux' if I could, but the AW page builder doesn't give me that option. Furthermore, removing the 500 fpm maximum gradient from 'up top' could mislead people into thinking Great Falls is no steeper than the Upper Yough. 'If you wish to convey that some shorter portion has steeper gradient, you may express that within the text of the description...' The description includes the following statement: 'The main Falls lines drop fifty feet in one-tenth of a mile.' The reason I include the maximum gradient up top is that nobody reads the description.

Please explain how a 1-mile stretch of river can have average gradient of 100 FPM and maximum gradient of 500 FPM. Maximum gradient figures cited 'up top' should always be computed across a full mile, otherwise they are meaningless. If you wish to convey that some shorter portion has steeper gradient, you may express that within the text of the description (as 'the river drops 50 feet in a quarter mile, for an effective gradient of 200 FPM') but that should NOT be in the 'Maximum Gradient' area.

I was out here the other day to run the Spout. The temperature was supposedly about 93 degrees, but, even though I arrived on Flake Island after sunset, the heat was very, very oppressive. Sitting down to rest did not help, as the rocks were super-heated by the sun to around 120 degrees. I was rapidly becoming seriously dehydrated and probably lost about 30 percent of my strength before putting in to run the rapid. This rapid should probably not be scouted during daylight in the summer. So watch out for the summer heat; I came close to having a heat stroke!!! Also, the water temperature is close to 100 degrees, too, so it provides close to zero cooling.

www.ipphotography.com