Tohickon Release - November 3-4, 2012

[Tohickon Release]

Signed up (8/50):

[Nick Bowley]

Trip Leader - Eric Ruhl - 410-409-4304 or eric.m.ruhl@alumni.clemson.edu
Class: III (Solid Intermediate Skills)

Meet up at the put in at 9am; Shuttle will begin at 9:30am.

Please post if you are interested in camping out and paddling both days.  
Also please post your contact information and if you are interested in a carpool.


Where: Tohickon
6011 State Park Rd, Point Pleasant, PA 18947
(This is the address for the put-in.   You will see a bridge going across the river.  Go down the little gravel road to the right of the bridge and go under the bridge.  We usually park along the river in that cluster of cars. )

Prerequisites: Solid Novice skills, flotation, cold weather gear, ability to catch small moving eddies, solid roll or plan on doing self rescue.  This run has lots of long contiguous rapids and the water can be chilly this time of year.

Summary: The Tohickon is a solid class III but you don't have the calm pools between rapids to recover people and their gear from a swim like you do on most other class III rivers.  There are eddys on the edges, they are just hard to catch if you are swimming or pushing a boat full of water. If you swim you will want to swim hard and hang onto your paddle.

http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River_detail_id_1672_

[kellylsimmons]

I don't think I qualify as a "trip leader"  but I'd like to signup!   

[Nick Bowley]

Great, We have had a good turnout at each Tohickon release.  I am sure someone will step up closer to date to lead the trip.

[j cagg]

I was all about this release, I think I've proven to myself I won't be reaqdy yet...hopefully in the spring.

[Eric Ruhl]

Right now, it looks like I am available, but I have to wait until close to the date to declare as trip lead.

Anyways, the Tohickon is a fun run typically it is good for someone with good foundation of skills.  Being able to catch eddies, but most importantly being able to ferry from one side of a river to the other as the eddies are usually on the sides.  Being able to self rescue is also an important quality of this river./  People tend to bring their smaller playboats and it can be hard to get water logged boats to shore.

There are a couple rapids that can bang some people up and I am sure they will be happy to share their stories.   A couple things to think about is:  The release is in November, it is cold, the water is going to be bottom fed from a dam so that is cold.  I am typically in full dry/winter gear and sometimes argue about an extra layer or not and sometimes shed it for the 2nd run, sometimes not.  If you are someone that may take a swim, I strongly suggest the extra layers.

This run is a lot of fun.  A good step up/test to see if you would be okay for this, would be doing something like the lower section of Stonycreek, (the section below the canyon). 
The drive is not that bad and it can be done as a day trip, but sometimes people campout.  carpooling is a big priority because of all the tolls that add up quickly.

[Jason Allen]

I believe I might be interested in this when we near the actual dates. It seems like it'll be a good step up for me.

[mrock]

Here is an interactive map of the Tohickon that I saw posted elsewhere

http://home.ptd.net/~ab257/tohickon.html

You may have to copy and paste it into your browser.

Mitch

[j cagg]

Mitch-

GREAT link!! I'm looking at this and I might work up the scr*t to give it a shot. Still will have to be a day trip. My biggest concern is having other folks have to ruin their paddle waiting on me to save my own A55. The lines look creeky, which I would be fine with. It's the pushy stuff that woops up on me.

[Nick Bowley]

Those maps are quite good.   I used them last year to guide a few people down the river.   I printed it out and laminated the map.   Scouting a couple of the rapids is not a bad idea either, especially because they are easy to scout.  You can watch other people run thru them first as well.

Watch out for hat rock.   One year I had a moment of indecision and ended up trying to rock splat it.   Not one of my best moments as Eric can attest.   I didn't swim, but it wasn't pretty.

[Jason Allen]

Some things have come up and I won't be able to make it this time. I'll definitely be down for the next trip. You guys have fun!

[Tony Allred]

The other thing that can happen if they get a lot of rain in the Delaware Valley is that the take-out parking area can flood.  That happened one year and it created a huge mess in Pt. Pleasant, PA.  
That year, Bulls Island State Park on the NJ side was used by Richard Hopley as a take-out.  

Tony Allred

[Eric Ruhl]

An email just went out to the people that are interested in this trip.  It will now be run by Tony Allred.  Meet up time at the put-in is at 9:30am.

If you are wanting to carpool, then you will need to email or call Tony directly.

[Nick Bowley]

http://newsblaze.com/story/2012103109160200002.pnw/topstory.html

Someone posted this article on another boating website.   Based on the information it appears the release has been cancelled.

[Tony Allred]

Tohickon Valley State Park just called me: 

Because of storm damage to Ralph Stover and Tohickon Valley Parks and expected flooding from the Delaware, the Tohickon release has been cancelled. 

Like Eric, I'm likely to do something local, like the Gunpowder this weekend.

Tony Allred