Lower Shannock to Alton - January 26, 2020

The put-in at Lower Shanock

I knew the weather would be better on Sunday, and I needed another day to rest after getting sick last week, so I posted on the RICKA message board and Facebook for a flatwater trip. Jim S. responded that he wanted to do Lower Shannock to Alton with a campfire stop at the Carolina Canoe Campsite. Once Bill signed on the deal was done. 

Bill and I did this section with Jonathan back in September at a much lower level.  With the rain on Saturday the level was up around 3’, 260 cfs on the Wood River Junction gage. We met at Alton at 10:00 for the shuttle up to Lower Shannock Falls. We warned Jim about the current paddling up the Wood River to Alton, but he was OK with it.

Below Lower Skannock Falls

We put in around 10:30 below Lower Shannock Falls and headed downstream. I was the only one with a drysuit, and Bill’s objective was to stay dry in his shortly wetsuit, so running Shannock wasn’t an option. The day started sunny with temps in the mid-40’s – relatively warm for January. I didn’t need gloves, but I kept my hat on just the same.

Bridge construction on the Carolina Road Bridge (Route 112) above the Carolina Raceway continues through 2021. We scouted it for obstructions and ran through fine, but we will need to be careful going through there for a while. Portaging across the construction site would be a pain.

Construction at the Carolina Road Bridge

We stopped for lunch and a small campfire at the Carolina Canoe Campsite. I tried to think of something to bring that I could cook over the fire, but in the end decided to bring PB&J. The fire was still nice, and we got visit with our new friend Buck who was smoking his cigar on the bench when we pulled in.  

From there, we portaged the Richmond Dam and picked our way through the blow-downs down the Alton. The paddle up the Wood River was a bit of a slog, but we made it fine.

Enjoying the fire with our new friend Buck

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Wood River Junction Gage