Potomac Canoe Trip

[Buffalobob]

I built this canoe from ripped planks of western red cedar and redwood in 1983. The fiber glass outer shell has been replaced three times over the years. I had not paddled it since 2004 being as I now mostly use a kayak, so I decided to take it out on the Potomac to see if it was worth keeping around. I was dropped off up at Little Orleans in the early afternoon and paddled down the river a little way to a C&O Canal campsite where I stayed the first night. The next day I paddled 13 miles down to White Rock and camped there. I got there early enough to catch me some dinner so I didn’t starve to death. From there, I went another 13 miles to Licking Creek and camped again. The last day was an easy 6 miles to McCoys Ferry. The C&O Canal goes through elevated aqueducts over the streams. On the other side of the river from the canal is a railroad that still uses some old stone arch bridges such as at Cacapon. The canoe held up fine so maybe next year I will go for more than three days. The nice part about this stretch of the river is that there are no dams to portage and only lazy Class I riffles. During the middle of the week the river is deserted and peaceful.



Camp



Supper

Fried Fish


White Rock




Cacapon Railroad bridge




Licking Creek Aqueduct

[Oliveralan]

Wow your really living the life!!! Sounds like a great trip.

Not a bad size catfish either. What did you catch him on?

[Buffalobob]

I first caught a minnow and then cut a chunk off of it for bait.

[Oliveralan]

Ok. I have a bucket of 4year old stink bait that I have left in the sun for weeks at a time. Works good but my mom Doesnt let me keep it NEAR the house . A little dough ball of the stuff or a piece of herring usualy does the trick.

[Chas1]

BB, sure looks like a beautiful stretch of river...peaceful. Your canoe looks pretty good and appears to have held up well all those years. Nice fish ya got there too. Great pics and good story, thanks for sharing.

[yobuck]

thats about as laid back as life gets. are there any smallmouths along that stretch? i would think those riffle areas would have some. nice job on the canoe, certainly worth keeping. but not for those portage trips.

[Len Backus]

You sure know how to enjoy life at its best! Where is that green envy icon button when you need it?