Crofton on the Rivanna River to Cartersville on the James, 31 miles
The day started early with one final check of gear before loading up and heading to the Crofton VDGIF ramp on the Rivanna just down the hill from the house. My parents were there to say goodbye and snap a few pictures.
With a light fog on the water slowly giving way to the morning, I was on the water by 7:30 a.m. The river level was lower than I would have liked with the Palmyra gauge at approximately 2.9. With the water below 3.0 feet, it promised some bony sections and likely scrapes as I made my way down to the James on Day 1. I certainly did not expect my first rocky experience to be so soon. Less than a hundred yards downstream, still waving goodbye and getting everything situated the kayak wedged against a rock in shallow water and I had hop out to avoid forcing the boat over the rock. A rather ignominous start to the trip.
It was a cool, crisp morning with temperatures in the low 40s but quickly climbed and turned into a warm afternoon with highs in the 80s. The paddle on the Rivanna required patience. Due to a fully loaded boat and low water levels I ended up getting out and walking through a couple of riffles. Just below the new Palmyra bridge there is a riffle that at this water level is tough to get through – at least in a fiberglass boat.
One of the skills that I had intended to work on prior to the trip was lining a boat. Lining is the act of using long bow and stern lines to guide a boat through a rapid while the paddler is maneuvering on shore. Without the weight of the paddler, the boat floats higher resulting in fewer and less severe impact with the rocks that form the rapid. While practicing was on my list, I had never taken an opportunity to do it. It didn’t look that hard in the articles and this wasn’t much of a riffle (a riffle is a rapid generally considered less than Class I – a shallow, swift flowing spot where the river crosses a gravel bar, old dam remnants, etc) so I decided to give it a shot. While the process was a success, it sure was not pretty with me scrambling along slick rocks and trying to keep the boat from turning sideways to the current. Other than a little water in the day hatch because the cover was not fully secured, the boat and I both made it through unscathed.
There was one rapid above Rivanna Mills that I got out and scouted. I chose a tight line but made it through with no scrapes, more than could be said for most of my other water reading efforts on the trip!
Wildlife was incredibly abundant on the Rivanna for this beautiful spring day. Saw my first bald eagle of the trip within the first mile. I took this as a talisman and good omen for the journey.
While I was watching and getting a photo of the eagle, a river otter surfaced nearby. Downstream, a wild turkey flew across the river directly in front of my boat – rather ungainly in flight but he made it across and on to new lands. Saw five whitetail deer throughout the day. Two swam across the river ahead of me and I was able to watch one of them leap from the water about ¾ of the way up a ten foot bank – impressive jump. There were several osprey sightings, two with fresh fish catches in their talons.
I was shocked not to see any herons during my entire first day. I paddle this stretch of river frequently and cannot remember ever spending that many hours without seeing a heron. Normally they will flit down the river just in front of the kayak, being pushed leisurely and fishing along the way. I did see a large brown bird that I did not recognize (perhaps a female heron of some sort) with a still squirming, small snake in its beak. Many, many Canadian Geese honking at me and ducks flying by. The water was crystal clear and I spotted carp, smallmouth bass, various bream and several large gars. I also saw a groundhog and many turtles large and small. Seemed that the turtles might be dulled from the cold as they would swim and surface much closer to the kayak that normal. Spring is officially here as evidenced by the plentiful butterflies – the first I recall seeing this year. There were both Yellow and Black swallowtails.
As I planned the trip, the biggest challenge for Day One appeared to be portaging around the Rivanna Mills rapid. During the early nineteenth century Rivanna Mills was one of many commercial centers on the Rivanna. Through a series of dams and locks, the Rivanna was navigable all the way from the mouth to Shadwell, a few miles outside Charlottesville. Initially traversed by dugout canoes, then double canoes lashed together the Rivanna’s commercial vessels peaked with sixty foot long bateaux. Shallow draft, flat bottomed vessels that could haul large amounts of material from the ports on the river down to the James, thus opening Charlottesville to the rest of Virginia for commerce.
The Rivanna is known as Mr. Jefferson’s river, because of Thomas Jefferson’s lifelong interest in the river. Jefferson was born and lived most of his life within sight of the Rivanna. One of his first official acts as a member of the Virginia legislature was to propose navigation improvements of his home river. The Rivanna was a means and center of commerce long before Jefferson made his proposals however. The Rivanna had been long used by the Monacan and other native American tribes prior to the first English settlers. There was a prominent Monacan settlement , Rassawek, near the mouth of the river which was noted on John Smith’s 1607 map.
At Rivanna Mills the main channel drops through the remnants of the dam while a side channel flows past the impressive brick foundation of the mill and down a solid class 2 drop. To river right is private property, but what appears to be a well used portage trail. At this water level it just was not feasible to run either channel, so I decided to use the trail. For the first, but certainly not the last time on the trip I was left wishing that I had worked harder to secure permission from land owners. It was a difficult pull of the fully loaded boat out of the water and up a 10 foot incline to the trail. Once up on the trail, I was able to get the kayak on the cart and this made the rest of the portage much easier.
The Rivanna was deserted this fine spring day. The only other folks that I saw were a man and 3 boys (12 – 14 years old) turning over rocks just past Hells Bend. A quick hello and they went back to their activities. Once I reached the James there was more human activity – fishermen in powerboats, one kayaker seen paddling as I set up camp as well as a few folks fishing from shore.
My first sight of the James River was paddling the mouth of the Rivanna at Point of Forks. The Columbia bridge was ahead and Kate and I had made plans for a quick visit at Columbia on her way back from the airport. She had been out of town all week and I was out of town most of the prior week, so it was great to spend even a short time together. We laid in the grass under the spring sun and under a shade tree – a great break on my first day.
After leaving Columbia I had eight miles to reach the area I had slated for a camp spot on the north bank. Found a likely spot when I got there and climbed out of the boat. I noticed a large number of black flies but started looking for a tent site, then decided to walk further up the hill and look around. While I did not see any bovines, there was plenty of “evidence” of cows in the vicinity. It seemed wise to paddle on and look for a new spot or I might wake up with a cow nuzzling my tent. About a mile up from the Cartersville bridge I found a spot on the south bank marked by some broken chunks of gray rock forming a landing at the base of a steep but short bank. There was a house way up on a cliff above the spot but seemed unlikely that they would object to someone camping next to the river.
As I scouted how to secure the boat and where I would pitch my tent I noticed a large rock outcropping just above a narrow trail. The outcropping formed a shallow grotto and while I did not see one, it would not surprise me to find an opening to a deeper cave in the crevices. There were trees growing on top of this outcropping and one large tree that had broken and fallen from the top was now leaning with its base on the outcropping and canopy down next to the trail.
I carried my gear up the incline and set up camp on the slightly elevated area between the slope down to the river and the trail. I pulled the kayak up as far as I could and tied bow and stern lines to nearby trees. My camp was peaceful once the fishing boats headed back to the ramp for the evening. The railroad tracks are near the other bank of the river so I could hear the trains pass during the night. It was a full moon and eliminated any need for flashlights that evening. I had hoped that no mosquitoes would be out yet, but they were plentiful although not biting at my first evening’s camp.
Most of my daily menus were similar, so I won’t detail every day but will give a breakdown for this first day. Breakfast was at home and consisted of cold cereal and a banana. Most mornings on the trip it was warm oatmeal to start the day. Lunch was two Peanut Butter and Honey sandwiches. PB&H turned into one of my favorites. I packed the honey just for convenience and the sugar rush, but really enjoyed the taste. Also ate a granola bar or two with lunch. Dinner was Jamaican Barbecue Chicken by Backpacker’s Pantry. In order to discourage critters, I put all food back into drybags and then into sealed hatches for the night. I added an extra canvas tarp to my gear at the last minute and was glad to have it. Great place to spread out drybags as well as to sit outside of the tent.
Despite the sunshine I was really wet and much dirtier than I expected to be after day one. It was a good day, I was tired but not exhausted. I could see and hear cows across the river which just confirmed my decision to make camp on the south bank.
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