June PLP Graduation Weekend

On Saturday we held a Rescue Essentials class at Anglers Inn. We reviewed some general safety guidelines from gear to prevention on land. We warmed up a bit and practiced the hand of god, then paddled over to the Virginia Chute. Here we did a lot of swimming, catching eddies, and ferrying...then added a boat and paddle to the mix. Wend threw some ropes, towed some swimmers, and attempted a human chain. We then paddled down to Carderock and briefly tried a group rescue before heading back to the cars, completely late.
Sunday was the final trip to the Needles section of the Potomac near Harpers Ferry. The trip starts out in flatwater (except for the speedboat waves). We warmed up, and started over some ledges. We worked on catching eddies, attaining, ferrying, slot moves, and avoiding rocks. Further down we tried a little surfing and then had some lunch. Ted led us down, up, then back around a rapid to show you how to work the entire river, we found a hole to learn sidesurfing, and also tried some peelouts from a hole using a low brace. We were greeted with nice rain shower while avoiding hoards of tubers. We reached the confluence and arrived at Whitehorse, where the first run we just bombed down to enjoyed the wavetrain. Our second run, I asked for some confidence and commitment to catch a 3-eddy sequence. You all showed determination and skill, but in the end proved quite a challenge. We capped it all off with a good meal, a beer, and some ice cream in the Harpers Ferry. More photos (some better than others) at: Photos