The Shenandoah River
Journey down the North Fork from Brocks Gap to Harpers Ferry

The Shenandoah River has been a river that I have been drawn to since I grew up near its banks as a child. On a hot summer day during my youth, the river would be the place to cool off and enjoy nature. Today, the beauty of the river is still there but the health of the river has worsened with the years. Fish kills in the last few years have shown that its purity has been compromised and recent tests have found dozens of chemicals. Pollution, consumption, development and drought have made the Shenandoah one of the most endangered rivers in the nation. Because of this, I have decided to take on a project of extensively photographing the Shenandoah and its tributaries to show the beauty of the river during the seasons and its wildlife. I am also planning a journey to occur in the Spring of 2009 in which I will hike and canoe the entire length of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River from the spring where it begins to Harpers Ferry where it meets the Potomac River. I hope to promote awareness and action to help protect and preserve the river and the valley.

I will be keeping a daily journal as I make my way down the Shenandoah River. To follow my progress, click on the link below that will take you to a blogging site where I will be uploading daily notes at the end of each day on the journey. http://andrewthayer.blogspot.com

The photographs below are some of the images that I made on one of my floats down the North Fork of the Shenandoah River during the summer of 2008. The text below the photographs is the story that goes with the images from this trip.
	Click photo for detail
Edinburg Gap
The Shenandoah River appears in front of us as we drive around a bend on Route 11, the Old Valley Turnpike in Virginia. It is a beautiful summer morning when we arrive at the put-in called Red Banks along the North Fork of the Shenandoah River. Route 11 runs through the Shenandoah Valley following the same course where an ancient trail had existed for thousands of years. Red Banks is an area of mostly farmland on gently sloping hills. The road nears the river at Red Banks and parallels it for about a mile then branches off from the river and heads south to the town of Mt. Jackson. A bridge crosses over the river at this point to connect with Route 698 on the other side. I pull off Route 11 onto a grassy parking area next to the bridge to unload the canoe.
Painted Turtle
This canoe trip is a stretch of the river from Red Banks to Chapman Landing boat ramp, 11 miles away. Before I left the house, I checked the U.S. Geological Survey website for up-to-date stream flow information on the river. The river gauge near Mt. Jackson listed the water level at 2.63 feet which is a little low but should be enough to not have to get out of the canoe too much. Before we launch, there is some trash around the area that we pick up, most of it is fishing related. Bud Waddell has joined me again for a canoe trip. I tell him, once again, that a little portaging will be required for this journey. He replies that he hears me and then mumbles something about "last time."
Dragonfly
The first couple of miles, I see the usual wildlife, painted turtles and what I think are blue dragonflies, ducks, geese, belted kingfishers, green herons and great blue herons. Most birds will usually fly downstream. We eventually catch up to them, then they fly downstream some more. We catch up again, they fly again, etc. I call this the river dance. After some herons disappear from sight, I see a bald eagle in a tree. It takes off from its perch and flies through the tree tops away from us, upstream. No river dance this time. The eagle was probably one of the three I saw on a float a few weeks earlier on another part of the river about twenty miles further down. The moment lasted only seconds before it disappeared over the trees not giving me enough time to get my camera out of newly purchased watertight case. A piece of equipment needed for this kind of environment. I have canoed before but never with my cameras because there was no way to protect them. This will be the first float with the cameras photographing those moments in nature that make it all worth while.
Fly Fishing
We are around three miles in when we float over what could be a fish dam, possibly made by Native Americans before the white man started to appear in the valley. A fish dam consists of many large rocks lined in the shape of a “V”, pointing down river. Fish would be corralled into the dam where they would be trapped and easy to get. Just down from the fish dam, we begin to hear a waterfall. The falls are called The Ledges, several ledges naturally forming in the river providing a five foot drop. Our only choice is to walk the canoe down the ledges as if they were steps due to the water level. It might provide a fun ride with enough water. We stop below the falls for a break, a snack and some photos.
698 Bridge
Further downstream, we pass by two men fly fishing that say they are from out of town and are enjoying the day. Just beyond the fishermen is the Route 698 high bridge, one of two high bridges on this stretch. We pass under it and I can see some great blue herons about two hundred yards away. As we get closer, some of the herons fly away but one remains standing at the river’s edge. Closer we float and it does not take off. Still closer and it remains. At about twenty yards, it finally flies away. I cannot help but wonder if the heron was as curious of me as I was of it. On occasion during my travels, I have come across wildlife where one animal stayed longer than the others as if it wanted to get a closer look. It is moments like this that gives wildlife a unique individual personality.
Heron 1
We reach the town of Edinburg and pass by where Stony Creek joins the Shenandoah River, pass under the Route 675 high bridge and around the bend to the Edinburg dam. The dam is 13 feet in height. The water is so low here that the only water going over is through the power house on the left and an overflow cut in the dam next to the power house. We float up to the concrete dam on the right, take out and portage on a well maintained trail that leads below the dam. I make time for a few photos, a bite to eat and on we go.
Heron 3
We reach the town of Edinburg and pass by where Stony Creek joins the Shenandoah River, pass under the Route 675 high bridge and around the bend to the Edinburg dam. The dam is 13 feet in height. The water is so low here that the only water going over is through the power house on the left and an overflow cut in the dam next to the power house. We float up to the concrete dam on the right, take out and portage on a well maintained trail that leads below the dam. I make time for a few photos, a bite to eat and on we go.
Heron 2
Downstream from the dam is a water intake tower on the left. Just beyond the tower, we pass over a pipe in the river that we assume was the outflow for the old Aileen factory that shut down years ago and wonder what they were dumping back into the river. We round the last bend of the journey for the final stretch and spot a young couple in swimwear fishing in the river. The young lady quickly wades back to shore and disappears into the woods. The young man wades back to shore but continues to fish along with another couple sitting at the river’s edge. There are a few kayaks and a stack of tubes on the shore and I can see a cluster of tents off in the woods. We exchange greetings and continue to float on by towards a couple of islands which we stay to the left of for an easier passage after noticing a tree down on the right side.
Heron 4
The last couple of miles is a stretch that has some rapids. On one of them, we pick a line that seems to be the best one but with a wide rock at the bottom. A quick turn will be required to maneuver around the rock. A quick turn was unsuccessfully attempted and right up on the rock we go. “Dooh! That’s going to leave a mark.” We get out, get unstuck and get going.
Edinburg Dam
On the last mile, after a long day of canoeing, we sense the end of the journey approaching when all of a sudden a bald eagle drops out of a tree. It flies right over my head about fifteen feet up, turns down stream and disappears among some trees on the right. The river dance begins. The moment lasted about ten seconds which was not enough time to get my camera out and ready. The camera is out now and the eagle is somewhere on the right hiding in one of those trees. We maneuver the canoe to river left to give me a better angle. After a very long two minutes, I begin to see a large dark silhouette high up on a tree limb. The eagle immediately drops out of the tree and flies away down stream. This time, it continues to fly away and fades into the distance. The river dance has ended. I was able to make a few exposures but since I am an old school film photographer, I will have to wait until I get the film developed to see what I have.
Eagle
Nearing Chapmen Landing, we pass under a foot bridge which is elevated high above the river and located near the Route 672 low-water bridge. If the river floods, the people living on the other side can walk over the foot bridge for emergencies, supplies, etc. Before the foot bridges were built, the low-water bridges would flood and the people on the other side would be isolated. Locals call that being "river’d in." I can see the Route 672 bridge and tell Bud that we can take out right at the bridge, walk two hundreds yards to the van and drive back to load up the canoe or take out at the bridge, drop in on the other side and float to the boat ramp where the van is parked. Bud suggests another option of floating under the bridge to the boat ramp. I size up the space, water level and conclude it looks safe enough. The tunnels on the right look like they provide the best current. We pick a tunnel and lean back. A family is on the other side playing in the river as we pop out giving them quite a startle. Greetings are exchanged as they stand motionless, curiously watching us as we float by. We arrive at the boat ramp around 7PM. Excellent trip.