Shen's and aqua blazing

imported
#1

Thinking about a possible summer trip in my short summer, a few questions I have others might know…

How long are the Shenandoah’s in miles (the AT portion)?

How about the aqua blazing, is it northbound?? How far is that? About how long does it take to aqua blaze, assuming 2 person canoe, decent paddlers??

Just thinking about a possible trip, anybody with info on this stuff I’d appreciate it…I can’t find my Wingless book to get the mileages on the hiking, and don’t know anybody who has canoed the Shens, so thought to post here…

tx

-xtn

airferret

#2

104 miles is the AT mileage and the canoe trip is northbound. That’s all I know

wolf

#3

It takes about a 6 or 7 days to aqua blaze to Harpers Ferry, about the same time as it takes to hike.

Peaks

#4

6 or 7 days to hike 160 miles? Hmmm.

wolf

#5

Air Ferret,
check out http://www.rockfishgapoutfitters.com/ their site is down, but there’s a phone number on the page that you can call. They can hook you up with the aqua blaze people. There’s 107 miles in the Shenandoahs, tons of road crossings, and tons of places to get hamburgers, so you’ll be ace not having to carry as much food.
I’ll e-mail you.

Xena

#6

Downriver Canoe Company, based in Bentonville, is the outfitter that promotes aqua blazing. On Mondays they run trips that begin at Port Republic, north to the VA/WV border. They will pickup as far south as Waynesboro.

The Virginia-based outfitters do not go all the way to Harpers Ferry, because WV has very strict and high-dollar licensing provisions. The best they can do is get you to the VA/WV border (roughly Rt. 7) where you have to get to a phone, call them, and they’ll pick up their gear and drive you someplace nearby–usually to the A.T. Then, you hike into Harpers Ferry. (Theoretically you could get a WV outfitter to meet you at Rt. 7 so you could take their canoe to HF, but the logistics are a nightmare.)

There are places along the north-flowing Shenandoah River where you cannot paddle or float, in any year, due to dams and other obstructions. Near Front Royal you have to portage a couple of miles around some (put all of you gear into the canoe or kayak, then CARRY it to the next put-in). In a low-water year, portages are even more frequent.

Unless you are a very strong paddler, taking the river to the WV border usually takes longer than it takes a seasoned thru-hiker to walk there. And if you are relying solely on the river flow so you can float there effortlessly, it will take a LOT longer.

There are some legal places along the river to camp. The outfitter should provide a map showing various points of interest, including where to camp and where not to camp.

Skyline

#7

The Shens get my vote for the easiest 100 miles on the AT. And if you get there before the tourists and leaves, it is also a wonderful hike.

6 or 7 days is about right to hike it.

ride on

Officer Taco

#8

You can do 20 mile days on the river with very little paddling, if the current is moving at a decent pace.

The aqua blaze we did with Down River Canoe Company took us through, I believe, around 85 miles, and it took 5 days. Most of the time we just sat back and floated, but the river was up and running pretty quickly.

bearbait

#9

Dear Airferret~
I chose to aquablaze with a hiking buddy and we loved it!
The cost to us was 80/per person and we contracted through John at The Down River Canoe Company. John provided us with dry bags, an itinerary, transportation to and from the river and a great book on the history of the Shenandoah River. The total mileage was 111 miles and it took us 5 days. It is not a lazy trip. It was constant paddling, but did provide us some foot relief and a chance to use our upper body strength. We were rewarded with swimming, tree swings, bald eagle sightings, and real food which we stored in coolers. I would encourage anyone to add this to their trail experience.

Ladybug

#10

Thanks everybody for your input and suggestions… Although everything is tentative, and barring a really dry season that would prevent a canoe trip, this may be my summer trip in my time off, both hiking one way and canoeing the other, time permissable…

-xtn:boy

airferret