Sunday February 23
2:00 pm
Balcony Falls section of the James River
(12 ft on the Holcomb Rock gauge)
Nervous. Having paddled this section on two previous occasions at a slightly higher level (albeit in warm weather/water) I had never seen in my Probe 12. I learned a lot that day. Firstly, my bulkhead, while definitely having the look of an amateur job performed wonderfully. Secondly, the Probe 12 is not nearly as dry as the Mad River ME.
The air was warm, water cold. There was no confluence rapid. The Maury dumped into the James with little more than a riffle and a scarce eddy line. The wave trains were what I expected, longer and deeper than usual. I climbed and dove, dove and climbed, small splashes of water making the bottom of the boat a cold place for my knees and toes. My farmer john wetsuit works. Soon my body heat is trapped enough and the cold water is a non factor.
It isn't until just above Balcony that I am truly concerned for my safety. Here the ledges that are usually simple drops and eddies, ideal for attainment and playing have disappeared under continuous and collapsing wave trains and holes that could easily hold onto my boat. I navigate gingerly, digging hard to keep my line.
As I ride up a wave that peaks into a triangle and start to fall off the side of it, I reach forward and dig my paddle into the raging torrent, rotate my upper body back and my hips the opposite way. I feel my thighs digging into the bulkhead foam, the canoe slowly rotates its bow back into line at the bottom of the trough and I punch through the backside of a smaller wave. Water in the hull. Lots of it. Now Balcony gently calls. No roar like lower levels. Just a quite hiss. The right side of the rapid pours over into the center. I chose a line just left of center. As I drop off the ledge and into the first wave I feel the water in the boat rolling forward, plunging my bow into the wall of water. I lean back and lift my knees trying to keep from submarining into the great brown bottom. As I crest the wave and the bow of my boat sheds the water a new strategy shows it self.
I let the boat take a slightly right track into the bottom of the trough. I lean back and to my offside, rolling the side of the boat into the wall of water, It works and my bow slides up the wall instead of just piercing the wet curtain. Once my hips hit the bottom I dig my paddle forward and out and rotate my hips and the boat back into line. I repeat this approach until the waves of Balcony calm enough for me to ferry to river left. I need to empty this ballast. I wobble back and forth as the water in my boat acts a pendulum. I spin into a big eddy behind one of the few exposed rocks. Facing upstream now, I can see what I've just navigated. A smile sneaks onto my face. I take solace in the eddy and catch my breath. Then dig and ferry facing upstream to the river left shore.
Standing up is not easy. My legs are sore and cramped, my toes and ankles numb. I take my time, and as I finally look down into my canoe another smile creeps over my face. Water up to my thighs. Lots of water. I'm not smiling that I took on this much, but that I was able to handle what I had, without it handling me.
Boat emptied and back on the water. I ferry back out off the river left bank about 30 yards. I'll be avoiding the holes and ledges that dominate the trip on river right towards Jump Rock. River left proves fun and rewarding and relaxing. Smaller waves in higher frequency, a few times I paddle nothing but air as my boat rides the tops of two waves.
One more quick stop to stretch before the flat water paddle out, dump the boat of residual river and I'm done.
Another Gorgeous day on the James.