Paddle Time at the Dan River, Moratock Park to Snow Creek access

Today was a beautiful day, January 28 and 60 degrees.  This is my kind of winter.  We got a late start so Dennis and I decided to take a shorter kayak run today.  We put in at Moratock Park, in Danbury NC and we took out at Snow Creek access near Dodgetown rd. The run was between 4-5 miles long.  This was a beautiful section of the river with many little rapids but only a couple that might be a 1 + but with so many it kept the trip entertaining.  We did not have to paddle much before the current did most of the work, not a great deal of flat water here.  It was fun going over little ledges.

 The water gauge level was 1.88 ft and the cfs was 195 at the water gauge at Fransisco.  The level was nice and fun but we did have to manuver through shallow sections.  I do not think this section would be very easy to paddle much lower.


 The most eventful part of the trip was at put in Dennis and I decided to video each other at the first rapid so I went first then pulled to the beach to get out to film him.  When I stepped out of the kayak on the sand where I had beached my boat on the shore I sank over my knees instantly in the sand and mud like quick sand.  If I had not moved quickly I probally would have sunk much deeper and I would have had to crawl out.  I could barely raise my legs because of the suction.  That was a first.

The most enjoyable part of the trip was how pretty the day and scenary was.  We saw 2 grey herons and many wild ducks and well as many other water birds.  I wished I had my camara with me not just Dennis's phone.

We discovered it is much better to park near the Snow Creek access sign and take out by paddling up snowcreek a ways than to take out rather than near the bridge at Dodgetown Rd  a little farther down too.  Can not wait until the next trip.