First day of Spring in Charlottesville

So this past Sunday, 3/20, at the last minute, I decided to hit my local river, The Rivanna, for some late afternoon paddling.  It was a bit chilly with low water temperatures so I wore a wet suit, but I simply needed a bit of a change from flat water training.

I had my wife run shuttle for me and I hit the water in my Necky Looksha IV at ~5pm and hoped for a fast run so I could be off the water before it got dark.

I decided to run the race route for the Rivanna River Regatta Canoe & Kayak Races in order to do a little pre-scouting of the river and see if any trees or other obstacles will need to be cleared prior to race day.

I put in just below the reservoir dam and ran to Riverview Park and made the trip in ~84 minutes.  That was an average of ~5.8mph for the 8.12 miles.

I turned my camera on just upstream of the railroad trestle rapids and kept it rolling until just past the fallen Sycamore tree that obstructed the river last May on race day (You can see the tree at 5:00 of the video.)

I had a pleasant run and was the only one on the river.

It was a great way to welcome Spring.