Considering a trip tomorrow with 7 and 10 year olds. 7yo would be in front of me in the double, 10 yo has his own rec kayak. He's been on some easy rapids on the Patapsco. OTOH, he fell out twice the first time on the river this year because he was looking around on some flat water above Daniels dam. Rest of party is low intermediates, one of whom will be in WW boat.
Does the current river stage look good for a trip from Harper's Ferry to Point of Rocks for this motley crew? There will be 4 adults.
I looked at a few You-Tube videos showing White Horse rapids at a higher stage than the gages show today. It looked challenging but doable.
I'd really like to get input from people more familiar with this stretch of the river.
kls
I have seen, but not paddled, that section. It’s wonderful the things that young paddlers can get away with, but it sounds like they are not very experienced. If your water level goes up, consider an easier section.
You should be okay The river is low, but there is always enough water to run this section.
I always think Whitehorse is over rated. It is just some waves you can go straight through, though you are likely to get a half swamping from waves dumping over the bow. There is a lot of power in those waves, and when I’m in the middle of it, I don’t think it is so over rated.
There’s another rapid before Brunswick called Weaverton. It has a few ledges through which you need to pick your slots. Just make sure to look them over for wood before you commit.
There’s an island on the right side that is a heron rookerie. Look out for herons.
If you have any doubts about whether you want to make the trip with the kids, hop over to Antietam Creek. It is much smaller and easier to recover all the pieces if you happen to have a mishap.