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Old 04-04-2014, 03:02 PM   #1
EAR
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Default Sunday - 60& Sunny

Anybody want to try the Mahoning again Sunday? Meet below the park?
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Old 04-05-2014, 10:24 AM   #2
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Default Middle Fork of Little Beaver Creek

Ed indicated he is not completely committed to running the Mahoning on Sunday, so here's another option:

The middle fork of Little Beaver Creek from Eagleton's Glen to Lisbon, a distance of between five and six miles. Or the trip could be extended another four or five miles to Elkton. With all the rain we've had, I thought it might be interesting to do a run the club seldom or has never done, especially on a small stream that normally would be too low in the summer.

I have never run this section of the creek, so unless someone who has paddled it recently comes along, it would be an UNSCOUTED trip. This means that the status of strainers, wires or fencing across the creek, low water bridges, yahoos with guns, junkyard dogs, other hazards, or Bigfoot sightings is UNKNOWN. There is a low head dam to be carried just upstream from Lisbon. I've also read that there is a broken out dam in Lisbon that is runnable on river left. The creek was running bank full on Friday afternoon at a pretty good clip (gage was close to 6 feet) and there are some class 1 rapids visible at times from the road. There did not appear to be many eddys in the in the sections I could see. The creek is dropping as of Saturday morning. When I scouted it on Wednesday the gage was around 4.3 and the creek still appeared runnable, although there might be a little bumping.

The stretch above Lisbon should be pleasant scenery; below Lisbon will not be real scenic as the river runs along Route 154 a good part of the way and passes a sand and gravel operation and a sewage treatment plant. There should be plenty of parking at any of three access points–Eagleton's Glen (parking lot for the Greenway Trail), Lisbon (a canoe launch area), or Elkton (part of Beaver Creek State Park property), although the Elkton lot was a little muddy.

Anyway, if this run has any appeal, I'd be happy to lead it. Anyone who is interested, please post here or call me at 330-337-7752. We should have a minimum of three boats for the trip. If there is enough interest I will post the meeting time and place on this board on Saturday evening (4/5/14).

For those of you curious to know where Eagleton's Glen is located, here are the coordinates:N 40? 49.347 W 080? 49.625

JP

Last edited by JPTolson; 04-05-2014 at 06:06 PM.
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Old 04-05-2014, 06:20 PM   #3
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Default Middle Fork of Little Beaver Creek

Pick up trip on Middle Fork of Little Beaver Creek

Sunday, April 6, 2014
Meet 11:00 a.m. at Eagleton's Glen Park (or Teegarden covered bridge) on Eagleton Road, just off Teegarden Road. Teegarden Road is off Ohio Route 45 about midway between Salem and Lisbon. When driving north on Route 45, turn left onto Teegarden Road and proceed to Eagleton Rd. If driving south on Route 45, turn right onto Teegarden Road and proceed to Eagleton Road, probably a mile or two. Eagleton Road will be on the left.

Coordinates for the park are: N 40? 49.347 W 080? 49.625

Again, this is an UNSCOUTED trip, meaning that we're not sure about what hazards might be encountered, except for the low head dam at Willow Grove Park which has to be carried.

This is probably not a good trip for beginning paddlers due to the speed of the current on parts of the run and cold water temperatures.

Questions: 330-337-7752 or email john.paul.tolson@gmail.com

See you on the river!

jp
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Old 04-14-2014, 05:33 PM   #4
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JP-There is a low head dam to be carried? Newbie question. Read what a low head dam is. Exactly what are you saying? You have to stop, get out and carry past the dam? Trying to learn some of the lingo.
Thanks, Donna
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Old 04-14-2014, 07:17 PM   #5
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JP-There is a low head dam to be carried? Newbie question. Read what a low head dam is. Exactly what are you saying? You have to stop, get out and carry past the dam? Trying to learn some of the lingo.
Thanks, Donna
Donna,

Low head dams (usually only a few feet high) pose a serious hazard to boaters. Although they can appear innocuous or even placid, those looks can be very deceiving. NEVER APPROACH A LOW HEAD DAM ON THE WATER FROM UPSTREAM OR DOWNSTREAM.

Water pouring over the dam creates a depression in the pool of water below the dam. This causes the water in the pool to slope (and therefore flow) back toward the dam for a short distance. These dynamics create a more or less circular circulation pattern know as a hydraulic from the water surface to somewhere near the bottom. Objects (like people and boats) that get caught in these hydraulics can easily become trapped and circulated over and over and over. This can be especially serious in the spring when the water is cold.

To illustrate the danger of a low head dam when I was learning to paddle, the instructor showed a video of two individuals trapped in a low head dam's hydraulic in upstate New York and the subsequent rescue efforts. Firefighters in two separate john-boat type vessels tried to reach the two victims, approaching them from downstream. Both rescue boats crossed the boil line (where upwelling water from the hydraulic reaches the surface) sending all would be rescuers into the hydraulic. The net result was, I believe, five drownings. Two individuals survived. It left an impression on me that I will never forget.

So, yes, in general, we get out of the boat and carry around low head dams.

The web will be full of explanations and illustrations. It's a good idea to check out a few of them.

Hope this helps.

Last edited by JPTolson; 04-14-2014 at 07:21 PM.
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Old 04-15-2014, 04:32 PM   #6
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Thanks JP. Last night I watched some videos on these dams and how people get caught up. Very scary. Your explanation was great. So one more question - are these dams and other dangers usually marked on the river so you know they are coming up or do you just have to know ahead of time?
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Old 04-15-2014, 06:54 PM   #7
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Thanks JP. Last night I watched some videos on these dams and how people get caught up. Very scary. Your explanation was great. So one more question - are these dams and other dangers usually marked on the river so you know they are coming up or do you just have to know ahead of time?
Donna,
In my experience, I would say that in general there are no upstream warning signs for low head dams that lie ahead. There are exceptions. Sometimes there are warning buoys in the pool above the dam, large signs on the banks, or riverside park kiosks to locate a dam. Paddling guidebooks should indicate the location of dams. Talk to people who use the river regularly to learn about dams and other hazards. Someone else might want to weigh in here with their experience and opinion.

Recognizing the presence of a dam while paddling downstream is something gained from experience. Look for the water to form a horizontal line across the river as the telltale sign. You may be able to hear a dam as well, but rapids also make noise, so sound is not the best indicator. But there are variations in how dams are constructed so that the horizontal line may be interrupted. This is the case with the Struthers dam on the Mahoning. It is constructed in segments so that the horizontal line is interrupted by pillars rising above the water at regular intervals.

Natural rock ledges can also form horizontal lines across all or part of a river and have their own hydraulics that act just like those below low head dams. The strength of these hydraulics is generally less than that of a low head dam in my experience, but some can still be sticky if you get sideways. We don't run into many of these on the rivers that our club paddles as best as I can recall, although someone else might want to chime in here.

It's great that you're doing your homework. Hope this helps.

jp

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Old 04-15-2014, 09:08 PM   #8
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JP - thanks again. Just asking my novice questions here has been so helpful. I know it will be a long time until I would ever go anywhere without experienced people. Sorry you are the one I seem to keep coming to LOL.
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Old 04-15-2014, 09:23 PM   #9
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Donna, No problem...happy to try to help. Ask away...that's one reason belonging to a club is helpful to get started.
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