Buckingham to Cumberland County

On the road again! Ryan dropped me off at the New Canton boat landing in Buckingham County on Tuesday, where we ended our paddle trip on the James River last week.  For the rest of the day I walked through the northeast tip on the county and shortly into Cumberland County.  I passed lots of logging trucks along the way...or they passed me, I suppose.  I had associated Buckingham with tree plantations and slate, and I wasn't dissapointed!  In fact, after getting a chance to talk a while with Mr. Bryant of Bryant and Sons general store, he made sure I knew about Buckingham slate and pointed out his "established in 1965" sign out front.  Once I crossed into Cumberland, I wasn't sure how they would feel about slate from next door...but, it turns out they do like slate in Cumberland too.

In the afternoon I had a chance to visit with Bill and Stephanie Osl who run a cattle farm in Cumberland.  They were very nice to have me for dinner and spend the night on short notice.  Bill also sits on the Board of Supervisors for the county, so he was able to fill in my non-existent knowledge of Cumberland.  Agriculture (mostly poultry barns) and logging are the primary businesses in the county and history of the jurisdiction goes way way back.  I learned about a new reservoir that the county and other surrounding localities plan to build in future years to provide water from the James River to its citizens, as well as an exciting new prospect of a poultry litter "digester" that would capture the methane from decomposing poultry waste and convert it to energy.  It would be the first of its kind built on a communty scale.  Right here in Cumberland County.

Glad to be out again,

Laurel
P.S.  My achilles felt decent after a day's walk, though a little creaky.  As my brother said, I'm just not 20 anymore.

Mr. Bryant of Bryant and Sons store points out his slate sign.

I crossed through the northern tip of both counties, near the James.



Tank farm, northern Cumberland County.



Dairy in the distance.



Stephanie and Bill Osl.  Bill sits on the Cumberland County Board of Supervisors.



Stephanie Osl feeds bulls right out of her hand. Woah.



Stephanie and Lucy on their daily walk.



A short break...to be continued

Testing out the new shoes - this time with some weight!

I ended up coming home on Wednesday when Ryan headed back home, so I could test how my achilles tendons might hold up for walking the eastern half of my planned route.  A visit to a podiatrist confirmed that the shoes I hiked in simply were too small and bruised my achilles, but a bigger pair of shoes and some heel cushions should allow me to keep on trucking.  Luckily the shop where I got fitted for those shoes originally took back the first pair and gave me a larger size for free (I think showing them a gruesome photo of my heels helped)!  I will start up again early next week where we left off at New Canton and try to take it a little easy on the miles at first.

This short break has allowed me to catch up on blog entries that I missed earlier.  Scroll down to see new posts and/or photos for May 18, 19, 20, 22, and 24!

Looking forward to showing you more images and stories soon from our great state,

Laurel

Day 13 - 15: Lynchburg to New Canton

 After all those dam portages upstream of Lynchburg, Ryan and I kept paddling down the James for another three days before he needed to head home.  We made it to the boat landing at New Canton in the middle of the state, for a grand total of 150 miles on the James River in seven days.  And my achilles tendons were VERY thankful - best decision we could have made.  We had walked about 80 miles before getting into the canoe, but  "Walk Across Virginia" is a bit of a misnomer at this point, isn't it? I don't regret getting to know the James River up close, though. 

Fountain on the James in Lynchburg

There were some things I did not expect about the James River.  I was surprised by how little infrastructure and few buildings there are in view from the river - the one exception being railroad tracks.  I also didn't expect to see so many people fishing and so few people on the river canoeing or kayaking like us.  The high waters from heavy rains could have had something to do with that too.  Speaking of high water, because of the murkiness from dirt and silt, it was rare to be able to see the bottom of the channel even as we skirted along the banks on those last couple days.  I was surprised how long it took for clarity to improve.  But despite the brown water, the critters hadn't gone anywhere.  Everyday we saw big turtles sunning themselves on nearly every log that poked out of the water.  We saw all different kinds of ducks; several osprey and a bald eagle; muskrats and an otter; and many Canada geese...oh, and certainly some cows in the Piedmont section below Lynchburg.

Pulling out of Lynchburg a little later than we hoped - but that pizza was worth it!

One of Lynchburg's combined stormwater and sewer outlets into the river - a.k.a. when it rains hard, stormwater runoff mixes with raw sewage and dumps into the James.  At the Center for Watershed Protection, we are trying to help in the City's efforts to reduce runoff so that this doesn't happen as often.

Cows bathing in the river - a more common occurrence in the Piedmont section below Lynchburg.

Checking the map to see how much further to Bent Creek.

A harmonica interlude between paddling.

One of the prettiest riverbank spots we found to camp.

Morning fog near camp spot.

Mornings were the most special time to paddle.

The canoeing couple.

One of Pat Calvert's (Upper James Riverkeeper) signs, spotted at Wingina boat launch.

They only sell stamps and envelopes here. The old store is now used as the post office and a museum.

Riverbank trees hold on for dear life.

Ryan doesn't like getting sunburned.  Can you tell?

Home of Karen Firehock and Tim Lewis - historically the Howardsville Bank. They spent the last year renovating the house into what is now an incredible place. They treated us like royalty after we boated in for a visit...showers, dinner, a bed, and even breakfast = Howardsville Heaven.

Weasel Junction Hunt Club near the boat landing in Howardsville.

Four friends joined us to paddle from Scottsville for one last fun day on the water.

Time for the canoe and Ryan to head home - and I have come home for a few days to get my achilles checked out.

We did alright with a canoe and a couple paddles, didn't we Hon?

Looking back at the Upper James

The last five days canoeing on the James have been eye-opening for me. Ryan kayaked the entire length of the river back in 2007, but for me the upper reaches of the river that we have been paddling are all new. Although the scenery is mostly consistent (steep wooded banks, gray green water, train tracks) there still have been distinct features in  each stretch that we have paddled.

That first day when we were on the river with Pat Calvert in the upper James above Buchanan, the river was hugged by the hillsides and limestone cliffs. The National Forest flanks the river most of the way down, sometimes on both sides, so it was rare to see a house or field. There is good reason that some of this part of the James has been designated a National Scenic River. Interestingly, "No Trespassing" signs were much more common in this area west of the Blue Ridge, presumably because of adjacent public lands. Most of the people we ever saw up there were out fishing - we were the oddballs in a canoe without a line. The water was high from a couple days of heavy rains, so we were able to cover 21 miles in about five hours without much effort.

Laurel

Day 11 - 12: Dam Portages Above Lynchburg

I've got some new beef with dams. After all the fun of running through the rapids at Balcony Falls near Glasgow, things got less fun.  There is a reason very few people navigate down the James River between Glasgow and Lynchburg - seven reasons, in fact.  I, Ryan, the canoe, our paddles, and multiple bags of gear had to portage five of the dams on foot and two with the help of nice people with cars (I think we mentioned Fred's help earlier - thanks!).

First portage without the help of a vehicle - Bedford Power Dam

Now, tell me if I'm out of line here, but when humans put a big barrier across a river, shouldn't they also provide a simple and safe way for other humans with boats (and no vehicle) to get out and back into the river so they can keep going on their merry way? If VDOT put up a long jersey barrier across I-64 without providing a detour...you know how long that would last. I'm not even talking about a nice concrete ramp and a formal walkway - I would be happy with just a few stable steps up the bank or a dirt path that is kept cleared without having to trespass through someone's property or along the railroad.  And in cases where the only put-in after the dam is, say, 1.5 miles downstream, it sure would be nice to get a little lift from those responsible for putting up that infrastructure (ahem, Georgia Pacific paper plant).

As it is, for most of the portages Ryan and I had to scout out the riverbank for a spot flat enough to hoist up the canoe out of the water and then walk around to make sure there was a place to pull the canoe and gear around the dam and back into the river on the downstream side.  Portages came in all varieties:  pulling the canoe across and lowering down boulders (sorry, Fred, we owe you some patch work on that canoe); trampling through mud flats and tall grass; scrambling through woods and poison ivy; and in the case of the paper plant portage at Big Island...waiting until some nice people at the boat landing with a vehicle feel sorry enough for us to give us a lift.

Father and son who had been fishing at boat ramp above Georgia Pacific paper plant. After I walked back from unsuccessfully looking for someone at the plant who might give us a ride around their facility, the fishermen offered us a ride in their van.  They saved us a mile and a half of lugging a canoe and gear!

The fawn that Ryan almost stepped on as he lugged the canoe through a soggy area with tall grass (Coleman Falls dam).

The aftermath of sinking into a mud pit and losing my right sandal (Coleman Falls dam).  I thought it was a goner, but a couple minutes of probing in the mud brought it back from the depths.

Ryan pulling the canoe past the Colman Falls hydroelectric dam.  Thank goodness for the muscle man.

Hello, Holcomb Rock dam.

Yes, you are aptly named, Holcomb Rock dam.

Goodbye, Holcomb Rock dam.

Dam, that was some hard work.

Yours truly,

Laurel

A good rest under the Blue Ridge Parkway

Laurel taking a well deserved nap after a full day of whitewater boating and two successful dam portages.   We have five more to go.   We might give the Big Island portage a try this evening.  There is a factory there and if the plant worker's wont help us then it is a two mile road walk.   Hitchhiking with a canoe???

Day 11: Not all rivers are smooth

Today we were joined by Ryan's father Fred and George Bowles for a great run down the Balcony Falls section of the James.  Thankfully our canoe stayed upright although we did get a good bit of water in it a few times.   Fred also gave us a very needed ride around the Cushaw Dam.   The portage around the dam was fine but the rapids right below looked a bit too difficult for our canoe laden with camping equipment.
 

 

Interview: Frits van der Leeden

My second river-side interview was with Frits van der Leeden.  He came and met us at the Locher Tract in the National Forest, where we had pulled off the James for the afternoon.  The Locher Tract sits across the river from Natural Bridge and Glasgow, in the very southern tip of Rockbridge County, Frits' home county.  I had not yet met Frits, but had come across his name  several months back as I searched in my local library for books about Virginia's water resources.  Two reference books popped up with his name as author - the Water Atlas of Virginia and the Environmental Almanac of Virginia.  I thought, this is definitely someone I should meet.

As we walked along the trails at the Locher Tract, Frits told me about his experiences as a geologist, first in the petroleum industry, then for 26 years as a hydrogeologist with a very large consulting firm.  He traveled all over the world, mostly to arid regions to help foreign governments and corporations develop access to water.  When he and his wife retired to Rockbridge County, he said,"I've got to do something instead of staring out of the windows."  So, he continued his scientific exploration by researching and writing about water and other environmental resources of Virginia.  For the Environmental Almanac of Virginia, Frits poured through maps, charts, scientific studies and other references dispersed throughout the vaults of different state agencies, searching for statistics on the state's water resources, solid waste production, pollution, natural disasters, wildlife, and more.  After compiling and boiling down the technical jargon, he ended up with a reference book that regular students and adults could understand. No one had ever before compiled a comprehensive reference about Virginia's environment.  The same can be said for his Water Atlas of Virginia.  I can only hope I am half that productive in retirement!

It didn't take long after moving to Rockbridge County for his expertise as a hydrogeologist to be requested.  When a coal-burning power plant was proposed to be built in Buena Vista, he was asked to helped fight against it.  Frits' scientific inquiries and testimonies in court brought to light that there would not be enough water to supply the cooling plant, which helped to defeat the proposal. "I was really proud of that," he said. Frits remains active in issues of local preservation and resource protection with his fellow members of the Rockbridge Area Conservation Council.

Frits also recently completed a book about floods in Rockbridge County.  When I asked him about his findings from that research, he said, "Whenever we get three inches of rain, we get flooding in Rockbridge County."  Earlier this week in fact, flash floods roared in the streams right here in this part of the county, closing schools and requiring firefighters to evacuate several people from their homes.  According to some caught in the flood, it was the worse flooding since the mid-1990s (WSLS 10 news channel).  For valleys with the worst flooding impact on homes, he explained that the County has a program to help people move out of the flood zone to avoid recurring damages and safety risks.  I imagine that many communities around the state would benefit from a program like this, especially as this type of extreme weather becomes more common.

Before heading back home, I asked Frits which waterway he would take a friend to visit if he had never before been to Virginia.  Unhesitatingly, he said the Chesapeake Bay.  Hmm...I think I'll go there, then.

Laurel

Interview: Jay Gilliam

During our first couple of days of canoeing down the James, I had a chance to meet with two gentlemen who have helped Virginians understand the wealth and health of their waterways.  The first was Jay Gilliam who drove down from his home in Rockbridge County to meet us at the boat ramp in Buchanan.  He was very kind to take us out for dinner at the North Star restaurant on Rt. 11, which hit the spot after a day on the river.

I remember Jay from when I was in middle school in nearby Augusta County. He would take schoolkids out to look for critters in a stream bed and introduced me to the concept of using the types and number of aquatic insects to measure the stream's health.  What I didn't pay attention to at the time is that Jay had a great deal to do with establishing and coordinating the Virginia Save Our Streams program.  This program, run through the Izaak Walton League, enables anyone with an interest in his or her local waterways to get out in the water and take part in monitoring the biological integrity of those streams.
 
Jay spent a decade as coordinator and trainer for Virginia SOS and is still active as a volunteer monitor in his part of Rockbridge County. The trainings he conducted during those ten years took him to rivers and streams in 75 different counties throughout Virginia, in all the major river basins of the state.  You can see why I didn't want to miss a chance to meet up with Jay.

After offering dessert (which I took him up on), Jay said, "I still think the Upper James is my favorite." But a close second right up there in his personal list of best waterways in the state is those of Southwest Virginia. "I just really enjoyed getting to know the people and the rivers. It's an amazingly biologically rich part of the state...You put a net in the stream and you come up with twice the amount of organisms down there as you would find anywhere else in the whole state," he exclaimed.  He told us about the time he found a hellbender salamander the size of an iguana in Copper Creek in Russell County, and he reflected on people's sense of humor and hardiness in that part of the state.  Jay explained how he became interested in stream monitoring, about the "magical" partnership among non-profits, private companies, and governmental agencies that helped propel citizen water quality monitoring in the 1990s, and the political changes that have occurred since then. We talked until the place cleared out just before dark, then Jay drove us back to the riverbank to camp.

Laurel
P.S. Check back later for audio of this and other interviews

Day 9: James River, Eagle Rock to Buchanan

How does that old saying go?…When life gives you lemons make lemonade? When walking makes your achilles tendons swell up and yell at you, start paddling instead. Yesterday we developed a plan B, officially called Operation Lemonade. To give my heels some time to recover from rubbing shoes or whatever the heck is aggravating them, over the next week Ryan and I will canoe down the James River from our current location of Buchanan.

We will paddle through the gap in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Glasgow, through Lynchburg (with many portages) and likely re-assess around Scottsville in the Piedmont. I am happy to report that Operation Lemonade has been squeezed out beautifully so far! With the help of Ryan’s extremely helpful and well-geared family, a canoe and other necessary paddling accoutrements were gathered up then picked up by Pat Calvert (Upper James Riverkeeper) this morning for our previously planned paddle trip with him today. HUGE help! Then with the help of John and Dan at Twin Rivers Outfitters (canoevirginia.net), the three of us were shuttled up to Eagle Rock to paddle down the swift waters of the James River back here to Buchanan.

It was a great day to be on the water and hear about Pat’s role as a Riverkeeper with the James River Association. Pat's position is a unique one, as his goal is to serve as the "eyes, ears, and voice" of the James River. He gets out on the water to, in a sense, patrol the waterways for dumping, fish kills, egregious erosion problems and other activities that need attention or correction. He also gets plenty of indoor time (probably more than he likes) going to meetings to develop policies that make it it harder for people to pollute, or programs that help others become personally involved in safeguarding the river. For example, the James River Association's River Rats are interested citizens who help Pat do his job. They check on their section of main stem river or tributary at least three times a year to report any signs of problems, in addition to taking on a restoration project of their own making. For those of you in the James River watershed who like the idea of helping to keep an eye on the river, take a look at JRA's website at www.jrava.org! In the meantime, Ryan and I will let you know what we find out there on the river over the next few days.

Laurel

John of Twin River Outfitters giving us a shuttle while chatting about
river issues with Pat Calvert the Upper James River Keeper

Putting in at Eagle Rock Boat Launch