Red Moshannon - Saturday - March 31, 2012 - TRIP HAS BEEN CANCELED

[RB]

This Trip has been CANCELED
Moshannon Creek
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Meeting Place: Route 53 bridge (take out)
Time: 10am

The "List"
 1) Rick Brown
 2) Jill Wiest
 3) Mike Moyer
 4) Marybeth Moscoso
 5) Susan Savage
 6) Peter Vitins

This is a fun, easy, class II run that many of us have done in the past and marks the start of the boating season for many. My trip has nothing to do with the race and is just a fun and playful run of the Moshannon Creek on the day of the running of the 45th Annual "Red Mo" Downriver Race (a 7.5 mile downriver race for many classifications of boats from rec kayaks to full on racing canoes). We will start at the Peale Bridge (near Grassflat) and finishing at the Route 53 Bridge.

We will meet at the route 53 bridge around 10am to organize the shuttle, get geared up, then proceed to the putin at Grassflat with enough time to spare to put on around 11:30, ahead of the noon time race start. We'll play our way down to Rattlesnake Rapid island where we will stop for a lunch break and watch the fun for awhile( there is usually a large gathering of all sorts of boaters on the island), then continue on to the finish line to end the day.

Mapquest Directions to Cooper Settlement (a small village about 2 miles beyond the route 53 bridge) We will be meeting where route 53 crosses the Moshannon Creek. You can't miss it as there will be vehicles parked all along the sides of the road at the route 53 bridge.
http://mapq.st/yoAR1s

Weather Forecast for Grassflat (putin)
http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/grassflat-pa/16839/weather-forecast/2241967

Gauges of interest:
Beech Creek at Monument (should be ~375cfs min)
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/pa/nwis/uv/?site_no=01547950&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060,00010
Clearfield Creek at Dimeling (should be ~900cfs min)
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/pa/nwis/uv/?site_no=01541500&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060,00010
West Branch Susquehanna River at Karthaus (should be ~3700cfs min)
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/pa/nwis/uv/?site_no=01542500&PARAmeter_cd=00065,00060,00010

Call (717-365-3167), E-mail (rebjsw@epix.net) Or post here, if you are coming so I can add you to "The List".

PS - If you want to participate in the race please call Pat Reilly (717-763-4984). Pat will be racing
Saturday and can give you all the info about entering and competing in the race.

[RB]

  I'm watching the long range forecast for this weekend and although the temps look to be nice enough... I don't see much in the way of rain in the forecast. The levels are already lower than I would like so if we don't see any significant rain in the forecast over the next week I will be calling this trip off, and posting a pick up trip instead for a park and play/skill building session on the Susquehanna river around mid-day of the 31st... most likely in the Dauphin Narrows if the levels drop to around 4' by that time. Much over 4' and we'll do a session above the Rockville Bridge.

This would also give everyone the opportunity to attend the Meltdown Party at 3pm on this same date.

[JK4Fun]

Me

[Chris H]

Just a reminder, the Melt Down Party is from 3 to 5 and the Appalachian Brewing Company, 50 N. Cameron St.

[RB]

Chris,

  I corrected my original post and changed the time for the start of the Meltdown Party to 3pm. If we stay local and do a Susquehanna river park and play session I'd probalby make it a 11am start to get in a solid 2 hours of paddling and still allow plenty of time to get to ABC by 3pm after the paddle.

[RB]

I had hoped to make the call if this trip was on, or off, by today.... but with the unknown amount of rain coming this weekend I really can't make that call until after this weekend and I see what happens on the gauges I use to judge the level of the Moshannon.

Stay tuned. I should be able to make the call by early next week and decide if this trip is on.... or if I call it off and post a pick-up park and play session on the Susquehanna instead.

PS - I added Marybeth to the list. She contacted me thru e-mail and said she was in for the Red Mo.. or any of the other options for Saturday the 31st.

[RB]

  Going to make a call on this trip Tuesday night. Leaning towards canceling since all 3 guages I use to just the level on the Moshannon are below minimum. I also called Ed Bowman from Tussey Mountain Outfitters and he said the creek had been running around 1.2' on the bridge gauge and hoped it was around that level for race day. All the times I've done it was at or above 2' on the bridge gauge.

  I'll post a park and play session on the Susquehanna if this trip gets called off. Something geared toward building skills for newer boaters, like the area above the Rockville Bridge, or the Dauphin Narrows if the level would drop fast enough to be close to 4' by Saturday.

[RB]

Going to cancel this trip. Too far to travel for a class II run, with questionable water levels.

All 3 of the surrogate gauges used to predict the level of the Moshannon Creek are below Gertler's minimum recommended levels, and dropping at this time. Unless some decent rain hits that area in the next few days it's going to be low for race day.

With the river level looking like it will fall to around 4.5' by Saturday I'm going to post a park and play, skill building session on the Susquehanna River above the Rockville Bridge in the Pick-Up Trips section of the message board as an alternate paddle.

This section, at this level, should allow novices/low intermediates a chance to work on attainments, ferrys, eddy turns and surfing some small waves. It is usually a good workout and will help get those paddling muscles tuned up if you are just getting started for the season.

I'll post the link for the new pick-up trip here, in this thread, when I get it put together.

[RB]

Here's the link to the pick-up trip.

http://www.ccghpa.com/boards_new/index.php?topic=1719.msg5876#msg5876

[Splash]

What the heck? No Red Mo say it ain't so Big Ricky....can't they just run some garden hoses over the bridge and fill it up?
Did they cancel the whole thing? I bet this is a first for this event.

[RB]

Pete, You could still go. But ...hey....wait a minute... you weren't even on "the list" for this trip !!! 

The Red Mo Race is NOT canceled. Just my trip. I don't know if they ever canceled it.

The RED MO RACE will go on no matter what the level !!! (I think it was canceled one year, due to HIGH water)

 When I e-mailed Ed Bowman at TMO and he replied that the level was running around 1.2' on the bridge gauge and he hoped it would hold at that level for the race I figured it just may not be worth the time and money to get there and do it.
  The last couple of years when we did it the level was about 2' and I consider that to be a minimum level for a fun run.

Now the level may be good to go. I just don't know. That's the problem with creeks with no actual gauge on them, and not having enough experience at lower levels on this creek.

[RB]

Just an FYI

Latest post I picked up on from the Red Mo Race Facebook page. Post was made this past Tuesday, I assume at noon.

From the Canoe Club of Centre County
" ‎Red Moshannon Downriver Race begins in exactly 4 days. Current water level estimate hovering around 1ft. There is a little rain in the forecast, but we may have a "biathlon" on our hands if it gets any lower! "


Now there is some rain showers in the forecast for Grassflat for Friday eve but I'm not seeing anything that would raise the level much, if at all, between now and Saturday morning.