Monumental Weekend
The LVKCC 2022 LVKCC Spring Trip
April 22-25
Unfurl your flag and top your noggin with a tricorn. We’re headed to the country’s capital come April. The Lehigh Valley Kayak and Canoe Club’s spring weekend will take us on paddles where history was and still is being made. We’ll do a waterborne tour of the monuments that line the Potomac River and paddle the shores that George Washington surveyed from his Mount Vernon estate.
DATES
Friday, April 22 to Monday, April 25. (This is the weekend after Easter.)
LOCATION
Pohick Bay Regional Park, 6501 Pohick Bay Dr, Lorton, VA 22079
ACCOMODATIONS
Pohick Bay Park is on the Potomac River, south of Washington D.C. The park has a large camping area with sites that range from no services to full hookups. The park also has several cabins for those who prefer to sleep indoors. This will be a covid-conscious weekend. There will be no indoor gatherings. We will get together in an open picnic shelter for meetings and evening meals.
Paddlers must make their own arrangements for camping or lodging.
Tent sites: Sites 101-150 are non-electric and close to the group picnic shelter that we have reserved for the weekend. This area will be LVKCC central for the trip. These sites can be booked for $29 a night. Sites with hookups and the cabins are in another section of this very large park. Fees at these locations are progressively higher depending on amenities. The full hookup sites require a 7-day reservation if booked more than 60 days before the trip. After 60 days, three nights can be reserved.
Cabins: The cabins will sleep up to six, so the cost can be shared among campers who want to bunk together. The cabins have one bedroom with a bunk bed and a double bed. The living area has a sofabed. All cabins have electricity. The rustic cabins are $95 per night. They have a fridge and microwave. Any other cooking is done outdoors. There is no bathroom (it’s rustic). The deluxe cabins are $160 per night. They have the same sleeping accommodations as the rustic cabins plus a bathroom and a complete kitchen. Note: All cabins must be taken for seven nights if booked more than 60 days before the reservation. They can be taken for three nights after that.
Park information: https://www.novaparks.com/parks/pohick-bay-regional-park
PADDLES
The Monuments: We’ll drive up to Alexandria, about 30 minutes from the campground, and launch on the south side of the Potomac near the Pentagon. We’ll paddle in pods, with some taking longer tours than others to match individual preferences. But everyone will get to view the city from the Jefferson Memorial up past Georgetown.
Mount Vernon: Washington’s home is just five miles upstream from the campground. With a boost from the incoming tide (yes, it reaches all the way up here from the sea) it will be an easy cruise. This part of the Potomac is bordered by extensive parkland. No, it won’t feel like a paddle through suburbia.
Explore Pohick Bay: Pohick Bay is more than big enough to keep one busy for an afternoon and is out of the river’s main currents. We’ll spend Friday afternoon here, with skills clinics for anyone who wants to take part.
Sunken Ship Tour: As an alternate to the city sights, there’s the boat cemetery at Mallows Bay. We’ll set up a tour here, too, if a group is interested. We’ll launch at Widewater State Park and paddle three miles across the river to Mallows Bay. The river is wide and open here and will be challenging if it’s windy.
Sunrise over the Potomac: Our Monday morning tradition. Get up and paddle, or sleep in and wish you had gotten up when you see the photos.
COST
The group will split the cost of the pavilion rental and any food and materials purchased for the dinners. This will probably run about $40 a head. We will collect this fee when you check in at the event.
HOW TO SIGN UP
Just take these three easy steps:
1: Make sure you have renewed your club membership for 2022. If you have not, please take care of that now: https://lehighvalleycanoeclub.org/memberships
2: Grab a campsite before they all go. The campground will not reserve a block of sites for any group. If you cancel 14 days before the trip, you will get a full refund minus a $10 cancellation fee. Yes, you can have two tents and two vehicles on a site, so make arrangements with your paddle buddies.
Book online here: https://www.reserveamerica.com/explore/pohick-bay-regional-park-lorton/NOVA/1020012/overview
When you book your site or cabin, you will find that most of the sites can be viewed on the Google maps street view feature. Start here: https://goo.gl/maps/oaLzrop6bkpek3qU7 The non-electric sites are just north of the red marker. Our picnic shelter is labeled “Shelter 2 At Pohick Bay Regional Park.” You may have to zoom in a bit to see it. The cabins and electric sites are south of this area, just beyond the Pohick Bay Campground and Park Office.
3: Send an email to Dave Dawson dl-dawson@rcn.com and provide the following information. If you are sharing a site with someone else, make sure they send in their information, too.
Name
Cell phone number
Campsite you have reserved
Boat type and length
Have you practiced rescues?
Paddle preference: 4-8 miles
6-12 miles
8-16 miles
That’s it for now. We’ll contact everyone who is coming about food and other details when we get closer to the weekend. If you have questions, email Dave Dawson at dl-dawson@rcn.com
Announcing Kayak Classes and Pool Sessions for 2022!
THE MOVING WATER CLASS IS FULL!!
WHITE WATER KAYAK ROLLING CLINCS FULL!!
The Lehigh Valley Kayak and Canoe Club will be offering classes this year during the spring and early summer. CDC Covid-19 protocols will be in effect for all classes. The safety of our instructors and students is paramount. These classes will be conducted via Zoom Meetings, pool classes and in person classes on local lakes, rivers and bays.
We will be offering classes in Introduction to recreational kayaking, Open water kayaking and Introduction to Moving water kayaking .
All classes are lead by American Canoe Association certified instructors with years of experience in kayaking and teaching.
Click on the “Classes” tab for more information.
In Memoriam
Bob Rock 1949-2021
Past President of the LVKCC
Friends and Family Celebrate the life of Bob Rock at LOC November 20, 2021
