Not an exciting trip Posted by: booztalkin on Sep-25-12 6:53 PM (EST)
That section of the James in pleasant rather than exciting. Do they even call it class II? There are a few ledges that might warrant that, but generally, it isn't exciting, and not wilderness either. As for the camping, we did okay on a gravel bar by the side of the river. The rocks were considerably bigger than gravel, and I felt lucky to find a tuft of grass that was just a wee bit smaller than my tent. Otherwise, it would have been very uncomfortable on my thermarest. It is an okay stretch for a lazy paddle-camper, but I agree the Rap is much nicer. I'd like to go back for the Balcony Falls section, but that is a long drive from Maryland for what I think is a fairly short section. You have now paddled more James River than I have, so I have no more advice to offer on this river. ~~Chip