The June 2022 Savage River Whitewater Release...in the Heart of Western Maryland & Mountain Maryland's Appalachian Region: Shredding the Savage River at 1,000cfs, at the South Savage Mountain Natural Area of the Savage River State Forest, from Swanton, MD to the Confluence of the North Branch of the Potomac River in Bloomington, MD.
This release was the long awaited and first of the three annually scheduled whitewater releases for the Savage River. The yearly schedule for the releases are comprised of the: first Saturday of June, first Sunday of July, & the fourth Saturday of September. As with the five scheduled releases of the Jennings Randolph Lake/Reservoir for the North Branch of the Potomac River, each release is dependent on sufficient hydrologic & reservoir conditions, sometimes resulting in the August/September releases being cancelled due to impacts from low lake levels from insufficient rainfall & significant use of water quality storage within the reservoirs. Ordinarily, the June & July releases can be counted on, in part with the four spring releases for the North Branch of the Potomac River/Barnum Whitewater Area.
The debut shredding experience...the first time ever being on a shredder, & the first time for each person of the crew to rock and roll on the Savage at a full 1,000cfs release. The action was immediate, and very unexpectedly, taking to the shredder came naturally with an almost unreal level of unanticipated comfort & ease, akin to hopping on a mountain bike for the thousandth time, like it was any other day. The new up high experience, opposed to the down low kayak view, made for a real blast of a time & a mega exciting thrill from the first step in the water to the very end. The only rapid with a class IV punch & undoubtedly feeling to cross the III threshold was the right line & boulder drop of Triple Drop; it's left line (Memorial Rock), as with each of the other succession of rapids made for an upper end III rollercoaster, with IIs after the Savage River Road Bridge.
The original plan was to run the first two rounds in a raft & shredder, to gain the necessary feel to kayak the third round. What unfolded was what must have been the most notorious & unnecessary raft flip to ever occur on the Savage...at the enormous black rock just seconds down from the Put-In...being referred to a "a full yard sale," & an extremely dramatic scene seen by many from the bridge & Put-In. Also seen was a shredder wrapped around the center pillar of the bridge. The swim was long & awfully intense. The shredder & its crew made up for it, redeeming the day. No footage was captured as there was not even the slightest thought that an incident would occur...or any action before the dam.
"I look up toward the mountains. Where can I find help? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. He will not let you fall." - Psalm 121: 1-3
Date: June 4, 2022
Trip Length: 4.40 Miles
Class: III (IV)
Elevation/Avg Gradient:
- Put-In: 1,337ft.
- Take Out: 961ft.
- Avg Gradient: 85 feet/mile (1.4%), with sections being 100 feet/mile (1.9%)
Level (flow rate): 3.29ft./979cfs (peak 1,000cfs was not reached during the timespan of this trip)
Water Temperature: 52°F
Stream Gauge: USGS 01597500 SAVAGE RIV BL SAVAGE RIV DAM NEAR BLOOMINGTON, MD
Location: the section of the Savage River from below the Savage River Reservoir/Dam, along Savage River Rd to the confluence of the North Branch of the Potomac River at Bloomington, MD
- Garrett County Maryland: Swanton, MD to Bloomington, MD
- Savage River State Forest: South Savage Mountain Natural Area
Put-In:
- The short footpath just upstream from the concrete Savage River Road Bridge (39°30'10.4"N 79°07'33.4"W)
- See American Whitewater reporting for information on the primary & official upstream Put-In locations for the three annual whitewater releases
Take Out:
- Beryl Bridge, on West Virginia Route 46/Beryl Road, at the Confluence of the North Branch of the Potomac River in Bloomington, MD (39°28'47.7"N 79°03'58.3"W)
- Alternate option: the spacious Upper Savage Woodyard gravel parking area off of Maryland Route 135 just before the MD 135 bridge (39°28'54.2"N 79°04'08.3"W)
- Per American Whitewater: “Paddle under the bridge & take a right to paddle upstream on the North Branch Potomac for 50 yards or so. Take out just downstream of the old bridge, & carry your boat across the main road bridge over the Savage to reach the parking area.”
Featured Shredder: STAR Slice Cataraft
Featured Scenes:
Mapping (0:11)
Piedmont Dam & Garrett Bridge/First Suspension Footbridge AKA Swinging Bridge Dam (1:03)
Observation Deck & Second Suspension Footbridge (4:26)
Crisscross/Double Hydraulic (5:50)
Triple Drop & Memorial Rock (7:00)
Savage River Outfitters (7:32)
Hutch’s Demise (9:20)
Savage River Road Bridge (12:36)
First Island (13:23)
Take Out: 135 MD Bridge (15:07)
Aerial View of Kayakers & Rafters at the Second Suspension Footbridge (16:00)
Hydrograph/Maps (17:49)
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