Aye carumba, a 50-person float

OC1: Mike McCrea. Diane Hollingsworth, Cooper McCrea, Martin Elliot,
Dave Hone, Tiff Hone, Steffi Muller, Anne Sill.

OC2: Dan Gillespie, Sara Gillespie, Dave Pauza, Maria Salvato, Theresa
Alexander, Patty Hale, Him Hepner, Chris Hepner, Frank Weichold, Anna
Weichold, Lena Weichold, Mary Geary, Laura Geary, Jim Obert, Wrigley
Obert, Brian Sill, Connie Sill, Eddie Sill, Dave Cooke, Bill Walsek.

K1: Susan Morse, Rita Zeidner, Joe Steiner, Pam Gunter, Kara Brown,
Debra Blye, Stu Foote, Vitas Eidakevicius, Sally Paul, Esimball, Jan
Koppelman, Vic Chenowith, Bob Cinufloue, Sandro Giaromangeli, Barbara
Hoover, Susan Cooke, Mary Greer.

K2: Joe Knapik, Judy Eagle, Christine Salvato, Victoria Pauza.

SOT: Tyler McCrea.

Yup, 50 paddlers. Five O. Thirty six boats. And surprisingly,
unbelievably, very little chaos or confusion.

Thanks to some of the paddlers from the Blue Skies group who pre-set
shuttle and a bit of crossloading of boats at the take out we had more
than enough empty vehicles at the take out to haul back the drivers at
the end of the day. Shuttling a 50-person trip could be the stuff of
nightmares, but the cooperative nature and additional rack space of
the experienced paddlers on this trip made it a piece of cake.

Thanks to everyone arriving (surprisingly, unbelievably) on time we
were at the put in in short order. We would have been there in shorter
order, but for a very long and slow moving train that halted our
progress within sight of the launch.

Even the wetting of 36 boats was minimally chaotic. A few last minute
sign-ins on my participants list, a few more river maps to hand out
(glad I made 50 copies!) and we were ready to start shoving off boats
in manageable groups of ten or twelve at a time, with instructions to
the leader of each pod of paddlers to meet at the mouth of Catoctin
Creek four miles downriver for a reassembly and lunch break.

One confusing and comical note. As I was chivvying folks along to get
a dozen or so boats afloat and ready to go in the next pod I came upon
a group of four paddlers with their kayaks staged on the boat ramp.
Not wanting to block up the ramp for trailered boats I told them "OK,
lets go…grab the front of those two" and began helping carry their
kayaks down to the water, where I filled in the details "You'll go out
with this group. The guy in the red canoe is leading and we'll all
meet up at the mouth of Catoctin Creek".

That information would perhaps have been more useful if they had been
with our group.

The mouth of Catocin Creek resembled a ragtag demo day, with all
manner of canoes and kayaks beached along the bank. A break, a bite to
eat and some swim time for the kids and we were back afloat in
re-mixed pods, folks having gravitated to their natural positions
towards the front or back as they chose. This was the last time I saw
the Squatters before the take out, as they quickly (slowly?) assumed
their position as lilydippers and official sweep boats.

The lead pod had been instructed to keep to river left and select the
downstream end of one of the larger islands as the next stop, sip and
swim spot, but the relatively high water – we had a lovely current,
and a tailwind to help us along all day, making for a very easy 12
mile float – made this plan impractical. Fortunately Bill Walsek knew
of a large cobble beach on river right, just opposite Nolands Ferry,
and I sprinted to the front to redirect traffic.

A short break on the cobble beach and, as dark clouds began to gather
upriver and a spattering of rain commenced we pushed off again. The
brief shower was barely enough to damped our clothes, and didn't come
close to dampening our spirits, and the sun reappeared as we neared
our take out at the mouth of the Monocacy.

Here again there was surprisingly, unbelievably, very little chaos or
confusion. Everyone moved their boats off the ramp immediately upon
landing and carried them clear. The backshuttle was organized in much
the same fashion as the launch at the put in – groups of 10 or so into
a van, off ya go. Next group. Next.

Someone asked how I would know when all of the boats were off the
water and I explained about the Squatters permanent assignment as
sweep boaters – "Once the Squatters get here we'll know that's the
last of the boats".

Thanks to everyone who floated a boat, and a special thanks to the pod
leaders, who showed up for a trip and suddenly became trip leaders, to
the Blue Skies paddlers for generously providing shuttle service, to
Bill Walsek for the cobble bar recommendation and to the Squatters for
not being as fast as they look.

Fifty people on a paddling trip? – eh, piece of cake!