In article ,
"Anthony Garcia" wrote:

"Mike McCrea" wrote in message
om...
Aye carumba, a 50-person float
[snip incomplete trip report]

Why would you ever post a trip report without stating which waterway the
trip was on?

A quick Google search on landmarks mentioned indicates the Potomac. To
see a map in PDF format, go he
http://www.riverriders.com/CHOHmap.pdf

I have to wonder about the motivation for such a trip - I don't get it.
Personally, I go to the river to get away from all those people; finding
a 50 person float underway on one of my favorite float streams would
pretty much ruin my day.

I accept that man is a social animal, and interacting with 49 of your
closest friends is a valid and desirable activity - but is the river the
best place to do it? Maybe it's different on a larger river near a major
urban center, but I just don't see how anyone can experience the special
and unique character of a particular river on a particular day with the
noise and distraction of a small village swarming all over it.

When I observe large parties on the river, they seem to be having a lot
of fun, but they don't seem to be paying much attention to where they
are. The kind of fun they are having could just as easily be happening
at an amusement park, a city park, the mall or someone's back yard. They
don't see the Great Blue Heron take flight or the flash of a kingfisher;
they don't hear the buzz of dragon flies or the drone of bees, they
don't dream the special dreams that come from listening to the white
noise of shoal water while dozing on a gravel bar after lunch - and
neither can I surrounded by the inevitable noise that even a well
behaved large group makes while going down a river.