Potomac, North Branch - 4. Barnum, WV to Bloomington, MD (WV)
Called "Woodsmoke" because in cold weather paddlers can often smell the campfires of the camping area downstream from the put-in. Just below the put-in, the river splits in two around a small island and the natural line from the put-in is to stay to the right of the island. In this channel, stay on the right side tongue to avoid a large rock/hydraulic in the center left of the channel. After you pass the rock, there are eddies both left and right to catch. The remainder of this first boulder garden rapid has offset eddies, waves and rocks - no more than class II-. The rapid continues until you reach the pool where the Barnum automated gage is located.
Rapid
II
Rapid
III
Rapid
N/A