Date: 2013-07-16
From: Shenandoah River

To: Shenandoah River
Miles today: 6.0
Weather: scattered clouds

Tuesday, July 16thShenandoah River, Shenandoah NP6 river milesI awoke to the sound of cooking. Cannibal was cooking a mix of meat and vegetables for breakfast burritos which were great! Once we ate, we packed up everything and loaded the car and truck. When Cannibal cranked the Betty however, she started smoking as she had done yesterday when we pulled into the camp. He topped off the transmission fluid since it was obvious it was leaking on the engine, causing the smoking. As soon as he cranked it, transmission fluid came pouring out under the engine. I looked at it and could see that the fluid was coming from one of the lines that carries the fluid. Cannibal crawled under and got his hands dirty and cut off the broken line so it could be replaced with a hose. We needed parts so I went with Thistle and Ducky to get a hose, some clamps and new fluid.All this time everyone waited. We couldn't get on the river if we couldn't get the the Betty fixed. Another delay on day two. Nothing is easy. Once we made a run to the parts store, we procured the stuff to repair the transmission line. Cannibal fixed the leak as everyone else watched. Today Thistle volunteered to drive the Betty while the rest of us rode the river. We each take turns driving the truck to drop everyone off at the starting point and then go to the exit point to pick us up. I called driving the first day it rained. I called it. We'll see if that works. We're like a bunch of playground kids anyway, so why can't we call dibs? Ducky decided to stay with her.Once the truck repair was complete, we headed for the river. By the time we got on it was already 5:00PM, only an hour earlier than we got off the river yesterday. I was really concerned we wouldn't make the six miles by nightfall so I took my headlamp just in case. The river was slow and easy for the most part, but produced some rapids that were more exhilarating than yesterday. At one set of rapids the Chuckleberry crew (I was on the Dingleberry) were yelling for us to pull over. When we did, they told us they had a bad leak in the boat. We looked at it and saw a huge rip underneath. The boat was still floatable since it has multiple chambers, but it was still disheartening. Both crews traded boats because the Dingleberry crew had one less person. It would be easier to get down river with a smaller crew. Brow, Indie and I set forth with a leaking boat with no padding on bottom. The rocks would be fun now!The river was as nice or nicer today as it was yesterday. Since we started late it wasn't as hot. There were a few light rapids and mostly calm, slow water. The weather was perfect for a ride on the river. After about 3 1/2 hours we came to a bridge, which was our take out point. We stopped and got out before dark which was alright by me. I didn't want to be floating down an unfamiliar river after dark, headlamp or not. Once we loaded the rafts we went back to our same camp where Thistle cooked us a nice dinner of tacos and fresh guacamole dip that was to die for. Everything tastes better out here.One thing I haven't talked about is the 2013 Experience. Several people have called our group, namely Cannibal and Sunshine, the 2013 Experience as we are making it an experience to remember. Might as well name it, right? We're here to have fun. I can't imagine that hiking by myself would be as much fun. It's not just about achieving a goal. Too many people don't get that. I do.