As
Raystown Lake is a Army Corps (ACOE) Flood Control Project, it is no surprise that the lake level can fluctuate upwards of fifteen feet in the course of the year, between ACoE hold backs during highwater on the mainstem of the Juniata or for shore line maintenance during the fall and winter. As Raystown is becoming increasingly more popular for the big boat crowd, the erosion of the shoreline as increased in recent years causing an almost annual draw down for repairs.
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| Sort of surreal- especially since we had just paddled here a few weeks prior |
This year the draw down was greater than in years past, dropping the lake to nearly 8.5ft below regular level, exposing a red shaley coastline that extended up to a hundred feet out into the lake. This draw down opened up somewhere around 110 miles traversable terrain.
Varying in consistency as you might imagine, there were sections of thick mud waist deep, downed trees that made sections nearly impassable, beaver dams that rose some ten feet above the riding surface, cliff faces that despite the drawdown were still cliffs, and just about everything in between.
Those who know me know I love
fat bikes and without them this draw down would have just made for some nice hikes, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, wanting to hike from access point to access point along the lake might make for some long walks... upwards of 15 miles in some cases.
Here is a map of the one ride from Snyders Run Road over to Bakers Hollow Road. As you can see from the path of the line, there was need for several bushwhacking endeavours taking us up and over some nasty cliff faces.
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| Very cool section to the south of Seven Points Marina |
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| It wasn't always pretty but it was certainly worth ti |
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| H- not overly thrilled about the 1/2 mile push uphill to avoid some cliffs |
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| In one side of the inlet and out the other- |
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| Riding the super smooth shoreline by Snyders Run Road |
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| Thankful to be out of the woods and on to a passable sections of coast- |
Rothrock Outfitters in Huntingdon, Pa. has Salsa Mukluks available for rent and sale. Stop in the check'm out.
