Beating the Heat

When the temperature nears 100 like yesterday (and the heat index is well above that), lots of adventurous folks head to the Rappahannock River to cool off. We stopped at the riverside to watch the canoeists and tubers for a bit. The river gauge was in the green, but just barely below the yellow (red=too high, yellow=caution, green=good), so it looked like they were getting a pretty good ride in spots.

The river can be very dangerous, with lots of unseen water hazards, so you should really only go on the river if you, or someone in your group, is very familiar with it. Every summer there are river rescues (we’ve already had at least one), and drownings every year or two (81 total since 1962), with victims often being people who are unfamiliar with the unpredictability of the river. So be careful. The mom in me wants you to read this before you jump in. See the part about life jackets being “essential for fishing, wading, tubing, swimming, or boating on moving water”? Please wear one...you know how I worry.