My buddy and I are looking to kayak Ross Lake in mid. Nov for about 4
days. We were hoping for some good recommendations on campsites and
ways to access the lake.

Previously I have hiked the mile trail from Hwy 20 down to the lake,
but that seems like a steep portage for two loaded kayaks (or a lot of
little trips)... I've also paddled up Diablo lake to the base of the
dam... I know that Ross Lake Resort offers a portage service via truck
(just not sure if they are still operating this late... I'll call
today).

We are hoping to get some snow and enjoy the solitude of the lake...

Any other info or pointers would be appreciated!

-roger

I have contacted the Ross Lake Resort and it seems that they only
offer the portage service during the summer (until Sept)...

-r

(roger beniot) wrote in message . com...
My buddy and I are looking to kayak Ross Lake in mid. Nov for about 4
days. We were hoping for some good recommendations on campsites and
ways to access the lake.

Previously I have hiked the mile trail from Hwy 20 down to the lake,
but that seems like a steep portage for two loaded kayaks (or a lot of
little trips)... I've also paddled up Diablo lake to the base of the
dam... I know that Ross Lake Resort offers a portage service via truck
(just not sure if they are still operating this late... I'll call
today).

We are hoping to get some snow and enjoy the solitude of the lake...

Any other info or pointers would be appreciated!

-roger

Melissa writes:

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On 6 Nov 2003 06:53:08 -0800, roger beniot wrote:

I've also paddled up Diablo lake to the base of the dam...

Hi Roger,

While I have no problem paddling in storm-tossed seas, I've always
felt a little uncomfortable paddling on dam-affected bodies of
water...above or below the dam! (though I've done it a few times
nonetheless).

Some of us rarely paddle anywhere else ;-)

My particular little phobia may be grounded in an
improbable longshot, but the idea of a dam bursting due to a
catastrophic earthquake or some such just gives me the willies.

Well, it's really unlikely that a dam would _burst_, and that you'd
have no warning whatsoever; however, there are some pretty big dams
that have been built in some seismically unstable areas. The biggun
on the Yangtze (Three Gorges) comes to mind...and if you look at a
map of the Sun Kosi in eastern Nepal, you'll see a dam-created lake
that isn't there. Seems they took a second look after the maps had
already been altered but before the dam was built and decided, "Uh
uh, bad idea," because of seismic issues.

I think, though, that it's a good idea to understand something about
a dam before you paddle above or below it. Like..does it release?
When, how, where, how quickly does the water rise? Where's the
intake? Stuff like that.

They did a FEMA thang in my area recently, a catastrophic failure
scenario (we've got lotsa dams and reservoirs on the river). The
worst case scenario they came up with had the water rising 100 feet
in a number of hours. Thing is, though, that with a modern dam, you
aren't gonna get the Johnstown Flood wall of water -- you'll get a
fast rise, and the big issue is evacuation.

And
besides, paddling in a "dam created lake" makes me feel like I'm in
some sort of bathtub...albeit a big one.

Shrug. An awful lot of North American lakes are dam created,
whether people know it or not.

--
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Mary Malmros
Some days you're the windshield,
Other days you're the bug.