Paddle Clopper Lake in Gaithersburg on an unsettlingly warm Saturday

I haven't been on the water since before Thanksgiving! I'm guessing many of you have had an even longer dry spell, so let's try fixing that with a leisurely afternoon paddle of Clopper Lake in Seneca Creek State Park. This is contingent on the forecast remaining outrageously nice (I'm writing this one week out).

We'll launch from the private boater area, just west of the boat rental center and do a 2.5 mile circumnavigation of the lake. If the water is high enough, we can paddle up through the spooky culvert into Long Draught Branch. 12:00 is on-the-water time for us to enjoy the warmest part of the day, so please arrive with sufficient time to get your gear unloaded (parking is very close to the water). We will be off the water before 2:00.

This is event is suitable for paddleboards (including iSUPs), recreational/touring kayaks, and canoes, but not inflatable kayaks. Everyone must WEAR, not just bring a USCG-approved life jacket or PFD.

The water temperature is still in the low 40's. At just about any other location, I would say that a wetsuit or drysuit is mandatory, but considering the water barely gets 4 feet deep in most spots, you will survive without one. Also, you would likely die of heat stroke wearing one if the 75° forecast holds up. Still, you ABSOLUTELY need to be wearing 100% synthetic-fiber clothing and I STRONGLY recommend packing a spare set of clothes in your dry bag.