Milby and Harris check the cameras in Buchanan.

One week in, it seemed like a good time for an update on our journey to map the James River in high-resolution, 360-degree panoramic images. Maybe you’e been following the joint project between RichmondOutside.com, Terrain360.com and the James River Association on Twitter. If not, here’s a quick update in words and pictures.

Last Monday, Ross Milby and Mike Harris set off on the Jackson River in Clifton Forge on our custom pontoon raft. The first week was marked by good weather and downriver progress hampered  by the kinds of logistical challenges that are common on a first-of-its-kind trip. Camera batteries failed, shutter triggers stopped working, the pontoons lost air faster than expected, the 2.5-HP motor needed a new part, etc. Nothing catastrophic, but Ryan and I did find ourselves on the road between Richmond and different mountain towns that the James cuts through trying to figure things out.

We met the team at Twin River Outfitters in Buchanan on Thursday to bring provisions and troubleshoot some camera issues. Then they headed off downstream to the next boat landing, Arcadia, where we were waiting to see if everything went smoothly

The team passes the confluence with the Maury River upstream of Balcony Falls.

In fact, it hadn’t. Ryan spent an hour re-wiring the shutter trigger to make it longer. No big deal, just another in a long line of small fixes.

Since then, the boys have run Balcony Falls and begun to navigate the seven dams above Lynchburg, camping every night and spreading the word about their trip to the boaters they pass along the way.

In about a week, they should be in Richmond, and then the real fun begins. Hollywood and Pipeline rapids, here we come!

A shot from one of our cameras as the boat goes through Balcony Falls. Note the pontoon tip under water.