Paddlin’ Ed

New River Gorge gauge was 3.7′ on Saturday May 12, 2007 under sunny skys with only occasional light clouds and warm high 70’s+ temperatures.

Darron P., Drew, and myself meet up the night before at Chestnut Creek campground just down the road from the NRG vistors center/overlook so we could get an early start without all the driving.  After enjoying a good campfire and nights sleep,  we did the Catheral Cafe in Fayette for breakfast before heading down into the gorge.  After changing, shifting boats, and droping a shuttle vehical at the take out we head out for the put-in.By the time we where to the put-in the normal mountain morning clouds had burned off, and the day was warm to the point we where debating short top to long top,  how much to put on and concerned about being to hot verses risking possible clouding up and wind.  Ah, how nice after a long winter to be faced with such issues.   When we pulled into the put in I spotted Mr. Ricky B. and his group of 4 angels (how does he do that?) including Sue A. 2 cars down about to head to the ramp.

 We put in and head out,  upper railroad was good,  large wave trains and holes,  at lower we stayed right as rafts where working the boof of the left.  Plenty of waves and holes at the level, lots of boils and whirlpool action too.  Down at upper Keeny/Whale rock the place was rocking pretty good, once you entered the waves where deep and tight and moving,  placing waves at different angles making it a bit challanging to keep on line and get over to the eddy.  As you would make your move using a wave that had angle to help you make the move behind whale rock, and another would come at you at an oposeing angle and knock you off line or sideways,  I had to fight a bit to hit low in the eddy.

After I got into the eddy though low,  I looked up stream and the others Darron and Drew where making the eddy ok, and right behind them coming down was Ricky B.’s group who we had pass up at the surfing ledge at the last bend above.  I elected once I got my bearing to turn and run Middle Keeny rather than paddle back up since the group above waiting was growing.  I ran the right line,  though I was not seeing any clear sign of Moss rock,  after a couple of big waves and holes,  I noticed an up coming hole and wave in front of me was kicking up real hard on the back side, so I got it in gear to skirt the spot figuring that was probably Moss rock I was headed into, after some serious bracing in the bottom holes I eddied out right,  The squirrel line down the right was a bunch of surging wirlpools so part of the ride for the day was squirting in various angle through these to a semi stable eddy area.

Darron and Drew headed down,  Darron worked it hard further left of my line, and did his share of working the holes and waves.  Drew (on his 1st run of the gorge) worked the holes and waves and then did a little getting worked at the bottom,  but Drew hung out till it was right to roll and rolled up nicely, both of them eddied on the right.  I worked back up high to do the ferry over the the left,  1st time I hit those squirrly whirlpools on the current line and got pushed down getting out, so I worked further up as 2nd time and picked a better opening and timed the surge of the whirlpools coming by,  even with that you had to keep digging today,  the river really wanted to push you down and the wave toughs just didn’t seem to be much help, pretty much a digging ferry.

Sat in the right eddy watched Ricky B. and group come down, while waiting for Darron and Drew to get over to the left eddy.  Spoke briefly to Ricky and Sue when they paddled over and took a few pictures.  Darron lead down Lower Keeny followed by Drew and I brought up the rear,  seemed like the line was a little further right entering today to catch the tongue and not get dumped into the holes on either side, good runs by all.  We messed with a wave below a bit as Ricky’s group came down and passed us.

Down at Double Z we ran up on a couple of groups of rafts and elected to let them clear out before getting into the Z.  Hit the right eddy at the top,  I lead off from the eddy,  you had to make sure you ferried far enought left today to get where you could hit just left of center on the tongue at the neck down,  if you where even a little right of center there was a set of huge curling holes you where going to get pushed down into and go for a ride.  I keep my ferry going left to the top of the tongue at the neck down and turned on line.  Still plenty of holes and diagonals below, and digging in was a must,  many of the waves I had to lean forward and take to make sure I did not get endered over,  I spotted “bread loaf” rock toward the bottom on my left (a rock you do not want to encouter – very bad undercut) and while well to the right, just below that noticed a bit late I was headed to a wave over what is a small rock pile where I normally eddy out behind at the bottom with lower levels,  I did get a bit to the right but still was pushed into the wave hole below (your gonna get some of it at this ledge no matter where you cross - but just behind the rock pile it gets bigger).  The wave on the back side did it’s thing with me and I had my session of practicing the hangout, till things settled down and rolling was right, eddie’ed on the left just in time to watch Darron and Drew off the end of the tounge up at the neck down.

Darron had a clean run but with plenty of digging, working the holes and lines.  Drew got off right and had holefest, including serveral rolls, and a drop sideways to the right of the big rock in the center near the bottom off a ledge into a hole (I could hear him slap the water with his face downstream – looked ugly),  Drew did a magnificant job though of hanging and rolling up again, overall considering it was his 1st run and double z was really churning today  Drew did great, and hung in there.

We took a break down on the right below the slot move just above Grayhound Bus Stopper,  layed out in the sun,  had a drink and enjoyed a magnificant day and view,  we all decided we need to move there and become professional paddle bums.  We did the right line at Greyhound Buss Stopper,  Darron jumped on the wave a bit (got some good photos of that).  Played the stuff down to Millers folly,  I caught a good line down keeping well left away from the infamous undercut rock,  but the tongue did put me head on with the ”Brainbuster wave”  rode it and came off it layed over on a brace.  Darron and Drew came down great having a blast,  Darron went on down ”Meatgrider” on the left below over in the actual meatgrinder area,  however there was water over there today so it was good to run, and he surfed the bottom of it.

Darron and Drew got into working the whirlpools going to down to Fayette Sation rapid, and there where plenty of them today.  A quick check of the gauge showed the river was at 3.5″ just before we took off.  Fayette Station was pretty big surging and breaking waves and some really big holes at the top in places to today.  I had a good run but at the last really big wave, as I approached it did the surge thing just at I committed into it, and I got greated with a vertical breaking wall,  did the ender and loop,  hung a bit, rolled and paddle to the take-out,  Darron and Drew went up for a 2nd pass at the bottom three waves.

Great day,  great paddle, good company.  We all went down the road and demolished a huge plate of hot wings and then headed home.