Paddlin’ Ed

Well, pretty much the key thing I can say is “Gauleyyyy” that’s a run, tighten up you backband, snap on your spray skirt, and make sure your thigh braces and foot pegs are in place, then hang on.

Well to really start at the beginning,  my 1st run on the Gauley really started a year ago. Lisa B. who now-a-days does the annual CCC Gauley 1st timers trip had promised me a year ago when I just missed by one person getting on the 2006 event, that I would be on the list for next year.  So about 2 or 3 weeks ago an e-mail arrive from her saying she had me on the list and was I definate, to which a simple message ”in” was returned.All total there ended up a group of about 11 of us plus one or two CCC folks who tagged in on camping, and or came along to help run shuttles.  I headed out early Friday afternoon up into West Virginia toward Summersville.  The group met up and camped at the Battle Run Campground just south of Summersville off 129, located just down the highway from the put in for the event.  By early evening much of the group had arrived with a few more later that night.  Our paddling group included our illustrious leader Lisa B. plus , John Z., Stuart S., Ben G., Jill D., Ashley C., Sajal S., James W., Lee B., Raymond W., and the writer.

Saturday morning arrived, warm, sunny, and clear.  We all did individually our breakfast thing, and Lisa held a short meeting to discuss the stratagy for the day.  Around 10 am we headed for the put-in with Lisa reporting to us that the release was 2,800 cfs coming out of the dam at 57 degrees with a whopping 18 or so cfs coming in from the Meadow (meaning for practical purposes the Meadow was just about bone dry) - so it was going to be 2,800 all the way).

We had loaded up boats on shuttle vehicals, so we quickly unloaded and sent the drivers on their way.  While the shuttel was set the rest of us took boats down to the river.  Around 10:45 with shuttle done we where off down stream.

Early on rapids on the Gauley are fairly straight forward with the push in the water that’s fairly obvious at release level.  Nothing overwelming or slamming if you’ve run fairly big water. Initiation and some others.

Then there cometh ”In-significant”.  Getting in the eddy above it and looking down on it as a 1st timer, it’s to say the least attention getting.  Now while its already got your attention looking at it,  then comes the advice.  Basically, we where told to run just to the left of a wave below and stay the course to the left till we ran just past the end of a huge hole below, then turn back to the right to clear a second huge and very ugly hole below on the left and then turn downstream just past that hole and run out to the bottom of the rapid (oh and if you get pushed up on the large slatted rock toward the bottom lean into it and run down it).  Well my run was more like pass the wave to the left, keep straight (or at least I though I was),  then suddenly I land in this monster hole but somehow plow through but stall a bit on the bottom side as I lean forward and dig in for all I can, and managed to pull through (my pulse jumps about double at this point).  Then since I figure that qualifies as “past the hole” I pull right and clear the end of the hole on the left and turn downstream.  Everythings going good for about three waves and holes below then everything gets really wet (as in getting an inverted view),  hang, hang, hang, hang till it feels right swing under the boat cause its gonna take an off-side roll, then paddle like mad for the bottom of the eddy on river right.  (Down in the eddy, I come to understand I was not sole visitor of the upper hole)  Now the really interesting thing here is pretty much all somone can do from the eddy above is tell you start out to the left of the wave below and about manuvering the holes.   Problem is you can’t see much of the holes or where they begin and end are from above.  Obviously I found the upper one,  but I still looking for the left end of it.

After that it’s on down through “Iron Curtain” and other spots along the way, and on to “Pillow Rock”.  Now “Pillow Rock” is big and its steep and there’s certainly some places to avoid in it but with some study of others running it and a little calm observation we could see a line just left of center down left then back right just left of a hole off the side of a wave with a rooster tail at the top then moving right.  Now all that said you gotta mentally decide you can hang in there and do it.  Well after scouting and watching a bit and taking our break we climbed in for the run.  After sitting in the eddy above, river center and letting some rafts and others go,  I headed down just after watching the bow of Stuart’s Disel rise skyward in a serious squirt going down toward the bottom and disappear.  Well I dropped in pretty much on line, but stoking some to make sure I hit the rooster tail topped wave or its right side.  At this point it turned into one of those learning experiances,  and found that there is a strong current pushing left just above this wave and one needs to go low into it to the right, so coming up on it I found myself at the wave but on the left side.  Now not wanting to move further left toward ugly things that way,  I made my move over the left side and cut right, which worked for that wave and the next, heading right.  And then I found one of those lovely cross-currents that was the reason to go lower coming into the wave above.  Well after some serious bracing, and over the lower drop-off,  it transformed into tuck, hang, hang (swirl, swirl), hang and roll.  Lisa B. paddled over and asked me which side of VW rock I came down, but as my sonar wasn’t on all I could say was “I missed that part but I think the left”.  Anyhow it was a exciting and fun little run, attention getting but quick.

Well from there it was off again, on down through “Hungry Mother” and other, to the infamous “Lost Paddle” which at the level required attention and focus but mainly required hitting the lines and being in the right place or end of the drops and getting into the eddies to set up.  2nd drop in particular was quite interesting, as a bit blindly you had to peel out just above and aim at the right end of a “Hawii-five O” wave or curl at its top.  Now a bit of coaching from John and Lisa at this point was valuable - lean forward and paddle down and through what was below.  On down through the remaining drops.

Above Tumble-home,  Stuart coached us down into an eddy on the left wall to line up for a ferry back across the flow to drop down beside a rock on river right, further across and then turn and run it out through some holes and squirrils.  Then finally a final drop, digging through as boiling hole spot at the bottom of a chute.  Myself. as did most of the group,  I did fine on the ferry, but at the turn on the far side the holes wanted to play with the stern of my big H3-255 and I had to work a bit to get turned out of the upstream ferry. Overall at least at this level ”Lost Paddle” was fun but required focus.

Well then it was off down throught boggie water to “Shipwreck Rock” a huge long impressive rock in the center of the river, go left or go right, part did each side.  From there on down to “Iron Ring”, our second out of the boat scout of the day. We all climbed up on the rocks on river left, and recieved some instruction on the line, and watched boats run it with varying results.  It was clear without much being said why one absolutely wanted to be down the right side of this rapid, the left is just plain nasty.  Go right and keep on line and angled right was a key phase (easyier precieved than done for the un-initiated).  There a vexious hole to the left, which seem to be assited by the wave above in drawing the bows of paddlers left and flipping many on the edge.  Well after watching several of the group run with varying degrees of sucess,  I headed down, well on line clipping the wave caps on my left and headed right, and came off looking down what appeared to be a nice clean chute.  Well let me assure you personally, that sucker will wang you bow left at the bottom in a heart beat, and guess what!!! - Well enough said ( word is there is paddle snake living at the bottom that’s snatching those bows left - at least that’s the story I am sticking too). Well after collecting myself below, we where off again.

On down to ”Sweets Fall” (aka you got a 40-50% chance of being upright below per our experianced group).  Now just to get your attention, as you come around the center rock ledge above going into the eddy on the backside you notice from distance not only the sound but the mist rising, and yes, that has a lot to do with the serious drop.  Well Lee B. who was running with us did the creek line on far right, but the rest of us as part of our initiation where fated for the main event.  Now one un-initiate might feel a little panic  with the main line from the eddy, blinding dropping off, where it not for the number of people who where taking it and showing up below, some up-right, some flushing and rolling, but all there.  Now in all the noise and goings on I couldn’t quite hear what the line was, and finally after watching and Stuart telling me a bit of left angle, I went for it.  Well in hine-sight I think I was supposed to be down the right seam and instead ended up more down the middle of a big clean chute, at least to the end of the chute.  There it got kinda wet and squirrly, after a brief session of bottom maping I roll up right at the rock tower on the left, and pull out and over (think I got that 50-60% end of the curve coming off the chute).  This one was interesting but I definately what some more coaching on the line.  All of the group got down on way or the other.

Well we ran out the boogie water, surfed a bit and climbed out at the take-out.  Loaded boats on the shuttle truck (for boats).  Lisa had allowed how the 1st timers need to carryout - I had allowed how I would be carrying my $5 for the driver to do that.  Well hitting a little trail just up the road on foot, paddles in hand we turned onto a little footpath (and I say this in all seriousness) pretty much straight up the mountain to the top on foot, I elected not to finish 1st, just not last in this endevor stopping to recover periodically along the way.

Well all I can say it was a great day, a wonderful group, good leaders,  big thank-you to Lisa B. for putting it together, wonderful run.

Paddlin-ed