Paddlin’ Ed

A couple of weeks ago, I had my 1st Upper Gauley run experiance, and was looking forward to going back.  Darron and Will where just plain looking forward to getting to do their 1st runs.  We had hooked up with Kurt M and Milton and their group and run the lower the day before and we where running with them on the Upper this day.  As with the day before, it was a beautiful sunny day, with temps in the 80’s, gauge reading 2,800 cfs. After doing breakfast and meeting up with Kurt’s group we headed for the put in at the Summerville Dam.  Quite a crowd for the upper, this being Gauleyfest weekend.  Park service rangers where out controlling traffic, and after a short wait to be allowed down to the put in (plus being informed we where allowed 10 minute to unload and clear-out – parking was at the top with all the people there) we headed down unloaded, dressed out and set driver/vehical shuttle to and from the take-out (or rather the parking field high up the canyon wall from the “take-out”) and back to the put-in.

Paddling where Kurt M., Milton, Matt D. who pretty much did the leading,  and Darron P., Will, and myself.  Darron and Will where doing their 1st timer’s run,  I was getting in my 2nd run.  Robert P. was taking the day off and running shuttle of the car back to the take-out for us.  I had previously run in my big H3:255, and this time elected to give my EZG60 playboat (much, much smaller) a try - and was a little apprehensive about taking it, but much to my delite turned out to do quite well.  In fact if I remember correctly all of us where in our playboats.

Well after a little initial surfing by a few at the first wave below the put in, we where off down stream, on down through serveral small rapids and down through ”Initiation” and various rapids beyond, till we came to “Insignificant”, which as I noted in the report of my 1st run is anything but insignificant.  In a way I was sort of glad this was the first of the major rapids,  as its one I wanted to get on with, cause to me it is the biggest and wildest ride and the only thing insignificant in it is the paddler in their boat.

Well at ”Insignificant” Milton lead us down to the staging eddy, and Kurt and Milton went over the line and run with Darron and Will, while I listened intently to see if I could pick up some pointer to improve my run and clear that upper hole I went through the 1st time.  Well Milt pointed out a small raft that was easy to see and hit the line almost perfect, that gave us all a little better picture of where to go and at what angle past the wave below the staging eddy you pass just left of.  Milton lead off I believe and I was 2nd or 3rd,  having seen the line the raft followed I pull hard past the wave to ride the line and pull through past the end of the hole and started imediately moving right missing the 2nd hole on to the left. It was really dynamic ride,  large waves and toughs and some semi-wave holes everywhere on Sunday, lots of leaning forward and taking the waves to keep from being endered or pitched over, a fair amout of serious bracing, even a quick effort to pull out of a stern squirt before the next wave – pretty much bonceing up and down in and out of waves and troughs. Then pull left down the main flow out at the bottom working at leaning forward into the waves and run out diagonals/wave holes to keep the bow down the boat stable, then like magic,  I was in the squirrly open tail-out below out in the middle, and had to quickly brace after I suddenly realized I had made it all the way,  what a rush!!!   Quickly I went to go for the eddy on river right but being in the middle and lots of push this day,  the eddy was small and quite high, when I got to the wall,  I still had to work hard to try to stay up, so it was peel out, ferry over and run the drop below, after which I did an eddy on the left and got out to just breath, recover, a take the moment in.   Well while I was paddling out the tail-out,  Darron had headed down, and found the upper left hole, where he danced about 3-rounds with it and finally pulled clear, and then ran down the rest clean.  Will, didn’t report any special happening on his run but indicated the rapid had most definately gotten his attention, as did Darron.  Kurt, Milton, and Matt all had good runs.

After catching our breath, and sponging out boats we where off again down the river, working the rapids along the way, on to “Iron Curtain”.  At “Iron Curtain” Milton cautioned everyone to be sure not to try to catch the eddy on the left below the rock wall at the end of the slot,  as it a very dynamic and retentive re-circulating eddy.  Myself, I had come off the tougue in the slot on my first run a little on its left side  and basically gotten throw over into the eddy, (it’s grabby if you even graze the edge of it) and found I had to push right up to the top of it and come out hard into the tougue in a forward ferry to get peeled out of it, so I well understood Milton’s point.  Everyone made the run through “Iron Curtain”  and we where off again down to “Pillow”.

At “Pillow” we got out and scouted briefly.  On my 1st run there seem to basically be only one good line from middle just right of a big rock at the top then just left of the next two rocks to a haystack wave, and cut right, which was there this day also, but there seemed to be an alternate line flowing also on this day.  The alternate was down a chute on the right into and through a bit of a eddy back-wash extending down and to the left behind the rock people where dropping in just to the right of on river right, then move left through this slower current of the eddy back-wash onto a flow at its end moving left toward a large wave over right of center, then use the right side face of the wave to turn right on and angle down and over toward the right down below.  Well most of us after watching folks running both line decided to try the alternate line,  Darron, Will, and I all seem to have the same result,  we ran the right chute, slipped down the eddy back-wash into the tougue moving left, but right before the wave we where pushed or cut into the wave just before it  right below,  and coming over the wave, we all found oursleves dropping way down it a large churning flow down below.  Basically dropping down into the churning pit, we did a little churning, hanging, and flushed down, all rolling up below.

Kurt, if I remember correctly opted for the center to left line and had a clean run upright to the bottom.   I didn’t see Milton or Matts runs but they appeared to have been intact at the bottom.   From Pillow it was on down to Hungry Mother, then a break at the beach on the left just below the mouth of the Meadow River into the Gauley and right above “Lost Paddle”.

After a stretch, something to eat and drink we where off again into Lost Paddle.  At the 2nd drop we went into the eddy above the “Hawaii-five O” curler wave at the drop but then Milton took us one eddy further down into a eddy tight against the cliff wall on river river-right directly off the right side of the main drop on a rock platform where we where directly off the end of the big curler wave just below the main drop and in line to do an altenate line down a drop and chute just below right off the end of the eddy platform on the right wall running angled out to the left to the middle of the main flow.  It was  very dynamic line, quite fast, especially when it merged into the main flow, and imediately ran through huge wave below, past the wave,  I spun in the current to go for an eddy.  Turned upstream to hit the ferry and the water was fast and furious with a huge house size boulder coming up quick below, so it was dig in, keep the bow up and hit it hard over from left of center to the left eddy.

After running the remaining drops in “Lost Paddle” we all gather in the left bank eddy just above “Tumble-home”.  From here we ran the chute just off the left bank, then turned and ferried over to the boulder on river right to hit the line just below it with me leading off 1st.  The previous time I had gone to the eddy on the left just below the top drop, then paddled up high and set ferry over to the rock on river right, which after doing to both ways would be my preferance as it allows you to set the ferry higher and come in closer to the bottom of the rock on river right more cleanly.  Doing the way I did this day,  I was up there but a bit lower and did not get as far past the end of the rock before I had to make the turn downstream, which allowed me to pass just into the edge of the hole behind a pour-over rock just below, even though I missed to rock,  the hole extended out on the backside.  Thus I did a little dance with the edge of this hole, and rolled up just below almost imediately and ran the rest of the line down through the drop below. Everyone ran their lines with various variations of their own and gather up in the eddy below.

From there is was on down through various other rapids, on to “Shipwreck Rock”.  Some ran left,  Milton and I ran far right, where I had run far left then ferried over to far right down low preiously.  Far right was fine,  manuvering some rock, wave holes, etc., bouncing through the waves and toughs then, on around the right end of Shipwreck and weaving the bolders below on the right.  Then down throught more rapids and on to “Iron Ring”

At “Iron Ring” we got out on the rock on the left and scouted the line.  On this day the  line looked narrow and pretty far right, with boats dropping just left getting pushed into the edge of the left hole and flipped, and boats getting just a bit right, diving into a deep hole and endering or looping and flushing through.  About half the group had made it clean to the bottom.  I had gotton on a good line previously but had let my bow get knocked left and been whipped over on the edge of the left hole on my 1st run.  Determine not to let my bow get pushed left this time,  I started a bit high just below a rock above, headed right and keeping a bit higher and to the right.  Well,  sure enough I got right, but this time the line was really narrow and just as I came down the key drop, it was apparent,  I was about 1-2 foot to far right with little time and opportunity to move left and I dropped off into the hole on the right, did the loop thing, tucked, hung, and rolled up.  Will, basically advise he had the same experiance as I did.

  After gathering up in the eddy below “Iron Ring” we proceeded on running out the rest of the rapids down to “Sweets Falls”.  Milton, Kurt, Matt, and Will ran before me,  Myself, I head out of the staging eddy just above, caught the current over to the right, and followed it back left to the drop just left of center, caught the drop at the right place.  As I dropped over this time I saw the tougue but was angled just a bit to much left and slided off its left side it, tucked, flushed, and rolled up, and ferried right.  The good part here is that this go around I got a good look at the tougue you can’t see till you drop over, so its filed away as a mental image, so hopefully I’ll set angle better and ride the tougue next go around.  The rest of the group seem to have gotten down ok, couldn’t tell you exactly how their runs where at the base of the falls as they where out of sight, and Darron who came down behind me came over while I was busy rolling up below.

We paddled the last small rapids out to the take-out,  got set for the boat shuttel but then had to wait about 45 min. as the truck had gone to get gas,  loaded our boat and took off paddles in hand up the little steep trail straight up the mountain to the top to get to the parking field and our vehicals.  Changed, grabbed a drink, waited for the boat shuttle truck, loaded boats, said our goodby to Kurt, Milton, Robert, and Matt.  Darron, Will, and I head down the road for dinner at Fayette Station, relaxed ate, said our goodby’s after agreeing it was an awesome and great day on the river and headed home. 

Great day,  great group,  good time had by all,  thanks to Kurt, Milton, and Matt for leading.

 Paddlin-ed