Paddlin’ Ed

After a warm up of the Lower  Gauley on Friday,  I was looking forward to getting a run in on the Upper Gauley, and was joined by Darron P. k-1,  Gif. G. c-1, Joey k-1, Justin in k-1 and a buddie of his in k-1, plus Stuart S. k-1.  Stuart was nice enough to lead our group.  While several of us had done the river a couple of times previously,  we where glad to have Stuart along who knew the river well.  On this run there are places in certain rapids you do not want to be  and having someone along with enough runs to know where these places are is a healthy thing.

Once gear was dropped and shuttle done we where off downstream with sunny blue skies, temps into the mid 70’s, and a flow of 2,800cfs.  Warm up here mostly consists of running the first half mile plus, working the current, and smaller rapids down to “Initiation”, which is one  of those places you want to know where not to be.  This rapid has a serious pinning spot on river right and is easily avoided by running the left side of the drop, the key here is to know when your above it and need to move to left.  Stuart made sure we all knew “Initiation” was below up and lead our group well left of the hazard.

Below “Initiation, there are a number of nice rapids,  ledges, etc. on down to the top of “Insignificant”,  which at least to me is anything but insignificant.  This one you work down a small rapid section at the top into a staging eddy looking down on the run.  Only problem is while you can see the general direction of the run,  key features are obscured immediately below by waves and other features.  Now after you drop down into the meat of the rapid driving toward what is only generally defined some wave features and then clear the crests while driving left to miss the end of a long hydraulic hole to the right, only then do you know for sure if you moved far enough left to clear the hole or you drop in for hole dance.  Now after clearing past the right hole (hopefully around rather then through),  you must move immediately back right to avoid another hole on the left offset below from the first hole.  Meantime your hammering down through waves with deep troughs while working on missing the holes.  Myself, this particular day,  I ran sweep out of the top eddy and ran up the wave crest below, got stern squirted up the wave face and endered over,  tuck, set up, and hung a few seconds till it felt right and rolled up facing upstream,  then dropped through two waves holes below , spun forward and set up for the turn to the left down the main flow, made the turn, skirted right to miss a pour over/drop and hole,  then down the bottom just off the big rock wall river right, and hit the eddy below.  The others where pulling out to left of center to play a big wave at the tail out.  I ferried over and ran out the drop at the end of the pool below and took a breather below,  soon joined by the rest of the group.

After catching our breath below insignificant we where off again playing our way down through the rapids and ledges along the way to “Big Pillow”.  Down at ”Big Pillow” you could tell quite a gathering was going on, you could here the crowd gathered along both banks above an below hollering and cheering as they watched paddlers run, both good runs and carnage, kinda like a natural coliseum with the paddlers being gladiators running the gauntlet.  Rocks on both sides where covered with paddlers watching.  We pulled in on the right above and went for a brief look at the run and how the water was behaving this day.  After watching a couple of runs and pointing out possible lines to three of the group that where first timers we climbed back into boats and headed for the eddy in river center above.  One or two of the group went for the right of center entry which requires working aggressively left and working hard to avoiding getting pushed down to low and into a nasty hole or being push past the turn downstream and being blown way up on the pillow over by the “room of doom”.  Myself, Darron, and one or two of the others ran the left of center tongue off the top ledge, then moving downstream angled left pass just to the left side two large boulders, and then hammering down to move right just past the end of the 2nd boulder for a 3 count.  This later strategy worked well, and even with moving hard right past the 2nd boulder I found the current still pushed me high left a bit but brought me back down to the right to catch enough end of the eddy center and right below so I could ferry over and run off the right side of “VW rock” below down a nice smooth tongue.   We overall had some good lines in our group this day,  I was quite happy with mine.

Well,  we pulled out and joined in watching the runs and carnage.  Most of the group went up and joined others atop the rocks overlooking the room of doom on river left.  After our break, we headed out and continued running the various rapids along the way down to where the Meadow river enters just above “Lost Paddle” rapid.  Here we pulled over for a few minutes to let raft traffic by that we really did not want coming down on top of us in Lost Paddle.  Once we pulled out we ran the 1st drop of LP doing the semi-circle line down the ledges and back to the eddies on the left.  I squirted a bit coming into the 1st upper eddy and so opted level off and move into the 2nd eddy, but while doing so got bumped over by a raft coming up behind me (a very discomforting thing knowing what below at 2nd drop), forcing me roll and catch and even lower eddy across from the staging eddy for 2nd drop.  I basically had to come hammering out of my eddy and ferry across heavy current and squirrel in this restricted channel, to get the the right staging eddy, the others where gathering in.  Once over to the right and being at the bottom of the eddy,  I elected to turn and run the far right line, boofing off the drop, and working my way through the run out and holes below which where quite squirrely to the point I was working the run stern squirted at times.

Down at third drop I worked left of center down a hooking tongue running through the hydralic below and over to an eddy on river left behind a boulder just below.  Here the rest of the group gathered up and then ran 4 th drop, followed by”Tumblehome”  Coming out of the eddy on far left and ferrying across into Tumblehome,  I had a good high line and turned to run just below the boulder into the rapid on far right when I caught a diagonal hole which proceeded to play rodeo with me and shot me out, up and over.  I immediately rolled up right into another diagonal and went for a 2nd roll, and decided it needed to be offside, swung under and rolled up coming up a pour over, then  spun downstream and ran out to the eddy below.  The rest of the group caught the eddy middle of the rapid on river right and then ran out to the eddy below.  I called break and we pulled out and took a breather and a bit to eat and drink.

Once back on the river we worked on down through a lot of nice rapids then past “Shipwreck Rock” and on to “Iron Ring” where we pulled out for a quick look at the run this day and to let our 1st timers see the run.  Darron, Stuart, and at least one other in the group had clean runs.  My run was going good till the very bottom, where I got whipped over, but rolled up quickly and caught the eddy immediately below to the left.  Joey evidently got caught in something up at the top and got separated from his paddle, which disappeared for 10-15 minutes or so before surfacing.  Some of the others had various experiences which included some rolls.

Pressing on downstream from “Iron Ring” we pushed on reading and running, then arrived at “Sweets Falls”.  After letting the crowd already in the eddy clear out and some rafts clear through, our group began to run down.  I left out of the staging eddy last,  caught the flow to the right and back across to left of center and carved back right and down and out the tongue running angled back right off and through Sweets, basically on a good line.  About two waves and holes after coming off the tongue and out past the bottom of Sweets,  there was a particularly nasty ill tempered hole, which took me for a sudden stern squirt and ender up and back over.  I rolled up immediately and found that Grif and Darron where working on corraling Joeys boat as it had taken a notion to go OBE and let him practice his swimming strokes.  I have to say though, over all Joey had a magnificance first run for a 16 year old,  there is nothing easy about this run and he did very well overall.

Well from there we just had the run out the last rapid below Sweet Fall to get to that last class 6 rapid (aka the hike out straight up the mountain side to the takeout parking),  but fourtually we got our boats on the last boat shuttle after a bit of wait and then made the hike up the mountain.  Then reunited with our boats dropped of by the boat shuttle truck, dressed loaded and headed out.

Great day,  good runs overall.  Good time had by all. 

SYOTR – Paddlin-ed