CT

Well while Julie was off tackling the monster water of the Gauley, I was in Connecticut visiting Robert. My trip was just as exciting and probably twice as dangerous... Have you ever driven in Connecticut? Good god. Anyway, flew out on Thursday and Robert grabbed me from the airport. We headed to his house in New Haven and to the bar down the road. That evening we chatted it up and had some brews.

Friday we decided that tennis was on! We both suck equally and the challenge was quite rewarding. We had a ball playing on Yale's newly resurfaced courts. After cleaning up we went to check out the sights of New Haven from East Rock. This offered a great view of the city and a glimpse of the bay.

Well the plan was to get in a hike but hell, I can do that here so we decided to head for Rhode Island. The quick hour drive got us to a beach I cannot pronounce and some great body surfing waves. We had a great time acting like kids and playing in the water. It was a hoot.

On the drive home we stopped at the U.S.S. Chowder Pot III and took in some local seafood. Lobster and shrimp yum yum. That night we picked up some funny movies and called it a day. Saturday the tropical storm came in.

A trip to IKEA soaked up some good ol time and then a visit to Yale's Natural History Museum. I like me a good look at some bones and artifacts. It's amazing to realize how short of a time we are all here on earth in the grand scope of time.

That evening we had a little cookout, some drinks, a little guitar, and tons of laughs. You the man Eddy!!

Sunday brought the fury in Rhode Island. We knew that the tropical storm might bring some waves...but good god. We took our time getting ready in the morning and then headed to see the waves and get wet. The waves were huge. The locals were just on the beach with their jaws in the sand. I can't measure waves, not my thing, but I would think these were around 6-7 feet tall. Tyring to boogie board them was a mess and at times quite painful. It was a blast and yet very exhausting.

Theres my story... The flight home was uneventful and it was a very rewarding trip. I missed Robert and it was great to see him in his element and to play like we were kids again. Thank you for having me man!

rt

Upper Gauley, WV

The first weekend in September was an important one for many east coast paddlers, as it marked the official start of GAULEY SEASON. “What’s the Gauley?” you say. The Gauley River is only one of the premier big water runs east of the Mississippi. A twenty seven mile stretch, this river consists of a multitude of class III-V rapids dispersed throughout the beautiful mountains of West Virginia. The Gauley has much to offer a variety of paddling skills. The middle section is a nice 5 mile stretch allowing a newbie to get a small taste of the mighty Gauley, as it offers a few class III rapids, along with some flatwater sections in between. For those craving a bit more, the Lower section gives boaters about 11 miles of solid whitewater in pool and drop fashion. With a handful of hazards like undercuts, pin rocks, and sticky holes, certain rapids, like Pure Screaming Hell (IV) and Koontz Flume (IV), are to be scouted and run with caution. Hells Hole in Pure Screaming Hell has been known to “eat” a raft or two, so kayakers beware! This section of the river also offers up some of the best play around and can become very crowded at the popular play spot at Diagonal Ledges. Prepare to spend AT LEAST an hour here! If the Lower and Middle sections of the Gauley just aren’t enough to quench your thirst for whitewater, it’s time to step up to the “Beast” that is the UPPER GAULEY. The upper section of this gorgeous river consists of the biggest rapids on the entire river. It is home to what are commonly referred to as the “Big 5”, which are the five biggest rapids on the river (in order: Insignificant, Pillow Rock, Lost Paddle, Iron Ring, Sweets Falls).

After getting to paddle the Lower section a couple of times, it was time for a few newbies to face the Upper for the first time. So begins a tale of a weekend in West “by god” Virginia…



We got the weekend kicked off a bit early as a handful of us made it to the Gauley late Thursday evening. With a crew of seven (Russell, Doug, Mary Ann, David, Andy, Ken, me), and beautiful weather, it was looking like we’d have a great day on the Lower on Friday. After waiting at the put-in for well over an hour to watch the water come up, we made it on the river and were zooming through Koontz Flume in no time. The day went well, LOTS of playing and little carnage to speak of. It was argued among the group that Diagonal Ledges is THE best play spot around, even better than Ocoee’s Hell Hole. Much fun was had there!

By the next morning, we had picked up a few extra paddlers (Laura, Tom, Jason, Zack) and were planning to split the group as some headed to the upper, while others were off for a run on the lower. Zack was eager to take on the Lower for the first time and even had a new boat in hand to style the lines. Last minute change of plans allowed me to join the upper group now consisting of Andy and myself being the only upper first timers of the day. With only my playboat in hand, I wasn’t sure what I’d gotten myself into. When Laura told me “YOU, lean forward and paddle hard today”, I must admit I began to get a bit nervous. Andy seemed confident and ready for the run. Off we went and the first of the “Big 5” was Insignificant, consisting of a large sticky hole at the top center and a large undercut rock further down on the right. Doug decided to lead the pack through this one and did a great job! We had a slight scare as one of us got hung up in a small pourover at the top of the rapid! After a brief surf, she made it out and through the rest of the rapid like a pro. I think this was one of my favorite rapids, as it was so big and intense. It felt great to make it to the bottom and look back up at this monster of a rapid. Andy and I made it through just fine. So far so good…

The next big one was Pillow Rock, which we scouted for a bit. This is an intense looking section, where an insane amount of water is quickly flowing into the river left rock creating a large pillow and then heading down into the swirly mess that is the toilet bowl. Oh, there’s also Volkswagen rock where much of the water flows, as well. So it looks like you shoot for a general line for the pillow and then just hope for the best… I didn’t get to see any of our group run the line, but I think a couple missed the pillow and toilet bowl by taking the hard right ferry taking you to the right of Volkswagen. Nice line. Mary Ann and I had to wait on all the raft traffic before making our way towards the pillow. All I can say is once I got close to the pillow, I started to spin around and then I had no clue what I was supposed to do. Soon enough I was upside down, failed my first roll, went over the top of Volkswagen upside down, then finally made my next roll. That felt like the longest I’ve ever held my breath!



I think my next favorite of the big rapids was Lost Paddle, but I don’t remember much of it, just that it was long consisting of multiple drops. We did not run the main line at second drop, which is very fast and shallow, looked a bit scary to me. Instead, we took a creeky route to the left. Tumblehome was also a blast, with multiple moves to be made.

By the time we got to Iron Ring, the water was starting to drop out a bit. But everyone felt it would not be too low, as it gets pretty dangerous at low levels. Iron Ring is run with a left to right angle clipping the two holes at the top of the rapid. Once again, Doug led us through this rapid. I went behind Andy, who appeared to be doing great. I only saw him half way through the rapid since I spent the last half upside down. Oops. I rolled up pretty quick and never hit a thing. The final big rapid was Sweets Falls, which I also flipped in. Nobody in our crew really wanted to explain Sweets to the newbies of the group. They just kept saying it was something you just have to experience, it can’t be explained. Some strange hazing of the upper, I suppose. So I suppose I shouldn’t tell much here, since Randy will have to do the same with this intense drop.




Overall, the Upper G. was an incredible experience!!! Andy smoked it and I survived, other than being walloped by 3 of the big 5. Suppose that just means I’ll have to do it again sometime soon. Hope Randy will be with me next time, as he’ll love it!!! Thanks to such a great crew for leading us down!!! You all are awesome!!!

Congrats to Zack for what sounded like an awesome first time run on the Lower!!! Trip report???

Watch out for that West Virginia Poison Oak… That’s a whole other story!