September/October 2013 - Bluegrass Wildwater Association

It started with one of my favorite days to be onthe Gauley, training day. The day before the openingday of the official season, the Corps typically releasessome extra water into the Gauley for the raftingcompanies to do some training/refresher runs. Thisisn't scheduled, so driving up to catch it is an act ofblind faith, but I had faith. Jeff Kirkner and I leftLexington about 7:00 AM and drove straight toMason's Branch. When we got there I slipped on myold *Class VI River Runners* staff shirt and went totalk to the equipment drivers. Since Jeff and I weresolo, we needed a shuttle.The drivers confirmed that the Corps hadreleased 1800 CFS that morning (Jackpot!) but theywere cutting it back in about 15 minutes and thatthey could not assist us with shuttle. There weresome other boaters there, but they were runningsome kind of complicated two-day shuttle on thelower and also could not help. We were just about todrive to the dam and set up camp when we ranacrose Tom Montgomery on his dirtbike. (DoubleJackpot!!!) Tom agreed to run our shuttle, parked hisbike and hopped in.We ended up catching the Upper Gauley ataround 1500 CFS, chasing the end of the release sothe water level varied some as they staged it back. Itwas Jeff's first run on the Upper (not counting our180-300 CFS ELF summer run a few years back) sowe talked a lot about what was coming up and scoutedPillow and Iron Ring. We decided to walk IronRing, neither one of us were really feeling it andChanning's Cranny looked ugly at that level.Everything else we ran and had a blast.If you've never done the Gauley on an off day,you don't know what you're missing. Differing waterlevels really change the rapids on the Upper in particular.At 1500 the Upper G is creekier and moretechnical, requiring more maneuvering. The dropsare steeper, there's a big hole in the bottom of seconddrop of Insignificant that is completely washedout at release. Pillow has technicality that you'dnever guess at when it's running 2800, and a roostertailpinning rock that can easily get lost in the jumble,so watch where you're going. Lost paddle issteeper and narrower, but just about as squirrellyand Sweets Falls is definitely steeper, and taller. Addto that the fall air, the afternoon sun, and not anothersoul to be seen anywhere and you've got a day onthe river that you'll never forget. That's when I lovethe Gauley best, when there's no one else around.Jeff and I toasted a successful day at the water'sedge while we changed into our dry clothes atMason's Branch and watched the water recede.After getting back to the dam we got to experiencethe trickle of people showing up and setting upcamp. Watching the buildup for opening day helpedto whet our appetites for the coming full release. Thenext day Jeff and I did a marathon all the way toSwiss, and Jeff finally got to see the Upper at fullrelease on his third run. We both rolled at Pillow thenmet up with several other boaters at Mason's includingJosh Frasier on his first ever Lower Gauley run,which he styled. Jeff and I were sore and crampy atthe takeout, but agreed it was well worth the extraeffort.John Lawson7