Week 24: The Perfect Rivah - Part I

"The progress of rivers to the ocean is not so rapid as that of man to error."

                                                       ~Voltaire~ 

   Every paddler has a favorite section of rivah.  Some paddlers prefer the steepness of low volume creeks such as the Green Narrows, others prefer big water runs like the Cheat, and yet others prefer the technical slots and boulder gardens of the Upper Yough.  I enjoy all types of runs, from steep creeks to big water, waterfalls to play boating (water ballerina's).  I learned to paddle in WNC, which is full of steeper creeks, so my comfort level is at it's highest when I am creeking.  When I returned to RVA and began paddling the James at higher flows I discovered that it took me outside of my comfort zone, and I found high water on big rivers to be more psychologically challenging for me.  Over the years I have conquered that fear, somewhat, and now feel comfortable reading and running big water Class IV-IV+ rivahs.

   But my love of rivahs is characterized by much more than just the quality of whitewater.  Kayaking is much more than just a trip down a rivah, and it is more than the adrenaline of the whitewater.  Kayaking is a close relationship with Mother Nature, and the balance you have with her is a key component to grasping the concept of paddling.  Remember, kayaking is about finesse, not strength, and the better you are able to understand the movement of water, the more you will be able to work with the currents and exert less energy.  Based on this philosophy, a strong connection with nature will make you a more complete paddler.


"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience."
       ~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

   I find my strength in nature not through the rapids, but through the calm stretches in between.  Paddling whitewater is competition within myself.  I run rapids so I can grasp balance within myself.  I float rivahs so I can connect with nature.  I find a lot of strength through nature, and recently I discovered that the way I see the world may be completely different than the way anyone else sees it.  I love photography and used to take a lot of pictures (like the pics throughout this post.  Those are all mine)  Photography gave me a way to help others see the world through my eyes.  It gave me a way to express my own personal love for rivahs and for the world around me.

  I explain all this to demonstrate why the Lower Gauley is my favorite stretch of whitewater on earth. The Upper G has world class whitewater, bigger than almost any rivah in the Mid-Atlantic, and it offers great challenges for big water seekers.  But it lacks the scenery of the Lower.  The Lower Gauley is the perfect balance of quality whitewater, beautiful landscapes, hidden crick canyons, fluffy surf waves, big water lines, flowers, animals, rainbows, Care Bears................and it rains skittles sometimes.  Seriously, it does.  I trip down the Lower Gauley is like a trip into another world.  You are isolated, deeply hidden from everything that makes modern society what it is.  There is nothing but forest, whitewater, you and a boat...................................

   

                         

.................pictures do not do this section of rivah any justice.  The whitewater on the Lower G is by no means simple, and sometimes there are moves that must be made and there are places out there that can kill you.  A trip down the Lower G is the perfect balance between every aspect of nature and whitewater.


"Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not."
                ~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

   On Saturday I hit the Lower G with a group of RVA boys and soaked up every moment of the experience.  The Gauley has a Middle stretch between the Upper and Lower that contains Class III rapids and more jaw dropping scenery.  Putting in at Mason's Branch, the commercial takeout and site of the epic West Virginia car chase, gun tottin' hillbilly incident, gives a great chance for an easy warm up and float through Gauley Gorge for about four miles.  Mason's Branch is also an alternative takeout to the higher takeout for the Upper, more infamously known as "kayakers nightmare".  After four miles of easy rapids and endless gorges, the whitewater picks up, but the scenery just keeps getting better.  Our group rounded the last turn of the middle gorge and approached the top of an ominous horizon line.  

   The group was relying on me to remember all the lines and lead them through to safety.  On some rivahs, my directions would be precise, and lines would be explained through specific details.  On the Lower G, the conversation usually goes something like this..................

Fellow Boater: "Hey Justin, where do we go down here?"

Me:  "I dunno.  This way looks good."

.............I am not trying to be a dick in these cases.  It is just, there are over 100 rapids on the Gauley that are Class III-V.  That's a lot of whitewater to remember, and fact is, it is a read and run rivah, so no matter how much I run it, I never remember shit about it.  It is a good lesson in "working it out as you go."  I always remember the biggest stuff, and know all the lines, but the dialogue from above was repeated about twenty times on this day.  Plus, I'm crazy.  Why the hell would anyone follow me anywhere.

   The horizon line we were approaching jogged my memory and I turned to the group and said "This one is a little steep."  The rapid is known as "Backender", and it is a series of big waves that end in two offset holes.  The rapid starts on the far right and then works back to the middle.  In my opinion, it is one of the bigger rapids on the Lower section, but technically it is on the middle.  I led through the top of the wave train, working my way over walls of water, straining to see what lurked beyond the next wave.  At the bottom of the rapid I saw a munching hole approaching, so I threw in a right draw and slipped past it.  As I passed I looked down into the hole and remember thinking "hope no one goes in there!"  Well, they did.........all of them.  One after another, like domino's.  As the carnage played out, so did a swim.  The boater was frustrated with himself, which is always the case............but it is important to remember one rule in kayaking that applies to us all.  Everyone is between swims.  No one can escape that.  I last swam at Great Falls two summers ago (which is not a place you want to swim), but I know my next swim might be lurking just around the corner.  Kayaking is 30% physical, 70% psychological.  Once you get in your head it is hard to get out of it.  Swimming early in a run, with twelve miles of Class IV-V whitewater ahead, is a good way to get in your head for the day.


"With the past, I have nothing to do; nor with the future. I live now."
               ~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

   After the carnage was cleaned up and all heads were re-attached, we continued down rivah, passing the Koontz' Flume put in and one of the last spots to escape before the Lower Gorge.  Straight ahead of us lied Koontz Flume, one of the biggest rapids on the Lower Gauley.  The line is straight down the middle, but there are lots of places on either side that you do not want to be, and the water is big, especially for a group who had spent the last two months paddling the trickling water of the James.(Although it was an epic Spring and early Summer, the last few months have been bone dry in RVA)  Our group approached, and I could sense that there was some apprehension in the approach to the next rapid.  I decided the best thing to do was scout the line.  In most cases this is not the best idea to remedy a case of the nerves, but since the line was straight down the middle I felt it could help.  We hopped out on rivah left above the drop and took a quick scout.  I always love scouting, not because it gives you a look at the rapid, but because it gives a chance to take a time out and soak in the scenery.  After everyone saw the obvious line, we hopped in our boats and turned downstream.  Koontz's pulls to the right as you enter the top holes, and it is important to line up heading a little left for the main drop.  I entered the line and made my turn, assuming that the group would follow behind.  As I approached the lip of the main drop I saw the tongue and lined up, dropping through the main flow, passing crashing holes and pour overs on both sides.  The far right side of the drop is ugly, full of chunky, sharp rocks, an undercut, and a sticky pour over hole.  The left side of the drop is a very large, deep hole.  The middle was smooth as silk, and I slipped down through it's guts, punching holes at the bottom of the long tongue.  Once passed the crux, I turned back to check the progress of the group behind me.  As I turned I watched a fellow paddler float extremely far right, just above the drop, upside down.......................damn it.  As his boat approached the lip of the pour over, I watched his paddle pop out of the water and into a set up position.  The boat began to fall over the pour over, and as it did, he rolled, literally while falling over the drop.  He landed in the exploding maw of whitewater at the bottom, directly in front of the undercut, and then disappeared...............................damn, this day was not going well.

"Always do what you are afraid to do."

        ~Ralph Waldo Emerson~

See ya on the rivah..................hopefully in an upright boat.      PEACE

    

   CLICK HERE for Part II of the story.