New River Gorge Trip Report – Kent French
| River: | New |
| Skill: | All |
| Trip Date: | 06/01/2005 |
It was a hot Saturday morning when we gathered at the Visitor's Center for the New River Gorge bridge overlook on Saturday August 20. The tremendous thunderstorms overnight, combined with good release upriver, had put the gauge at 3.7 that morning. What appeared to be a casual trip on the New was starting to have high expectations, especially for Greg Self and myself, who were first-timers to the Gorge. Others, including trip leader Tiffany Mozingo and Craig Mackinnon (thank you for organizing and posting your trip!) were happy to see some water in the river. Ben and Thomas Gilbert, along with Morgan and Elise Giddings (+ Baby Eva 18 months old) rounded out our group.
Depending on why you are continuing to read this, you may be disappointed to know that this is not going to be a carnage report. At this level, it was pretty important to have a solid roll. Otherwise, it could have been a trying day on the river. Just ask the paddler from another group that managed to get his boat wedged in the sieve at the Meat Grinder in Middle Keeney whether a good roll was important. Happy to say that only his boat was a victim of this carnage (and his car keys which were in the boat!). For those of you who would be in position to recommend raft companies, let's just say that Alpine Outfitters has some helpful, friendly guides. But, I digress….
Upper Railroad was crankin', and Craig, Morgan, and Thomas quickly showed us they were going to be the shredders on this trip. When all you can see is the helmet (or the tip of the boat), it's a big hole in this first-timer's book. Ender Waves provided everyone with a chance to surf a really fast, fun wave. All that was required was the ability to time the spacing between the million and one rafts that were on the river that day. Oh, and did I say a quick roll is handy here? It can be a long paddle back to the top of the eddy. Greg showed that his experience on the Chatooga during his Clemson days put him in good shape for a first time run at this level (and welcome to a new member of the CCC, Greg). I think everyone saw a lot of action on this wave.
The major stuff, the Keeneys and Double-Z, were uneventful, although you should ask Morgan whether my extended hull exposure at the bottom of ZZ was a little troubling to her, running sweep. Rolling up just in time to see the next 5-foot standing wave ready to take you back under for some more fish-counting was not my plan, but that's just the way it works sometimes.
A little more extended surfing time at Greyhound Bus Stopper, and the run-out to the bottom at Fayette Station was in order. However, one of the unnamed wave trains decided to let me know that the big 5 weren't the only places to keep your attention on the river. Suffice it to say that, prior to this rapid, I had never boofed a wave before. The consensus was that the ender thrown by/thrown at yours truly resulted in a 2-foot-air into nowhere. There's never a camera when you need it.
The NRG was a great ride at this level It makes the Ocoee feel like the Wild Mouse compared to the big rollercoaster waves on the New. Not a place to start your intermediate river experiences, but it's different than any of the North Carolina/Tennessee rivers I had experienced previously. What a ride!