Adventure Vacation Resort in West Virginia's New River Gorge

Posts Tagged ‘Gauley River’

3 New River Trips—and You Can Try Them All in 2012

Wednesday, April 11th, 2012

It’s been a big winter for us here at Adventures On the Gorge. We built a ton of new stuff, but for the average river rat, the really exciting part of it all is that we’re offering 3 new rafting trips this year. They range from mild to wild, tame to insane and lazy to crazy, so no matter where you fall the adventure spectrum, we’ve got a new trip for you.

Family Lower New River

The Lower New River is the trip that built the WV whitewater industry beginning back in 1969. There’s a lot of history down here, and now we can open it up to a whole new range of rafters.

I don’t know precisely how many families we have who raft or ducky the Upper New, but secretly lament the fact that their youngest clan members are too young to raft the classic Lower New. Well, the minimum age just went down from 12 to 8. Bear in mind, this is not our typical Lower New trip—it’s geared more for the little ones to enjoy it. Every boat on these trips—and they will be big boats—will be outfitted with oars, which a very experienced guide will row. That alone makes this trip a bit tamer, but we’ll also only run the Family Lower New River at summer water levels, which means that even though there are still some mighty big waves, everything is a bit slower and milder. Your guide will also only run the more conservative lines through these rapids.

Jump to this trip on Class VI-Mountain River, Rivermen or Songer Whitewater.

Summer Middle Gauley

So, you like the idea of floating solo in a ducky, but the Upper New just seems a little too mild for you, eh? Then the Summer Middle Gauley may be just what the river doctor ordered! On this trip, you get to explore the Gauley immediately below take out for the Upper, where, at typical summer flows, the rapids are steeper and highly channelized. This is a terrific fun trip, and if you’re interested in duckying the Upper Gauley, it’s a great way to get the required experience.

Jump to this trip on Class VI-Mountain River, Rivermen or Songer Whitewater.

Wait, what? Duckying the Upper Gauley!?

Heh. Read on.

Summer Upper Gauley

When the water on the Gauley becomes more suitable for fishing than big water rafting, we’ll just be getting warmed up. That’s because this year, for the first time ever, we’re offering a summertime ducky run down the famed Upper Gauley.

You and your duckie better be on your guard, because this is a serious run. It’s rocky, steep and way more intense than any other ducky trip we do. It’s also long and strenuous and you’ll be in a ducky alone, so you better bring your A game. The Upper Gauley drops 335 vertical feet in 9 miles, and on this trip, you’ll feel every inch of it. As the water level goes down, the rapids get remarkably steep. So, while yes, this is a ducky trip, it’s nothing like any of the other ducky trips we offer—it is anything but tame, mild and lazy. So much so, in fact, that we won’t let you on this trip unless you have at least one prior day in a solo boat of some kind, such as a kayak, canoe or another ducky.

The Summer Upper Gauley is perfect for June thrills. And we have a new put-in for this one—at the confluence of the Meadow and Gauley Rivers, right above Lost Paddle.

Jump to this trip on Class VI-Mountain River, Rivermen and Songer Whitewater.

Tags: class vi, Gauley River, Gauley River rafting, New River Rafting, rafting, summer Gauley, West Virginia, whitewater, whitewater rafting
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When “New Stuff” Doesn’t Even Begin to Describe It All

Wednesday, April 11th, 2012

By Jay Young

Around Adventures On the Gorge, 2012 is becoming known as the year of new stuff. But the phrase “new stuff” is woefully inadequate to describe it all. In fact, we’ve been on a building spree that would make an Egyptian Pharaoh say, “Huh. That’s a lot of stuff.”

Here’s the rundown on the newness you’ll find waiting for you when you arrive for your vacation.

TimberTrekkin’

TimberTrek, our new aerial adventure park, absolutely dominates this list. Part ropes course, part canopy tour, TimberTrek is 62 obstacles, bridges, zip lines and slides between tree platforms ranging in height from 10 feet to 50. This thing will immediately make you feel like Erroll Flynn and Johnny Weismuller as you fly, glide, pull, climb, zip, yell and giggle your way to forest glory. We’ve got 5 separate courses on TimberTrek ranging from easy to difficult, and in a 3-hour chunk, you can really pack in the adventure.

We’re going to create a whole generation of arbor ninjas with this one, and notably, that generation begins at 7 years old. If you have a young ‘un that’s too little for TreeTops or Gravity, it’s a great option, because even the easiest course has a zip line. If you’re more the swashbuckling type and you want a real challenge, never fear—the hardest course will put gorilla hair on your chest.

TimberTrek is built with spectators in mind, too. You can stroll the forest below, camera in hand, or watch from the new deck at Rendezvous Lodge with a frosty beverage.

The best part: all through May 15, 2012, Timber Trek is half off! Trek the timbers for 3 hours for just $39.50/person (regular $79)!

Canyon Falls Swimming Hole

Consistently, one of the comments we receive from guests is that there isn’t enough around the resort to do that’s free and not limited by time in any way. We’ll we listened. Our new swimming pool, Canyon Falls Swimming Hole, will open by the end of June. Made in part of regional stone and designed to fit seamlessly into the landscape, Canyon Falls is a waterfall pool with a snack bar, a kids’ splash and spray area, a zero-entry end and tons of deck space, including one that overlooks the New River Gorge. Bring your bathing suit and save some quality lounging time!

The New Chetty’s Pub

Over the last few years, Fayetteville has become the hidden jewel of West Virginia dining. Your first thought might be, “Yeah, but that’s not saying much.” Well, I grew up in DC and have spent time in NYC and Chicago, and the restaurants here more than hold their own. Chetty’s has always been a part of that, but now it is even more so.

We hired Virgin Timber Lumber Company to build the new bar from reclaimed wormy chestnut, and it is absolutely gorgeous. Add more space to the equation and 2 quirky garage bay doors that open onto the new Chetty’s deck, plus a new head chef—Rezan Nese and her new menu which goes way beyond the already terrific fare we had before, and you get a restaurant that is primed to become a highlight of a lot peoples’ vacations. We often post specials on the Chetty’s Facebook page, too, so like it to stay up to date.

Stacking the Decks

How do you make a resort that sits on the very rim of the magnificent New River Gorge even more beautiful? You build decks—great big honking decks, where the eye candy flows like river water. We’ve got 2 of them.

The first is at Chetty’s Pub, and while the previous deck gave guests a supreme vantage point to overlook the New River, the new deck gets you just a hair closer than before, and it turns out that makes a big difference! The Chetty’s deck will be THE place to watch the sunset every evening.

The second of 2 new decks is off the side of Rendezvous Lodge on the Mill Creek Campus. Though it doesn’t overlook the New River Gorge, it does sit within 20 feet of one of the TimberTrek courses, which makes it the ideal spot to relax with a beverage while your friends and family whoop it up in the trees like Tarzan. You’ll want a camera here for certain.

Sunset Trading Post

It’s a well-known fact that between the 4 retail stores at Adventures On the Gorge, we have the largest selection of Adventures On the Gorge souvenirs anyplace on Earth. Well, everybody likes to shop on vacation, but let’s face it, sometimes you want a place that sells a little more than a T-shirt, sunglasses or knick-knacks. Peddling artisan crafts, clothing and more, Sunset Trading Post is that place. It’s located right where the sunset shines, too, between Smokey’s On the Gorge and Chetty’s Pub. Perfect!

16 People per Night

Lastly, if you’ve ever been told during Gauley Season, “I’m so sorry, but we don’t have any 4-bedroom Deluxe Cabins available that weekend… rejoice. We’ve got 2 new ones just waiting for you to hot-tub, grill, stock the fridge and sleep the sleep of the truly exhausted.

Tags: Adventure On the Gorge, Gauley River, new, new river gorge, TimberTrek
Posted in Around Campus | 24 Comments »

Never Fear, The River Guides Are Here!

Tuesday, June 28th, 2011

By Shea

I have a rather embarrassing confession. I’m scared of water.

I’ve been rafting the past few weeks with Adventures on the Gorge, trying to face my fear. So when I learned my group this weekend on the Gauley River would be in duckies (inflatable kayaks), I was ready to take the next step.

I thought I was, anyway. My first tip-over, in a mild rapid at the very beginning, sent me into a frenzied panic. I was completely disoriented and splashed wildly. The guide immediately came to help, and I just thrashed about, whimpering like a pup. I lacked the upper-arm strength to pull myself back in easily, which added to my terror.

The guide pulled me up and gave me one-on-one attention, helping me restructure my stance for better balance and tweaking my paddling technique. With constant help from the guide crew, I even managed to complete a Class IV rapid, Wood’s Ferry, without falling in. Success!

That high was short-lived. Only a few rapids further, we were told there was a 50% chance we were going to wipe out in the next rapid. Now I was more scared than ever. Knowing I would probably fall in was daunting.

My confidence drained out of me and swept down the Gauley. I was too scared to chase it, and I couldn’t catch it now.

I slid over the fall at the beginning of the rapid without much trouble, but the toughest part was yet to come. I kept my eyes on the takeout wave, and my focus shifted away from my paddle. My duckie also shifted, (sideways, to be exact), and the next wave crashed over me and I was out of the boat.

I again sputtered, yelped and flailed madly. A guide tossed me a safety rope just to let me know he had me and not to worry. He pulled me into a raft and I sat there breathing rapidly and heavily. It took a while for me to realize some of the droplets sliding down my face were actually tears.

“It’s really odd,” mused my boyfriend (who is an experienced kayaker, which of course added to my shame). “You get scared, and your reaction is to stop listening to what the guides tell you to help you.”

Basically, when I focus on the wave and stop paddling, it makes me more vulnerable to tipping. A paddle being aggressively swiped through the water aids with balance. And when I panic in the water, it keeps me from following the instructions that will get me out sooner.

On my rafting trips, I’d built trust with the guide staff at Adventures on the Gorge. And when I tumbled out of the duckie, I forgot that trust and stopped letting the guides do their job. What I was doing was the equivalent of letting myself get swept downstream alone without any help.

It’s okay to be afraid, but it’s more important to keep in mind that the guides here at Adventures on the Gorge know what they’re doing and are going to keep you safe. Let them help you and you’ll have a great memory. And if you have a moment of panic and forget their instructions, the guides will be close-by to get you back on track.

Have you faced your fear at Adventures on the Gorge?

Tags: Adventures On The Gorge, duckie, Gauley River, rapids, West Virginia, whitewater
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Even in Summer, the Gauley River is a Whitewater Thrill Ride

Wednesday, June 22nd, 2011

By Shea

Floating along in the fog, I surveyed the Gauley River terrain. It was an overcast day, and was eerie to watch the jagged rocks and tree branch silhouettes emerge from the fog. This was going to be a different sort of rafting trip.

On each of my previous Lower New River runs, the guide had suggested I check out the Gauley, too. It was the thrill-ride river, they claimed, and I would love it.

The Gauley is known for its intensity, even during the summer season. A rise in the water level meant we were able to raft the Upper section, which contains the Big 5– 5 unique Class V rapids (the highest class of rapid you can run on a commercial rafting trip).

Sometimes, the whole river seemed to turn into a bed of rocks. It looked impossible to get through, but our smaller rafts allowed us to weave through, with our guide skillfully maneuvering us through the narrow passages.

“Be ready for anything,” he would warn as we approached major rapids. “Things could change in an instant.”

And they did. A wayward rock at Lost Paddle rapid flung our boat around backward as we approached the final drop. The guide called sternly for us to paddle, and we fought against the water to stay upright.

“You have no idea how close that was,” he sighed when we reached the bottom.

Unlike the New River, the Gauley includes several drops. I would watch the raft ahead of us puddle up to the edge, tip forward and floom out of view.

“Now comes the 12-foot waterfall.”

That was more than slightly unnerving to hear. But it’s an exhilarating fall, and if you paddle hard to get into position, it’s a smooth slip.

The Gauley rocked my idea of rafting. If you want to go Big, go down the Big 5.

Adventures on the Gorge runs on the Gauley in the off-season. Water levels will dictate which section you can run and whether it’s in a raft or a duckie (inflatable kayak), but it’s guaranteed to be a great run no matter what.

Have any summer Gauley stories to share?

Tags: Adventures On The Gorge, Gauley River, summer Gauley, whitewater rafting
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