Aqua Magazine....

GOOD GAULEY!

WET, WILD, & WONDERFUL WEST VIRGINIA

I'm a Bud man. That's Bud Frantz, a top whitewater river guide in West Virginia, one of my favorite states to get wet. To see him or other guides at their best, you have to get on (and probably in) the state's famed Gauley River this fall.

Some of the best whitewater guides from around the world converge on West Virginia each fall. Bud Frantz, with Class VI River Runners, was one of the first guides on the Gauley River and he probably has guided more Gauley River trips than anyone. The West Virginia resident says sagely through his beard, "I never get tired of the river or showing it to others." After a dramatic pause that all story-telling guides seemed have, he continues, "But it's the sheer beauty and the remoteness of the Gauley that keeps me out here year after year."

Bud is typical of many local guides who seemingly live for the Gauley season, but the river also attracts guides annually from much further away than the Mountain State, including the northeast, the Rocky Mountains, out west, and even Chile and Costa Rica.

They all come to tame the famed Gauley. The Gauley River isn't the only West Virginia whitewater, with the New, Tygart, and Cheat also well-known venues, but running the Gauley is a guide's badge of honor.

The 1997 Gauley River season begins Friday, September 5th, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will open Summersville Dam with water releases of around 2,500 cubic feet per second. There will then be five consecutive four-day Friday-to-Monday sessions of whitewater fun and a sixth session that just includes Saturday and Sunday, giving you 22 chances to become a Bud man or woman.

With a riverbed that drops more than 800 feet in 27 miles, the Gauley River is serious whitewater. The ruggedly carved canyon has two distinct river sections, called the Upper Gauley and the Lower Gauley. Guides and their rafters must make their way through more than 100 rapids, 56 of which are classified from Class III to Class VI (the hardest).

The put-in just below Summersville Dam is legendary, with the huge holes in the dam releasing tubular walls of thundering water into the river. The ground shakes and many rafters quake.

The relatively easy Iron Curtain rapid provides the warmup for Pillow Rock and 100 yards of sheer whitewater force. This house-sized boulder, which is shaped like a pillow, inevitably stops a few rafts each day and dumps them into the water.

The Meadow River adds fuel to the fire when it joins the Gauley, just before Lost Paddle. The half-mile-long rapid is actually divided into three distinct sections, each one of which will swallow rafts, guides, and passengers.

But, next, Sweet Falls is the guiding gold medal. There is usually at least a ten-foot drop. "Even at my age, I still love running Sweets Falls," says Class VI's Randy Dotson (a young 52), who grew up at the confluence of the New and Gauley.

It may get a bit easier after Sweet Falls and a riverside lunch, but not much. The Wood's Ferry area is the typical take-out for one-day Upper Gauley trips. Some diehards choose to pursue a rugged one-day trip that completes the Upper and Lower Gauley in one long and hard day, but most just run take the one-day Upper or Lower trip or a two-day camping trip that takes in both.

The Lower Gauley is considered more technically difficult. Some of the rapids that come in quick succession include: Upper Mash and Lower Mash (huge boulders and waves); Heaven Help Us (a ten-foot squeeze); the appropriately named Rollercoaster; and Rattlesnake (a windy series of rapids).

Near the takeout, Pure Screaming Hell provides one final Gauley River rampage of liquid hell. This long run has some huge waves and big rocks that have flipped quite a few boats. I guess it's the Gauley's way of saying goodbye to the guides and rafters who tried to tame her this time.

For further information about West Virginia, this fall's Gauley season, and whitewater outfitters, call 800/CALL WVA or contact Class VI River Runners directly at 800/CLASS VI.