I definitely have new scratches, scrapes, and bruises added to the body.
My boat only has a few minor scratches which wis pretty good compared to some of the sketchy, juicy, rocky lines I decided to due versus the simpler ones last year.
I paddled the Lower Gauley on saturday with Don and Jeff Beyer. We put on just before noon.
I remember having a short swim after my boat went totally vertical on Lower Mash. Don said half my boat was above the foam pile before she turned over in a big splat with me in it.
I know I had my best ever side surf in my boat at the diaganol ledges. I was full extended out of my boat for quite a while before deciding that I had to get out only to find I could actually stand up in the hole. I reached over and grabbed the center thwart and pulled her out and swam it the 10 or so feet to shore. I went back in for another ride.
I forget where my other swim was and no it was not hades Hole. I deeked back in to river left after Purgatory and went down the left side of hades Hole.
I was totally amazed that we ran the entire 11 miles and were eating hotdogs at the Church at 16:05.
Saturday night was interesting to say the least. I lost track after the four coolers and multitudes of free beer let alone the few shots of something or other. I am glad I stayed away from the moonshine.
I had this big thump thump swoosh swoosh in my head sunday morning fro a few hours ... it seeme to go away after a few tylenol and two sets of rapids on the New River Gorge.
I love that river. The scenery is fantastic and not alot of people on it. It was great to finally paddle with TonyB, Gumpy, PAC, MrTgrips, plus the Beyer clan and their friends.
PAC and Mick pushed rubber in the shredder with their squirt boats attached. It was great to see the squirt action at Lower Keeny.
As usual ... I ran alot more of the sketchier, juicy, wet, rock infested lines. I know I had one swim at Lower Keeny when I tried to catch the first river right eddy at the first big rock but over rotated and ended up floating over the big flat ledge rock with my boat on top of me. Glad I had a PFD on or I would have been a few pounds lighter on my back.
My second swim was further down the river somewhere. I was eddy hopping a bit and then saw another interesting line between a rock and the over hang. I went over sideways and lost my paddle. Hopefulyl someone will find it one day and get it back to me as I have had the thing since 1995.
My last swim of the day was a juciy run where I went over what Don refers to as the invisible rock (fricking boulder). I leaned forward a bit too much to get my boat to go over it and should have leaned back after that point. It was a pretty steep drop and i ended up too much angle and went over.
It was a great frickin weekend.
My facebook status sums it all up:
I will post up the pics when I have time.Colin Moneypennyis finally home from WV ... body is beat up ... new scratches, scrapes and bruises for me ... few scratches for the boat ... ran a bunch of new sketchy lines ... lost a paddle ... long drive back ... big smile on my face ... life is good
