gauley river Archives - Opossum Creek Retreat

You Are Leaving? So SOON?

“Honey, I am leaving!”

“Again? So soon?” (with glee in his voice). “We will miss you, have fun.”

Because if Momma ain’t happy, nobody’s happy!

gauley_mg_1012 — The Boys Insist on Adventure…

Groups fill The Meadows for lots of reasons. One of the best reasons is Boys or Girls Club Weekends. That’s our nickname for vacations where groups of gals or guys take a trip with just their friends. You know, ditch the significant other, line up some pals, good food maybe a high adventure. Stay at a comfortable, inviting place to relax and catch up at the end of the day like The Meadows.

Imagine this:

First the “guys from work” got together. Yee haw, THE GAULEY (said with a roar)! They went home with such a great attitude, fun stories, and more things they wanted to try here in the New River Gorge, that their families wanted in on the action.

You guessed it.

The next summer, not all, but some of the guys brought the families back. Again, so cool. So much to do, young and old thrilled to no end. With still more stuff on the to do list.

Next up is Girls Club.

I really like the way women go about this. Us guys must have SOMETHING to do, i.e., a high-adventure, manly endeavor. Fears to conquer. Women, ha. They don’t need the pretense to have a grand time. They can have fun just chilling out, painting nails, fixing food, long hot tub sessions. No need for the events of the day to stimulate conversation but they make great Facebook posts.

Girls Club getaway weekends make Mamma and everyone else happy.

We know you have some people in mind for one of these weekends. We are happy to help you plan.

How I Fell in Love in September in West Virginia

I fell in love in West Virginia in September and you should too.

The year and the date are a little fuzzy, but I do remember the place. I traveled a lot back then. I had just rolled in from Montana, in the dark chased down a windy two-lane road by a coal truck. The next morning I hit some raft companies up for a job. Late in the day an owner of one of the companies was walking out the door when I pulled up. You a guide? Yes. Where from? Montana. Really, they have white water there? Catfish hired me on the spot, not for my river resume but “based on the collection of cassette tapes on your dashboard”. I was on the river the next day.

Yes, the Gauley River is everything it is made out to be!

The river I was ready for. The tall drink of water from UVA I was not.

But that is another love story. This particular story is about West Virginia’s New River Gorge National River and Gauley River National Recreation Area in the fall.

Why You Should Visit WV in September

September anywhere is a great month. It is fantastic here.

I must admit I had some preconceived prejudices about WV. Some of them were well deserved. Some were unfounded. But all add to the character that makes this place so wonderful.

My first year here, I had only two or three days of work per week and got to spend the rest of the time exploring, fishing, hiking, golfing, and biking. I thought this was a wonderful place to visit; lots of very high caliber activities. As everyone knows, the Gauley River is world class and that has not changed, never will.

What has changed (and is not so well-known) is that everything else is just as good.

Really! Just as good. I am not bragging (okay I am), but my passport looks like someone used it to test stamps at the factory. I have spent time in 46 of our states. This place, our place, The New River Gorge Area, what I now call home, has something really good for everyone. Well almost (don’t show up looking for carnival rides, t-shirt shops, and rubber tomahawks).

We even have more really good restaurants than you could get sick of in a year, let alone a weekend.

I am having a hard time separating these two love stories. You see, Catfish did another favor for me a few weeks into that first September. He introduced me to that tall drink of water from UVA, my future wife. I am forever grateful for both favors.

This September will mark 20 some years for these two loves. There is something here that you will love too. Come test my theory.

An Often Missed Treasure: Kanawha Falls

Have you been whitewater rafting in West Virginia?

More than 100,000 people a year visit this area, seeking adventure to soothe their inner-adrenalin junkie or as a release from the daily grind.

As wild and chaotic as many sections of New River and Gauley River are, the place where they come together is much more comparable to a lake.

The Confluence
The New and the Gauley combine waters at Gauley Bridge to form the Kanawha River, and from here to the Ohio River the Kanawha is mostly flat, calm water.

Except, that is, about 1.2 miles below the confluence of these streams. Here the river drops more than 15 feet in one plunge. It’s an amazing display of water and bedrock. This is Kanawha Falls.

Location and Size
Perched right beside US route 60, which is now designated as a National Scenic Byway, this spectacle of nature is one of the easiest and most accessible pieces of scenic beauty in the area. With the advent of WV’s interstate system, many travelers to the Fayetteville area forgo the road less traveled and miss this and other areas of interest along route 60. But for those who take the time to travel the scenic route, this behemoth of a “waterfall” is a worthwhile reward. And depending on the amount of water going over it, the view may be very different each time.

Spanning the Kanawha River at well over 600 feet wide, this falls is accessible from both sides of the river and because of its size, the view you get from either side is very different. It is so large it is very hard to get the whole thing into a picture. But taking in its immense size and soothing resonance is a pleasure that you won’t soon forget.

Like to Fish?
This area is renowned by anglers for its incredible fishing opportunities; as such a large physical barrier prevents fish from going any further upstream. With a great variety of fish here there is no telling what may be on the end of your line as you reel it in.

History

There is plenty of history associated with this area also, from the multiple Indian tribes that used the Kanawha’s waterways to the first settlers that braved this rugged terrain, this area has seen its share of action. George Washington was responsible for the clearing of the Midland Trail for use as a travel way and a Civil War Union Army Camp known as Camp Reynolds was located across the river from what is now the Glen Ferris Inn .

The first white settler to this area was Reuben Van Bibbers, who was reported to have leapt from a rock on the south bank into the river to escape a group of angry Indians. Thank goodness his wife was good with a canoe as the area below the falls contains some strong current.

So whether you are a West Virginian who’s never been there or a visitor looking for a way to spend an afternoon, the Kanawha Falls areas is definitely one that shouldn’t be missed.

4 Things You May Not Know About the Gauley River

The Gauley River. We love it. We know many of you do too.

If you have rafted the Gauley River, there are many things you do know. It’s big, it’s fun…frankly, it’s the “awesomesauce” (as the kids might say).

With all that you likely do know about the Gauley River. I thought it might be cool to share a few things, you might not know.

Four Things You Might Not Know About the Gauley River

Headwaters

The Gauley begins in the Monongahela National Forest as three streams. The North, Middle and South fork.

Headed to ‘Nawlins

It meets the New River at the Town of Gauley Bridge. Together they form the Kanawha River comprising part of the Mississippi Watershed.

We’re Glad it’s Not the Gad Dam

When the Summersville Dam was created a small, abandoned town was flooded. Thankfully the Army Corp of Engineers broke the tradition of naming the dam after towns flooded in the process. The name of the town? Gad.

Civil War History

The Gauley area was the site of the Battle of Carnifex Ferry on September 10, 1861, a Union victory in the American Civil War.

The attraction of the “Big Five” of the Gauley River is indeed exciting but imagine what it would have looked like as the confederate troops crossed the river near Woods’ Ferry after being defeated during the battle of Carnifex. If you’re rushing here to run the Gauley and heading for home as soon as you’re done, you’re missing out!

While the Gauley River offers some of the finest, most challenging whitewater rafting anywhere, this area offers so much more. The Gauley River, more than just whitewater.

It’s Gauley River Time. You Know, That One.

Holy. Moly. I know I’ve got rental cabins and everything, but it’s Gauley Season.

You know the river I’m talking about? On of the 10 best white water rafting rivers in the world? With more than 100 rapids on it? And 5 (some people say 6) Class V rapids in between all those other ones?

The infamous Pillow Rock rapid on the Gauley River.

Yeah. That one.

How can I explain it? Gauley Season is just a special time around here. First of all, the weather changes. Summer is awesome, but the humidity can be, um, thick. When it’s time for the Gauley River, all that humidity disappears like mist below Sweet’s Falls (that’s one of the Class Vs).

Then, the leaves start changing. They begin maybe the weekend after Gauley Season starts, which is always the weekend after Labor Day, and tend to hit their peak on Bridge Day Weekend, which is always the last or right after last weekend of Gauley Season. And if you’ve never seen the leaves turn in the Mountain State, all I can say is please please please please please come to see them. They’re that good.

But if there’s one thing about Gauley Season that’s better than anything else, it’s the people. Better than the river itself, even.

No, not really. But close. I love the people of Gauley Season. Everyone’s in a better mood, excited, super-friendly… like we’re all sharing a great secret or something.

I guess we are.