Here's where I'm rafting in a few weeks.... - JP Fitness Forums

Kaiser · 08-25-2003, 11:50 AM

...pray for me! [img]smile.gif[/img] Not really 'adventure racing' but it certainly is adventure, and you sure are racing, so I put it here!

Upper Gauley River, WV, during damn release in September. This is going to be fun - can't wait.

Here's a summary:
The Upper Gauley River
This is the ultimate whitewater experience, considered by many to be the best one-day trip in the country. This section offers monstrous Class III- Class V+ rapids set against a backdrop of towering cliffs and enthusiasts and due to the intense nature of this trip, previous rafting experience is highly recommended.

Upper Gauley
Dropping more than 650 vertical feet through 28 miles of rugged terrain, the upper Gauley River's complex stretch of whitewater features more than 120 explosive rapids, technical runs, huge waves, and an incredible volume of water. The Upper Gauley offers tremendous class III to V+ rapids, chutes, and rocky routes with names like "Insignificant," "Pillow Rock," "Lost Paddle," "Iron Ring," and the infamous "Sweet's Falls."*The Upper Gauley is site of the U.S. Rafting Championships (Sept. 20 and 23), and was the venue for the 2001 World Rafting Championship, the only time this event has been held in the United States. If action, exhilaration, and a pure adrenaline rush are what you crave, then it's hard to resist a river described by Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, as "the most exciting experience of my life."

ODB · 08-25-2003, 12:23 PM

What a great trip that looks like! I just got back from rafting the Ocoee in Eastern Tenn. Not nearly that kind of action but still a good time

.

I'm jealous

Kaiser · 08-25-2003, 12:43 PM

It'll be interesting for me because the only rafting I've done has been in Class III rapids. No Class Vs and certainly no V+s. Plus, we have that whole sniper thing going on in that area, so that just adds the excitement. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

sarah · 08-25-2003, 01:03 PM

OMG!!! That looks freakin awesome. Any room left in the raft??? I don't eat much, I promise.

Kaiser · 08-25-2003, 01:09 PM

This trip, and those offered by outfitters like it, gets booked up by January every year.

Next year, we'll all go as a group! You, JP, Ryan, me and whoever else.

I nominate JP as the leader. Where we are staying has climbing and rapelling (down a 1,000 foot river gorge), kayaking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and just about everything I love to do. My mtb and climbing gear are going with me.

I know it would be the type of place you and JP would love.

ODB · 08-25-2003, 03:38 PM

Heck yeah, take Sarah. She's happy as long as you feed her snickers

!

Kaiser · 08-25-2003, 04:03 PM

Oops, in my original post, that should have been 'dam', not 'damn'. Damn.

What's the benefit to taking Sarah, other than she finds happiness in chocolate (what woman doesn't)? Can she paddle?

sarah · 08-25-2003, 04:06 PM

ummm. Snickers.

ODB · 08-25-2003, 04:22 PM

Can she paddle. She did 10 miles at night across a lake before hiking 22 miles and I never heard a complaint other than wanting a snickers. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Kaiser · 08-25-2003, 04:41 PM

You guys paddled 10 miles and then hiked 22 miles in the same night? Sounds like fun. I can't even get my friends to go out for a short night hike when we grab a cabin in rural Wisconsin. They're too soft.

ODB · 08-25-2003, 04:51 PM

Yeah we're pretty tough down here but I'm still wondering where JP is. He told me yesterday that he wrote a description of the trip to post but I hadn't seen it yet.

mitsuman47 · 08-25-2003, 05:36 PM

Sweet! I'm down. Just tell me where to be, and when to be there.

sarah · 08-25-2003, 05:37 PM

I'm not tough... I'm just not afraid.

Speaking of paddling, Ozark Outdoor has some rodeo and squirtboats on sale. Also check out this website: www.rivertech.com if you're really interested, Joe. He's a guy I dated for a bit, but we ended on really good terms, and I can probably get ya a deal.

ODB · 08-26-2003, 07:23 PM

I just got my 4 piece kayak paddles to use with the canoe. Should be a nice edge in a race I just need to get out and practice. Sounds like another excuse for a training session.

I'm working on an idea for a similar training that would be shorter and would be able to include biking. I might wait for the fall though. The damn chiggars tore me up!

sarah · 08-26-2003, 07:58 PM

Sounds like fun, can I come along?

ODB · 08-26-2003, 09:37 PM

You're on the list. Have you heard from JP lately?

sarah · 08-26-2003, 10:02 PM

Saw him at the gym yesterday a little. He was crazy busy at work. Other than that, I haven't talked to him.