Gauley Season of the Century! (Season of the Dries)

30 +years of loving the Upper Gauley and I’ve never seen a season like this! So good – I’ve barely been there? There are very few kayaking days that can compare to a play-date with the Upper, but here’s what I’ve been up to instead: Mill Creek, Mann’s Creek, Glade Creek, New River Gorge, Diagonal Ledges and 5-boat hole park and play, and half the season I’ve been on New River Dries! “But the play on the Gauley is world-class – what could possible be better, just the river-running?” No – actually, besides the creeking the play on the New River Gorge at 10,000cfs is superb – Upper RR, Lower RR, Stipper and Ender Waves make for a full day of epic play within the first mile! Diagonal Ledges is epic surf that you can park and play with 4wd, and 5-boat hole is easy access on weekdays and .. what a wave. But the gem of freestyle paddling in this area at is the New River Dries – which has been running off and on for half the season! Above 45,000 you can see the biggest wave in the East Coast right from the bridge – it has a fun right wave with easier eddy access too. I like the middle better between 28 and 35,000, because it slowed down a touch, but the play downstream continues to improve as it drops – absolutely epic from 20,000 down to 15,000. Realistically – 2018 could be called ”Season of the Dries” and .. well .. I’ll let the photos do the talking. So Stoked to be in Wet Virginia so much this Fall and So Stoked to be surfing our new Rockstar 4.0 on the type of waves it was designed for! Gotta run, 5-boat is back in!