Justin Owen's Gillespies Wave – Gauley 20,000 cfs update

August 18, 2009

By Justin Owen

It has continued to be a wonderful water year here in West Virginia.The New hasn’t dropped below a foot, The Gauley has been huge at times, and the creeks have gone at regular intervals. It has been a whitewater wonderland to say the least.
When I arrived at Class VI this year to videoboat, I carried a list of surf features and creeks that I would like to experience if given a chance. On this list was Gillespies wave on the Gauley at 20,000 cfs. All I knew of this feature was hearsay, I could not find any video or pictures to prove it’s existence. One thing was for sure though, anyone who talked to me about it had great things to say. Luckily, when the conditions for this feature finally came together, I was able to find Shane Groves. He always knows the beta on the hot surf in the area, and assured me that it was worth our time to go and check it out in the new Star Series. He sure didn’t lie to me… and here is a link to the video from our after work session: