Marathon Gauley Ride, West Virginia

The last adventure of the year for 2008 consisted of an all-day marathon whitewater rafting excursion on the Gauley River in West Virginia. I have been before on the Gauley and the New River, but never for the full adventure. The marathon trip is a full-day excursion that covers both the Upper Gauley and Lower Gauley. The Gauley is continually rated among the best whitewater rafting trips in the entire U.S., usually losing out only to the Grand Canyon (and not because of rapids, but because of the beauty of the canyon).

We started off the day in the freezing cold and thick fog rising above the water. The outside temperature was about 35 degrees (if we were lucky) and the water was probably 55 degrees. It's warmer because it comes through the dam and the top of the lake contains warm water. Fortunately, we were prepared with multiple layers and a wetsuit. We hit a rapid right out of the gate and stayed warm (in and out of the water) throughout the day. Keith bounced out of the boat on the first three rapids and lost his paddle each time!

I managed to never fall out of the boat unless it was a group spill where the entire raft capsized. Since we were in the "Team Extreme" short, seven-foot boat, this still happened quite often. We were doing 360-degree spins ahead of the rapids and before going through the most treacherous parts. We went backwards on one and then spun around quickly to go forward down the next, but ended up spilling. The guides kept saying "this is the last day of the season, so no one can get fired. We're going to push it all day long."

It was a wonderful experience. I probably won't go again since I have been so many times, but with the right group it would still be a load of fun!