GNARLY NRGE RAFTING STOUTNESS!

OVERVIEW

Howdy fellow stout masters! I am super excited to announce the GNARLY NRGE RAFTING EXPEDITION!

This will be a thrilling raft trip down the New River from Cunard to Fayette Station, a classic section packed with stout class III-IV rapids, beautiful scenery, and immaculate WVA vibes. You can read more about the section and get stoked here: https://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River/view/river-detail/2418/main

TO PARTICIPATE:
Swimming in rapids is strenuous! While we will have a dry boat (with which we will take the highest and dryest stylish lines) and a rodeo boat (in which we will get absolutely chundered) and you may pick your level of swim potential, you should be prepared to swim a strong 50m. While prior rafting experience is a plus, an active readiness to swim and participate in your own rescue is all that is required.
Also sign up for the main NRGE carpool and pay the $10 trip fee 🙂

ITENERARY
We will meet up super briefly Friday night at Rays/I will check in with everyone to make sure we are set for tomorrow. We will be meeting at the Fayette Station takeout at 9:30am Saturday morning with all our gear. We can work out if people want to get food/Tudors before or drive together on Friday night. At Fayette we will meet the illustrious Cheesepuff, a good friend of mine and our second raft guide. From there we will set shuttle, leaving at least two cars at Fayette and driving to the Cunard put-in (10:00) where we will rig boats, learn about rafting/whitewater, and set sail on the mighty New River. We will bomb down jah river, stop for lunch along the way, and reaching Fayette Station at around 3:00, de-rig, reset shuttle, and be back at Rays by 5ish. These estimates give us lots of time. We may still run a little late, but that’s just part of the adventure.

GEAR
– I bring:
wet suit/dry top/dry suit/booties (we will work out specifics) to keep you nice and toasty on the river
pfd and helmet to keep you floating and your noggin safe
raft paddles
dry bag(s) for lunch
rafts + pumps + rigging + throw bags

– You bring:
the stoke
any of your own gear listed above if you have it
warm clothes to wear on the river. DO NOT WEAR COTTON! Especially cotton underwear. Bring a polyester/wool fleece, neoprene layers, a synthetic warm swim/athletic shirt if you have it. (again, we’ll work out specifics)
water shoes (no flip flops or crocs)
food for lunch that is dry bag friendly, no refrigeration needed
a water bottle
sunscreen
towel and change of clothes for take-out

FOOD
Pre-trip Tudors run for breakfast?? Bring something for lunch on the river! I will address allergy concerns if there are any once we get the trip filled. I will also provide a dry bag to keep it all nice and dry. Bring a water bottle!

DRIVERS
Drivers are needed! We would like to have at least two cars from adventurers to make shuttle work well. The shuttle roads down the gorge to the take-out/put-in are steep and windy but paved and very doable. Cars should ideally carry at least 5 people including driver and not mind having wet river gear in the trunk/bed during some sections of shuttle. If this sounds like you and your vehicle, you get priority off the waitlist.

DISCLAIMER
Cheesepuff and I are seasoned whitewater kayakers and rafters. We have kayaked this section of the New a good many times and know the lines(routes down rapids) well. That being said, we have not guided rafts down this section before. Running rivers as a team is about trust, and it wouldn’t make us very trustworthy team leaders if we didn’t disclose this. We are however, equipped with the best river knowledge available to us and after a clean raft descent down the gnarly Upper Gauley (https://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River/view/river-detail/2378/main) on 10/16, we are very confident about rafting the New and very stoked to take some people down! We wouldn’t run this trip if we had a doubt in our minds about our ability to ensure your safety.

Please contact me at mcl2hxw@comcast.net or 804-955-8990 with any questions!
I hope to see you on the river! YEW!

Mitch