Rafting the Upper Gauley

OVERVIEW

What up guys,

So I lied in the general Gauley fest trip, and I will actually be helping to coordinate a small rafting trip:

Tate Huffman has generously offered to guide a raft down the Upper Gauley the morning after the festival.

The Gauley River is one of the premier whitewater rafting rivers in the world, and this is a dope way to see it with very little experience required, although you should be a decent swimmer. (Check out the AW site here:http://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/River/detail/id/2378)

This trip will be limited to 4 people.

Additionally, you will have to find your way out to the Gauley Fest site Saturday night as im assuming most of you don’t want to drive out at 4am on Sunday. I will certainly help coordinate rides and there will be plenty to do Saturday (the 17th) if you want to hike, bike, or what have you.

You will raft the river and ideally should be back in Charlottesville around 9pm Sunday depending on when you leave.

The rest of this email is copied from my Kayaking trip but it all still applies (club provides gear, lodging (10 dollars a night) and gas costs):

CAMPING/FESTIVAL:
The plan is to camp just outside the fenced in area where the festival is held (so stumbling distance away, but far enough where everyone should be able to get some sleep). Festival entrance is included in the camping fee:
-Thursday, Friday, and Saturday: $30
-Friday and Saturday: $25
-Saturday only: $20
The club only reimburses $10 of the camping fee per night, so plan accordingly. Always safer to bring extra cash –especially with all the sweet deals on boats/gear going on. I’m setting the fee to $5, but that won’t be paid to me.

There are also volunteering opportunities at the festival, contact the festival organizers directly if you wish to volunteer.

TIMES/RIDES:
Please indicate your schedule preferences when signing up so we can try to coordinate rides as much as possible.

FOOD:
The club does not reimburse food, so either pack a cooler with food for the weekend or bring $$. There’s food available for sale at the festival itself and the nearby town of Summersville.

YOU PROVIDE: gear if you have it, tent/sleeping bag/stove/camping stuff if you have it, clothes (for on and off the river, especially warm clothes, it’s usually colder in WV than in Cville right now), water, your own knife, fork, spoon, cup, plate, bowel and extra $$ for all the awesome kayaking gear that will be on sale. NOW IS THE TIME TO GET A SWEET DEAL ON A BOAT!

CLUB PROVIDES: kayaking gear if you need it, camping gear if you need it, camping fees, gas $$ up to $150/vehicle.

DISCLAIMER / LEGAL:
I am NOT “leading” on any rivers during Gauley Fest, I am only coordinating some logistics and transportation to the rivers and festival site, you are responsible for your own safety and the activities you choose to participate in while on this trip, and you agree to have read and will abide by the American Whitewater Safety Codehttp://www.americanwhitewater.org/content/Wiki/safety:start?
Those with the appropriate skills may join as “Common Adventurers”