Whitewater Rafting: Upper/Lower Gauley

OVERVIEW

This year we have both Monday and Tuesday off for “Reading Days”… make the best of them by rafting the Upper AND Lower Gualey! This is going to be incredible!

The Gualey River is located in West Virginia. Here’s what a former officer (Marc) had to say about it: “The upper Gauley is a world class white water mecca, and was home to the 2001 white water championships. For 23 days each fall the water level is controlled by the release from the Summersville Dam, bringing the flow to around 4,000 CuFt./Sec. (that’s fast!) and making this section ranked 2nd in the nation, 7th in the world for white water! There are 5 exhilarating class V rapids, and numerous class IVs.Whether you’re an expert rafter or have never been, the Gauley is where its at!”

ITINERARY:
– SUNDAY, Oct 7th: All cars will depart from Echols Dorm around 3pm. We’ll drive to Oak Hill, WV and camp at ACE Adventure Center.

– MONDAY, Oct 8th: After check-in around 8:30 AM and a 45-minute bus ride, we’ll hit the river! Rafting takes about 8 hours, and ACE will provide a delicious grilled lunch in the middle. When we’re done (late afternoon) we’ll make an even more delicious dinner by the camp fire and pass out from exhaustion.

– TUESDAY, Oct 9th: Return to Charlottesville by early afternoon, leaving enough time to do all the homework you neglected while attending this amazing trip.

PRICE:
Because we are rafting on a Monday, we are able to take advantage of Ace’s buy one, get one free special (which is ridiculously cheap for a trip like this). You may note that this year’s price is a little more than last year’s, but this price includes a complete neoprene wet suit (upgraded from just a splash jacket), AND TWICE AS MUCH RAFTING. We will be rafting both the upper and lower Gauley, all in all totaling over 75 named rapids.

-The total price you pay is $133.51. Here’s the breakdown per person:
-$89.95: 14-ft raft
-$22: wetsuit rental (highly recommended)
-$10: camping (the original price is $10 per night, but the club pays for $5 of it)
-tax (about an extra $10)

THE CLUB PROVIDES
-$10 for camping (half of the total camping fee)
– up to $60 in gas per car
– breakfast and dinner on Monday
– a great rafting deal
– gear for camping: tent, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, etc.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE YOU SIGN UP:
-You have been warned…you MUST be able to paddle hard for several hours, and you should also be prepared to get thrown out of the boat and have to swim through some rapids.
– It may be cold and there’s always a chance for rain. Dress warm, with plenty of layers. If you have a tent, sleeping bag, and/or pad, please bring them as we will be camping out Sunday and Monday night. Once everyone is signed up we will go over together what gear is available to those who don’t have everything they need.
– If you have to cancel, please withdraw as soon as possible so that I can add someone else. If you cancel after the sign up deadline, CONTACT ME. I will try to find a replacement on the wait list for you, but you are responsible for finding someone to go in your place if I can’t find anyone.

IMPORTANT:

If you are joined to the trip, I must have your money ($133.51) by FRIDAY, September 21st. Again, the DEADLINE for money is SEPTEMBER 21st. If I don’t have anything from you by that date, I will remove you from the “joined” section and start adding people from the waitlist.

You can pay with cash or check. If you pay with a check, make it out to “Nick Trombetta.” Here are three ways you can “show me the money”:
1.) Meet me on the stairs of Clark (also called the Brown Engineering Library) Monday through Thursday at 12:15pm.
2.) Drop off or mail a CHECK to 107A Kent Terrace. (You technically could leave cash in my mailbox…but I’m not sure you want to trust my roomies, they are poor college students too…)
3.) Email if you can’t make these times and we’ll figure something out…

P.S. Let me know if you want to go on a shorter raft, which is both more intense and more expensive.
P.P.S. Some of the trip organizers are thinking of spending the first couple of days of the Reading weekend backpacking somewhere, let me know if you are interested in that as well

Feel free to email me with any questions. Once the date gets closer and people have signed up, I’ll send out more details.

Get excited!!!!!!