If you come to run the Gauley River this season (and it’s coming up- starts the Friday after Labor Day), you better paddle hard.
And, honestly, that doesn’t mean go through the motions, or just paddle when you feel like it. We call that weenie paddling. If you’re caught weenie paddling on the Gauley, you’ll kindly be asked to de-board at that time.
And don’t try to fake it. We can tell.
OK, I know that sounds a little harsh. But there’s a reason for coming off that way. A couple, actually. First, it’s kind of a joke. Kind of. We like to mess with our guests just a little, because we’re rowdy, and, hey, take a joke, will ya?
Second (and this is the better reason), the better you paddle the more fun stuff you will be able to do in a raft on the Gauley. Honest.
Here’s why: when you paddle, what you’re doing, in essence, is pushing back off the water and pushing yourself into the boat. So it actually makes you much, much more stable to be paddling in big rapids when your guide tells you to.
Also, if everyone in the boat is doing that, the boat goes right where it’s supposed to go. And on the Gauley, we like to go big. If you want to go big too, you’ve got to paddle hard to get there. So there’s that.
It makes a big difference from your guide’s perspective, too. Your guide is there to show you a good time, to share something special with you, and, yes, to get crazy with you out on the river. Paddling hard is like telling your guide that you are prepared for anything that might happen, and thank-you-sir-may-I-have-another.
Paddling hard means you get to surf. It means you get to hit huge waves. Run the biggest lines. Go for that one slot where it looks like you’re not going to fit. The Gauley is a demanding river. Make sure you’re ready to do what it asks of you.
Tags: Adventure Vacations, Gauley River Rafting, Songer Whitewater, West Virginia Whitewater Rafting, white water rafting