We’re right smack dab in the middle of Gauley Season, y’all. All the out-of-towners have descended on West Virginia and the New River Gorge, the water is flowing, and we’ve been going big.
So, how, exactly, do you know that you’re on the Gauley? Well, as someone who’s had an ongoing love affair with the river for twenty years (y’all know what I’m talkin’ ’bout), I’ve got a couple of ideas.
First, and maybe foremost, is the smell. No, not neoprene. The Gauley has a pleasant, earthy smell all around it. It’s sublte, but it’s there. And it’s said that smell is the strongest sense. When it’s Gauley season, that sweet river-y smell fills your nose (hopefully not w direct contact with the water). The air is crisp and fall-like. Take a whiff, and you know what time it is.
Then there are the sights. The leaves change during Gauley Season. So there you are in the middle of the Appalachians in this truly majestic river gorge, and it’s all yellow and red and gold and everything. Awesome.
Finally, the sounds of Gauley, like this one: “Forward, paddle forward, I SAID PADDLE FORWARD! PADDLE, YOU MAGGOTS!” There’s always the rumble of rapids, because there are so many of them. And also there’s, y’know, lots of roller-coaster-type screaming going on.
But the best sound of Gauley Season is the blast of the horn each morning. That’s the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers telling us that the water is coming out of the dam… get ready.
Gauley. It’s finally here. You can just tell.
Tags: Adventure Vacations, Gauley River Rafting, Songer Whitewater, West Virginia Whitewater Rafting, white water rafting