First Weekend of Gauley Season

RiverWuss · Post by **RiverWuss** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 6:30 am

To all who were in Dave Kessner's group at the Gauley this weekend - and to Dave of course - a big THANKS for letting the large DC group crash your party. I had a blast on the Lower G. for my first time - I even got the guts to follow Guy through some rapids, and we all know that's a dicey endeavor

Except for the beat down I got in a hole at Pure Screaming Hell, I didn't flip during the whole run so I feel pretty good about that day on the river.

We decided to do the NRG on Sunday because we knew we could do that and get off the water by 2-ish, which was appealing considering the 6-7 hour drive we all had ahead of us. Unfortunately Garth managed to bash his head in Middle Keeney (who knew there were ROCKS in there!) and we ended up spending a few hours at the ER in Oak Hill before heading home, 4 stitches later. In the end we didn't get on the road till 5pm, which is about what we would have done if we had just run the Lower G... But it was all fun and I'm looking forward to going back in a couple of weeks.

Thanks again for letting our large group join you guys, and i hope to see y'all again soon!

Helene.

Dave K · Post by **Dave K** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 9:57 am

RiverWuss wrote: and to Dave of course - a big THANKS

Awwwww??shucks!

Thanks to everyone who came out!! It was a big and rich time! Gauley Fest should be just as good if not even more funer.

I?d like to thank Guy, Ken, Alicia, Dave Clark, and everyone else who helped lead on and off the river. Without them, that group of 30+ would have been totally unmanageable.

(Karl, you would have been proud of me as I took a page out of your book. I fired up Five Boat Hole below Koontz?s for so long that everyone else just split up on their own and went down. Truly a pro move. No wonder you?re so dreamy. *sigh*)

RiverWuss wrote: I even got the guts to follow Guy through some rapids,

Hey, we all appreciated you doing that. It was great for Guy?s self esteem to have a girl use him for something other than his body. I?m sure that boost was a key factor in his successful bid on the Upper Gauley the next day. (See, Guy, I told you that you?re more than just eye candy.)

I hope you guys decide to at least camp with us again for Gauley Fest.

Shaggy, I look forward to your report of Sunday?s trip almost as much as the whole group was looking forward to you getting out of the bathroom Sunday morning so we could run shuttle (that?s how Shaggy earned trip report honors).

bambam · Post by **bambam** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 7:47 am

Kudos to Dave Kessmeister, er, um, Kessmann for running a first class trip! In spite of a large group he kept logistics running smoothly and good times were had. Good times on the river both days were separated by an evening by the fire mooching pork products (hooray CYA reps!) and corn.

BTW, Sunday morning I noticed the firewood pile was loaded with freshly-stomped poison ivy. Anyone got an interesting rash?

Low point, we had a couple of scares out there on Saturday. Just below Heaven's Gate a swimmer in our group washed up against a boulder and went DEEP. Fortunately he washed free and resurfaced way downstream. Later, a swimmer from another group nearly washed into the known sieve at the bottom right of Pure Screaming Hell. ..... Ya'll be careful out there.

High point, I got to make someone's day. It seems one of our DC first-timers arrived at the put in without his sprayskirt (left all the way back at the campground) and I happened to have a spare with me. Couple-o-minutes later I got to loan him my spare PFD as well. I'm glad he didn't forget his boat too as I was getting tapped out. (Glad you had a good day, John, happy to help.)

Lower Gauley makes for a late arrival home Sunday night but it's worth it. The car never smells all that good on a Monday anyway.

Thanks Dave!

Ken Dubel

CLAMS! · Post by **CLAMS!** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 9:58 am

Great trip indeed. Thanks Dave. I'll pay your dues.

I'd like to thank me for a great day and getting down the river clean. Me, you rock! Me, you are freakin' awsome. We should go out some time.

Wallace · Post by **Wallace** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 10:27 am

They only wish we could be that good! Hope Y'all are getting psyched for
Gauley Fest!

Dave K · Post by **Dave K** » Tue Sep 12, 2006 10:37 am

Monster wrote:I'd like to thank me for a great day and getting down the river clean.

Actually, Thomas, you can thank yourself for being our little shuttle bun on Sunday. That was a pro move.

Also, I'd like to thank the webmistress for this message board. It is clutch in putting together a lot of these trips.