Photos: New River at 22 Feet

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Permalink Reply by J. Young on January 26, 2010 at 6:14pm

It's so tough to tell the scale of these things from photos. Bear in mind, the first Whale Hole Photo is significantly farther than 100 m from the camera.

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Permalink Reply by Alicia Monahan on January 26, 2010 at 7:58pm

Wow. Thanks for posting these Jay! I was just telling a friend I'd like to go check it out while it's pumpin' this high. You saved me a trip, though I'm sure it'd be worth it :)

I'm sure when Kevin sees these he's going to want to drop everything and grab his board! ;)

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Permalink Reply by J. Young on January 26, 2010 at 8:34pm

Oh, man, I hope not. If he does it, then I'm going to have to seriously consider it, so he doesn't go alone. And if I do it before my back is totally ready, my wife'll keel me.

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Permalink Reply by Kevin Yount on January 27, 2010 at 12:09am

I almost would go after it, but the teachers I'm subbing for tomorrow have had me in their classes multiple times, so I gotta keep the teachers that have me on their preferred list happy. But after seeing that today the volume was just a few thousand short of hitting 100 grand, I've got to let out a big $%# ! Doubt I will be making any weekday trips anywhere (no matter how big it gets) while it's airboard season, but I'm getting paid to teach airboard lessons, so who can complain.

And if I was able do it, Jay, I'd settle for simply having someone to drop me off and drive to the take out to make sure i was alive (to keep you out of the water while you're healing) because at that level it doesn't matter if it's 1 or 10, if anything goes wrong, you're practically alone. However, having a couple of other big water veterans on the water with you to quickly compare theories about lines is a major help. It would have also been a day when you'd better leash to your board.

I concur that taking out past Fayette Station at Tay's is a good idea because even at 16 feet, the only way to hit the take out ramp at Fayette Station is to not run Fayette Station (and where's the fun in that?). Running the wave train will cause you to miss the ramp and have to grab an eddy in the trees about 1/4 downstream, then bushwhack to the railroad tracks to get back to the parking lot.

Dudley's would be the one I would be most keen to try surfing, since it's such a smiley and could be gotten out easily with a side surf.

Too bad Barry's Hole gets washed out at Double Z. I can't remember if I've ever told you or not, but after my runs last spring, I totally agree with you that I would like a piece of surfing at Barry's in the 14 to 16 foot range, but that thing is ugly at 10 feet.

From the 16 feet days, though there were some smaller waves that were more turbulent, Miller's Folly had the biggest, glassiest wave train. I can only imagine the height of some of them today.

We missed a lot today. Lower Gauley was at our dream level, and I bet the middle Meadow would have been awesome at double the flow we ran it at.

Other days will come. Just an FYI to everyone, Bluestone Dam is outdated and undergoing renovations, so they are afraid to put any amount of pressure on it right now, and are just keeping the flood gates open when it rains. So when it rains a lot, whatever comes into the lake is going downstream into the gorge. Let's hope that it takes them at least all of this year to get things updated, but that things don't get too crazy and put Charleston, WV and southern OH under water.

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Permalink Reply by Alan Mitchell on January 29, 2010 at 11:07am

Thanks. Just what I needed- something else to distract me from work. I can't wait to see it in person this spring.

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