ab3@pucc-h (Rsk the Wombat) (07/20/84)
The New River area that's used for rafting is about 60 miles east
of Charleston, West Virginia. The Upper New River Gorge has class
I-III rapids, meaning that even expert canoeists can wipe out in
the larger ones. Kayaks, closed boats, and rafts generally have
no problems. The Lower New River Gorge, which is the only part
of the river we've done, has class II-V rapids, and is much more
challenging. Most outfitters offer 1 and 2 days trips, where you
can do one or both sections. You don't see canoes on the Lower...
There are a great many companies to choose from; we run with
Mountain River Tours, for a number of reasons: they have an
excellent safety record, they can accomodate a large number of
people (we brought 48 this year), they have good guides who work
hard at giving you the best ride possible, and they have a good
pricing structure.
The New is runnable year-round, unless the levels get drastically
high or low...it's not dependent on water releases, as the Gauley
is. The Lower Gorge is 17 miles with about 26 good rapids, and
when we ran it at +4 feet Saturday 7/7, it took about 6 hours including
a stop for lunch. The scenery is, of course, gorgeous, and I'll bet
that in the fall it's even better. Air temp was a slightly cool 65,
but the water was pretty warm, and occasional sunshine kept us from
shivering for long. In the fall, you'll probably need a wetsuit as
the water and air temps drop; you're at something like 1200 feet
at the river, and at something like 1900 feet at the Gorge rim.
The river drop is about 240 feet in 14 miles, most of it in chunks.
(Before I forget: Mountain River Tours, Inc.
P.O. Box 88
Hico, WV 25854
304-658-5817
Ask for Dee Dorsey, and tell her that I sent you...or just tell
her the Purdue GSP's said you should call them. She's really nice
about staying on the phone to answer any and all questions, and
has been super accomodating to our special needs.)
If you plan on camping, try Mountain Manor Campgrounds near
Summersville, about 1/2 hour's drive from MRT; they're at
304-872-4220, and I think the contact person there that we've
spoken to is Pat Murphy (Mrs.). MRT also has a campground near
their headquarters, but we've never used it, so I can't tell you
much about it.
The one-day Lower New trip is $59 on Saturdays; $52 if you have
16 or more people. Sundays thru Fridays it's $51; and $43 for
16 or more. On holiday weekends, they use Saturday rates.
In March, April, and November, it's $43 on weekends...I don't
think they run weekdays then. The two-day New River trip is $129
on weekends, $109 during the week. The minimum age for any of this
is 14, with parental consent required under 18. The deposit for
a one-day is $25, for a two-day $60, and I'd advise making reservations
VERY early; we made our July 7th reservations in February.
They publish a brochure with all this info and additional stuff
like the Gauley pricing, canoe trips, and rental of wetsuits,
paddle jackets, and the like in it. They also sell these items,
and t-shirts, and maps, and so on...
The Lower New trip *is* physically demanding; I was tired Sunday
and Monday from the hard work, and from the long drive home. However,
you don't have to be Godzilla to do it. It's also pretty safe since
you wear lifejackets at all times and helmets in all rapids. The
MRT guides are trained in CPR, first aid, lifesaving, and everything
else I can think of. MRT has never had a serious injury on any
trip on any river.
Well, that's all I can think of for right now...feel free to
drop me a note with *any* questions you might have; and good luck
running Surprise, The Keeney's, Double Z, and Greyhound Bus Stopper!
Rich Kulawiec
Purdue University Computing Center
--
Rsk the Wombat
UUCP: { decvax, icalqa, ihnp4, inuxc, sequent, uiucdcs } !pur-ee!rsk
{ decwrl, hplabs, icase, psuvax1, siemens, ucbvax } !purdue!rsk
Hey, baby, don'tcha wanna go,
Back to that same old place,
Sweet Home Chicago.