West Virginia's Famous Whitewater

Hey y'all! Welcome back to my blog! For those of you who know me well, you know I love a good adrenaline rush. I firmly believe that there is no adrenaline rush quite like the one I get from whitewater rafting! West Virginia is known worldwide for its whitewater, and for good reason. The Mountain State is actually home to the highest volume of whitewater runs in the entire country. From calm family trips on New and Potomac Rivers to the thrilling Upper and Lower Gauley River trips that attract whitewater enthusiasts from all over, West Virginia offers exciting river adventures for all ages!

My first ever rafting trip was in September of 2016. I really wanted to go rafting with my family while my parents still felt comfortable going, so I asked to go as a birthday gift (I might also add that this is something I never imagined I would convince my parents to do). We traveled to Fayetteville, WV to stay overnight, since our rafting trip left so early, and because we were unsure of how early we needed to arrive. I remember having trouble sleeping that night, as I was so eager to get on the river the next morning. Little did I know, this trip would spark an appetite for adventure that would never be satisfied.

Early the next morning, we drove from Fayetteville, WV across the bridge to Adventures on the Gorge. We got geared up, hopped on the bus, and set out on the first of many bus rides I would take into the gorge. For this trip we were taking on the Lower New River, one of the most popular rafting trips in West Virginia. Depending on the season, the Lower New River offers class II-IV rapids, a jump-rock, a mid-trip lunch, swimmers rapids, and an amazing path under the famous New River Gorge Bridge. We paddled, laughed, and, most importantly, no one got thrown out of the raft!! Despite my parents apprehension, they were perfectly capable and had a blast. They even jumped off of the jump rock! This trip was unforgettable and ultimately kindled my enthusiasm for rafting.

---

Unfortunately, participating in many extracurriculars in high school led me to have very busy summer and fall seasons, so I was unable to go rafting for the next few years. However, during the Summer of 2019 after my high school graduation I was fortunate enough to get to travel abroad to Costa Rica and Panama. As I mentioned in my previous blog, this trip was an experience for which I will always be grateful. During the trip we were offered many incredible activities such as hiking through national parks, zip-lining through the rainforest, and you guessed it... whitewater rafting! I was lucky enough to get to experience whitewater rafting in another country, which was thrilling! We rafted the Sarapiqui River in the Arenal region, which offered plenty of class III-IV rapids. Although I didn't understand fully at the time, I can now say with confidence that West Virginia's whitewater trips are equally, if not more intense than rafting in the adventure capital of Costa Rica. Our raft guide even mentioned that some of his fellow guides have traveled to West Virginia to train on the Gauley River!

---

At the end of that Summer, I moved into college at West Virginia Wesleyan. I was fortunate enough to get involved early on with the Outdoor Recreation program, which has been an amazing part of my college experience. In September of 2019, I got to go on another rafting trip on the Lower New River. This time, however, I went with a group of friends from college. It was an exciting trip! The water levels were super high at the time, so the rapids felt much more intense than the first time I rafted the Lower New. We had swimmers rapids, a stop in the middle for lunch, and, as always, a jump rock. I would absolutely recommend this trip for anyone interested in rafting in West Virginia!

---

My most recent rafting experience was this past Fall. Since we had so much fun rafting the previous time, we got the same group of guys from our college trip back together to take on the Lower Gauley! We went during the last weekend of Gauley season, so it was a chilly day to raft. However, we were able to wear wetsuits and rain jackets, which kept us surprisingly warm. The Lower Gauley offers intense class III-V rapids such as "Heaven's Gate" and "Pure Screaming Hell." To this day, the Lower Gauley is by far the most fun I have ever had on a rafting trip. We were able to swim in the cold water, paddle through the rough rapids, and even got served a hot lunch in the middle of the trip. The Lower Gauley river is the perfect challenge for those who have tackled the New River and are looking for something more intense!

---

This rafting season I have a lot on my bucket list. I'm looking to finally tackle the Class V's of the Upper Gauley, or maybe even do a Gauley Marathon (Upper & Lower in two days)! There's absolutely no feeling like being out on the river and feeling the raw power of nature in the rapids. I encourage everyone to get out and explore West Virginia like you've never seen it before. If you're reading this and have never gone rafting, this is your sign to go!