Tag Archives: Gauley River

Pillow Rock Rapid on Gauley River – dramatic and deadly

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Whitewater paddlers navigate the Pillow Rock Rapid on the Gauley River which drops 30 feet over the course of the rapid. The photos above were taken during the 2009 Gauley Fest weekend. Those who spilled made it back to their kayaks and rafts safely.

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I am once again saddened to hear of another whitewater paddler death on the upper Gauley River in West Virginia – a favorite place of mine to photograph whitewater kayakers and rafters. The Gauley River is one of the premier whitewater rivers in the country. It attracts boaters from all over the world who test themselves against the powerful and dangerous river.

Today’s fatality is the third death in less than a month on the Gauley River. This time, a kayaker drowned at the Pillow Rock Rapid after overturning. According to a press release from the National Park Service he came out of the kayak at the class 5 rated rapid and got trapped under a rock. Boaters freed the man, but efforts to revive him where successful.

SEE MY PREVIOUS BLOG POST on the other recent deaths on the upper Gauley River
SEE THE ENTIRE COLLECTION of photographs taken on the Gauley River during Gauley Fest 2009

Upper Gauley River shows no mercy

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Rafters and kayakers who ended up “swimming” while navigating the whitewater of the upper Gauley River during the 2009 Gauley Fest. All made it back to their kayaks and rafts safely.

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I was saddened to hear about two separate deaths of rafters after they fell out of their rafts on the upper Gauley River in the Gauley River National Recreation Area in southern West Virginia this past week.

The drownings reminded me that whitewater rivers as fun as they might be, show no mercy for beginners and experts alike.

Despite this risk, the upper Gauley River becomes a magnet for whitewater kayakers and rafters from around the world during Gauley Festival weekend and the other weekends in the fall when the Army Corps of Engineers releases water from the Lake Summersville Dam.

I photographed kayakers and rafters the previous year on the upper Gauley River and was amazed how paddlers navigated the incredible force of the river. There were times though when I saw kayakers turn over or pop out of their kayaks or rafters fall out of their rafts. Luckily, all popped-up or were able to get back into their raft or kayak.

The non-whitewater paddler, might assume that the more spectacular rapids like Pillow Rock and Sweet’s Falls would be the most dangerous spots on the Gauley River, but the drownings this past week took place at the Iron Curtain Rapid and the Fingernail Rapid both known for having dangerous undercut rocks which are often the cause of deaths on the Gauley River.

It goes without saying to always wear a life jacket when on any form of water, carry additional safety equipment required for your craft and task, have the physical strength and endurance for the trip, and never take a risk doing something you aren’t comfortable doing and have the experience and training to do. That said, even an expert can lose to Mother Nature so never become complacent or let your guard down when on the water.

VIEW ADDITIONAL PHOTOS of upper Gauley River kayaking and rafting during Gauley Fest

Wild whitewater action on the Gauley River during Gauley Fest

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For six consecutive weekends every fall in West Virginia, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers releases an incredible volume of water out of the Summersville Dam on the Gauley River. These timed releases turn the Gauley River, located in the scenic Gauley River National Recreation Area, into one of the premier whitewater rivers in the country. The river’s 28 mile course through the rugged mountains during these releases features more than 100 rapids and falls ranging from class III to V+.

Gauley season begins the first weekend after Labor Day. I purposely went the weekend of Gauley Fest. Gauley Fest is an American Whitewater’s fundraising event that is held on the third weekend of September. It has been described as one of the largest river festivals in the world with whitewater vendors, food, swap meet, and silent auction — along with the world-class boating on the river.

Those of you who have been following this blog will recall that earlier this year I did some reconnaissance for this past weekend’s trip. My homework paid off. River access along the upper Gauley is very difficult. Not only is road access practically nonexistent (there is however easy put-in access right below the dam), the cliffs and edges that hug the sides of the river are very tall and step. Adding to access difficulty is that significant portions of the river are lined by private land. Since I don’t want you to hold me responsible if you get hurt, or get lost, I’m not going to tell you the specifics of how I reached the river. I will warn you that accessing the river is difficult, especially if you are carrying close to 35 pounds of photography equipment on your back. This is where my backpacking experience along with having my long lens and large tripod configured with my Kinesis long lens bag and pack frame paid off.

Kayaking and rafting action was insanely intense. For most of the time I was afraid look for secondary photos or sense of place photos for fear of missing any of the action. At one rapid known as “Pillow Rock,” I timed a kayak or raft going through every 10 seconds. With this kind of traffic, it wasn’t unusual to see an occasional kayak get mixed up with another kayak or worse a kayak literally run over by a river raft. There was definitely a party atmosphere with kayakers stopping to cheer on others. Some kayakers wore crazy hats and glasses. I was surprised to see the occasional cigarette smoker with an intact cigarette going in a rapid, only to have it bent and broken when they came out. All was not fun and games though. At the same time, serious discussions would take place on the sidelines on how to best tackle a fall or rapid. Running the Gauley is something that you can’t take lightly. A reminder of this was when a hospital helicopter rose upward overhead, presumably taking an injured boater to the hospital.

My goal with whitewater photography is to put the viewer in the boat with the paddler, while attempting to capture the paddler’s emotions. In addition, I usually experiment with slow shutter speed experiments. On this particular trip, I found autofocus tricky to use. Often the spraying water would distract the lens from the intended target. In the end, the hardest part of the shoot (next to hiking to and from the river) was editing. When shooting wild action at nine-frames-per-second all day, you end up with many great photos to go through. It’s a bad situation that is good to be in.

VIEW INDIVIDUAL PHOTOS of Gauley River kayaking and rafting during Gauley Fest

Doing homework in West Virginia

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Unnamed waterfall on Dunloup Creek near the abandoned mining town of Thurmond, in the New River Gorge National River in West Virginia.

Carol and I made a scouting trip to the New River Gorge National River and the Gauley River National Recreation Area for an upcoming trip in September when I will be photographing whitewater kayakers and rafters during the annual water release from the Summersville Dam on the Gauley. My mission was to get a feel for the land, the rivers, and to conduct research with the park service for the fall trip.

I didn’t know what to expect of West Virginia and the Appalachian Mountains. While I had been to Great Smokies National Park in Tennessee and North Carolina as a child, those memories aren’t as clear, nor do they account for the fact that I now carry on assignments quite a load of photographic equipment.

Our weekend visit to West Virginia was somewhat rainy, though there were breaks in the weather that allowed me to get some practice photography time shooting kayakers and rafters on the New River. While I didn’t get in quite as much whitewater photography as I had hoped, I now have a good sense of the area, and what things I need to account for logistically when I return.

The close friends that we were staying with welcomed us into their new home allowing us to catch-up on our various lives. They also gave us a good overview tour and cultural insight of the area including trips to the Vandalia Gathering, the state’s annual celebration of the traditional arts, music, dance, stories, crafts and food, and to Tamarack, a showcase venue for West Virginia arts, crafts and food items and those who produce or perform them. Hopefully, there are some opportunities for editorial stock photography sales to illustrate West Virginia travel and culture from these two places.

The trip was much too short but I took away two key impressions: 1. That this is rugged, remote country, particularly with accessing the river and 2. That West Virginia is beautiful. I can’t wait until I return in September.

RIGHT: Unnamed waterfall on Dunloup Creek near the abandoned mining town of Thurmond, in the New River Gorge National River in West Virginia. Photographed using a Nikon D3 with a Nikon 70-200 mm f2.8 lens, mounted on a a on a Slik Pro 804 CF carbon fiber tripod with a Really Right Stuff BH-40 ballhead. Image capture: 1/13 at f20

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ADDITIONAL PHOTOS from New River Gorge National River