As promised, this is the follow up to the last post announcing my return to the Gauley River in West Virginia. Suffice it to say that my girl’s rafting trip was a huge success! We had an absolute BLAST and the river was even more fun than I remembered. From start to finish the staff and guides at River Expeditions were amazing, catering to our every whim and these divas are definitely prone to “whims” (myself included).
We checked in to our luxury cabin and were blown away by how nice and clean it was. This would be our home away from home for the next four nights (we paid for three and got the fourth night free). The next day we set out for the Lower Gauley to get a refresher course in paddling. We listened to our guide, Dawn, as she encouraged us to stay in unison and paddle together. Her voice rose a couple octaves when we were in the bigger rapids so we knew she meant business. The sheer beauty of our surroundings did not elude us; in between rapids (and laughter) we took in the awe-inspiring views of Canyon Doors – one of the most famous spots on the Gauley River.
When we got back to our cabin, we soaked in the hot tub for about an hour before heading to the Red Dog River Saloon & Grill to watch the video of our trip. There we reconnected with all the others on our trip and the group beside us even bought us a round of shots to commemorate the day! (No, they were not hitting on us, lol.) We decided to just have dinner there since we had already had a couple drinks and their “pub grub” hit the spot. We hung around for live music and, yes, even some dancing before heading back to our cabin to get some sleep. After all, we were tackling the Upper Gauley the next day and needed to be on our game.
We got to the starting point at the base of a huge dam for what would be the most intense day of whitewater any of us had ever experienced. Our guide, Tyler, had been running this trip for 22 years and definitely knew his stuff. We managed to get through all the big Class IV rapids unscathed, even though we saw some of the other companies demonstrate what not to do through a couple of the rapids, making us appreciate Tyler even more! We stopped for lunch at Sweets Falls, an iconic spot cliffside to watch all the action and were not disappointed. This trip was all we anticipated and more!
Being back on the river with my girlfriends revived my spirit and renewed my sense of adventure. We all vowed to come back again next year. Someone suggested we bring our kids along too but that idea was swiftly quashed – this trip is just for us girls!
Yours truly, Stacy P.
If you go, River Expeditions is a second generation, family owned outfitter. Their guides are amazing and the vibe at their basecamp is casual, clean and relaxed. They have cabins to fit every taste, as well as other amenities like an outdoor hot tub, massage studio, saloon and zipline course. Contact River Expeditions at 800.463.9873 or visit online at www.raftinginfo.com.
