Looking at the gauges, it couldn't have been running any more then 800 cfs. Probably more like 500. Death at Iron Ring and they were rafting? I was surprised that rafted that low, I've heard of "extreme duckies" at lower water.

[www.register-herald.com]

It was probably a ducky trip. I used to see commercial ducky trips on the Upper Gauley at low water all the time. I was blown away that the companies would do them. This is the first death I can recall at Iron Ring.
barryg

exactly how I felt when I saw it Barry! many times I would see the companies pushing people down Iron ring at lower flow in duckies and I even asked one of the guides one time and he said "we have someone river left and they just flush thru". My response was "really"! I would always run it low but most of my group of pretty experienced paddlers would portage below 1200cfs. It does let up a good bit below 650 but still lots of wierd water middle and left and soIid IV in my opinion. I think it would be easier in ducky at 2800 release but you don't see em loading rafters in duckies at that level. Strange to me! Sad to hear.

Matt

No, actually rafting trips are entirely viable at 500 CFS and are regularly run. I have video to prove it. Ducky trips usually only show up on the Upper G at extremely low water. Things may have changed, but it used to be that ACE whitewater was the only outfit really running duckies up there and it was usually when the water was in the 300 cfs or less range. They would put them in at Carinfax Ferry and take out at Panther Creek. First rapid, Lost Paddle.

Note that the company was Songer Whitewater and while they have a long history on the New and Gauley, I don't recall seeing them running many (or possibly any) off-season low-water trips on the Upper G in my day. That's kind of a specialty product and not a lot of people go for it, so it used to be that only a handful of companies ran trips of this nature at all. I imagine more companies do it now, but probably not a lot more.

As far as sending duckies through Iron Ring when experienced kayakers are walking, quite frankly, duckies are safer going through Iron Ring than kayakers are. Kayakers often get annoyed at this kind of thing, but duckies just don't peton. Getting trapped inside a duck is practically unheard of.

Okay, last item. The article actually said she fell out, "near the Iron Ring rapid". The article implies that Iron Ring is the culprit, but does not state it. The no-name rapids can be very dangerous at low water, and Shipwreck isn't that far upstream. I'll call my contacts in the area and see if I can get some more accurate information.

Hanley

First, I know nothing of this fatality and the details. The ducky trips I saw we're 600 or higher as I've never run the Upper Gauley any lower. These observations may not pertain to recent accident but just things that I was suprised by and are only my opinion (i.e. things I wouldn't want my friends and family doing). I watched on at least three or four different trips 3 out of 10 duckies hitting first pourover flipping an swimming left, middle, and right thru Iron ring at a level around 600cfs. Agree, would be more dangerous getting pushed left in hard boat-i.e.harder to get out of hard shell, won't bounce off things, but my point was an experienced person could more often hit the line needed, would be better prepared to swim the rapid, and could make the decision to portage based on his skill set. These people we're basing there decisions totally on the experience of the river guides. The guides did have excellent safety set on river left when I was there and most of the rafters bounced off every rock and right thru the rapid. None in my opinion were in control.

Matt

Fair enough. My information is, after all, a little old. It used to be that ACE was the only company that ran ducks on the Upper G and they only did it at the extreme end of low water, but that was then. Still, the mentality of most of those New River companies is pretty anti-duck and the few who did run off-season trips on the Gauley at all seemed reluctant to consider ducks in favor of rafts.

I haven't received any replies from my contacts in the area, so I have no additional information for now. Rafting companies are typically very reluctant to share any but the most general details about these incidents for liability reasons. I'll post here if any reliable data comes my way, particularly about the exact location and the boat.

Hanley

Sorry, I forgot to post back yesterday. Too busy. Here is the info I have about this incident. Note that although this data is cross-referenced from two separate sources, it is not documented fact. It is just what I have been able to dig up.

You guys were right, it was a ducky trip.

ACE still runs most of the ducky trips on the Upper G, but Songer has been running ducky trips up there for several years now.

The water level when the trip was put on was apparently about 400 CFS, but they experiences an unexpected spike while on the river. The gauge data supports this suggestion.

(This is where it gets interesting)

Ace has been running ducky trips and low water trips up there for close to 15 years. Other companies, including AW have been running low water rafting trips there for about as long. Until last year, despite numerous swims, no one ever had entrapment problems at Iron Ring.

A year or two ago, a log got lodged on the right side of Woodstock Rock. Then, last year, after the log had gone, ACE had a death at Iron Ring when a swimmer fell out of a raft above Woodstock at around 900 CFS. The swimmer was body entrapped on the river right side of Woodstock Rock near the base, essentially where the woman who died Saturday was entrapped. There is no way to be sure what has changed or why, but it does seem likely that there is a new underwater hazard at the base of Woodstock Rock on the right side.

Again, this synopsis should not be mistaken for a first-hand account of undisputable fact, but a little extra caution may be in order.

Hanley

Hanley