Robert Farmer---Hi, I did this on April 4, 2009. The level was about 6.6/2500 on the
telemetric/internet gauge at Webster Springs, which I've been told is 3 feet higher than the visual
gauge on the right side of the island in WS. I found it to be mostly Class 2, with perhaps a spot
of 3. This is a roadless wilderness section that has an old, abandoned railroad on river right. I
put in at Slatyfork, about 0.25 mile off of Route 219 immediately upstream of the confluence of
Slaty Fork and Old Field Fork, and downhill of a lumber yard. The trip to the first road/trailhead
took 1.0 hour exactly. Not having read the description in a while, I was surprised when the large,
wide, high-volume river that I was on turned into a small, narrow creek! Quite interesting! After
running alongside a road for a little bit, a ledge of about 4 feet appeared, which I scouted on the
right. Below here I was pleasantly surprised to find a delightful Class 4 boulder garden that went
on for a half-mile or so. A few other rapids are scattered in between easy sections, although the
current was always moving nicely; in fact, the water soon started feeling a bit pushy, even though
it was usually fairly shallow---odd. Soon, Whitaker Falls appeared, which I had previously scouted
while driving up alongside the river, as it is right next to the road. There is an approach ledge
that I ran about 1/3 from the left shore through a break, and I ran the final 8-ft-or-so drop tight
left, about 20-30 feet from the left bank---Class 4, I'd say. The river here is about 120 feet
wide, I'd guess---rather unusual for a whitewater river. You should scout this on your shuttle
drive. Beware: the middle part looked like a drowning machine. Although the guidebook recommends
the right side, the ledge is pretty irregular over there, and the hole looked somewhat stronger
than on the left. I was happy with my decision. Below here is another ledge of about 4-5 feet which
I ran on the right, although center would have been good if I had remembered the line there better.
Below here the rapids come more slowly, with good rapids every mile or so down to Bergoo, which is
where the road makes a 90-degree turn at a one-lane bridge and a fishing shop and small community.
The best rapids always seem to be out of sight of the road. A good approach for someone who wanted
to cherry-pick the hardest section would be to drive up Bergoo Road (CR 26 or 28?) from Webster
Springs and make the right turn at around the 21 mile point (CR 80?), and put in from the trailhead
up that way. This would avoid about 10 miles of Class 2; or, if you want the Class 2 bits only, set
your takeout here. (I didn't have time to drive this section of road, as I for-some-reason
connected back to Route 15 instead.) Then drive down as far as you want, probably somewhere below
Whitaker Falls. Upstream of Bergoo, the road is on river right and is very high up for a while.
Below Bergoo, the road is on river left for a while before crossing back to the right. In
summation, this section was quite enjoyable and better-than-expected. And most of it is roadside,
which makes the shuttle and road-scouting a breeze. You should do it sometime. (Final note: I don't
know where Elk Springs is; the guidebook lists only one section from Slatyfork to Bergoo, of about
20 miles, so that is what I described here.) Edit