Gauley Paddlers Encouraged to Step Up Safety

This year we want to encourage boaters to have a great time on the Gauley, but to also keep it classy and keep the safety of your group and others front of mind. Here are some tips, based on conversations with the National Park Service and our own recommendations as fellow paddlers. Every fall the predictable flows, sublime scenery, and powerful rapids of the Gauley bring boaters together from vast distances for something of an annual reunion in a National Park setting. Mixed into the roar of the rapids are the cheers of river runners celebrating each other’s good and bad lines, and at times the joy of the river and community fuels a party-like atmosphere on the river. At the same time, the Gauley River has significant hazards that claim lives with sobering regularity. 

• Don’t Create Hazards: Be thoughtful about where you tie rafts up to ensure they are not in possible swim or recovery locations (like at Postage Due), don’t throw things at, or jump onto rafts that are not in your group, and don’t blow your whistle unless it is to convey critical safety information. Generally try to make the Gauley a safer place for other visitors.

• Drive Cautiously on the Shuttle Roads: The shuttle roads are narrow and kind of sketchy! Be sure to have a designated driver if you need one, and drive slowly and respectfully on the shuttle roads. 

• Be Ready to Help Others: Groups are encouraged to stay physically and mentally alert and ready to help swimmers and people in need. This means avoiding drug and alcohol use on and before the river that could impair your ability to help others. It also means stepping up to help people rather than being a bystander.

While these suggestions are basic, they can have life or death consequences, and in some cases can cross the line of potential criminal consequences. Above all, they are the right thing to do out of respect for our fellow boaters and the incomparable Gauley River. Have fun out there!