Feeling compelled to send out a big thank you to all who post on here with tech tips etc...

Did my first d of the upper gauley this weekend and several littel nuggets of info went through my head from time to time (many to do with rolling in funky water)

Adrian- your article on fear was especially helpful

SYOTR

Gauley Fest Anybody????

Can't take credit. It was Hendri Coetzee's article....just on my site.

Yeah Playak can be pretty handy. I love it.

From the last photos I saw of you, it seems you're styling anyway... Keep it up!

So lets hear it! In reference to rapids...

Scariest?

Most Fun?

Most memorable?

Life changing?

Scariest:
Nervous at insignificant (especially after my 2nd failed roll attempt next to that big undercut on river right) but full on scariest was somewhere between 1st and 2nd drop at Lost Paddle, just not being able to see the bottom of the rapid after running the top and knowing there is lots more below you including hawai 5-0 and whatever lurks behind that

Most Fun:
Sweets falls, no question!!!

Most memorable:
Either the first glipmse of pillow rock or seeing all the people on postage due and realizing I was actually at sweets falls...then actually peering over the horizon line at sweets and looking at the mess you committed to

Life changing:
Id have to say running all the rapids that separate the big 5... There is something to be said about just going down class 4 whitewater blind and simply read and run... on rivers like the new, your first time down you get a name and rapid description etc, same rapid on the Gauley and we were told " there are ledges, holes and reactionary waves, just read and run"... worked out really well... I definately feel moer confident in my paddling after this weekend... I really want to get back up there again this season