We had another great Gauley weekend at Swiss Fest! On the
first weekend of Gauley season, it’s become a tradition to camp at the take-out
of the Lower Gauley (Swiss) for a low-key paddler gathering. It was
my first year at Swiss Fest, and I loved it. It’s like Gauley Fest, but less
commercial and slightly less rowdy.
We enjoyed great company of some top-notch kayakers on
Saturday and Sunday. John and I paddled the Lower Gauley with Theron and Tate
on Saturday, and then again on Sunday with Brick. I felt pretty rusty on
Saturday and flipped about 8 times (although I can confirm that my combat roll
is intact) but felt much better on Sunday. On Sunday the line at Diagonal
Ledges was really short and John and I had a blast surfing.
The weather was beautiful all weekend, and then at the very end of the trip, West Virginia delivered on its reputation of being “wild and wonderful”. We loaded Brick’s truck to the brim with boats during a lightning storm, then traveled down the unmaintained dirt road to get John’s car at Panther Creek. And on the drive home, a double rainbow followed us out of town.
