O.C.T. New River Rendezvous in WV

[bambam]

O.C.T. New River Rendezvous over Labor Day

Put on your attention span hats as this has gotten longer and there is important information about water levels at the bottom.

By my count, welcome to the 30th annual New River Rendezvous. I've been "loosely coordinating" this trip since 2003.

We'll meet at Ray's Campground on Saturday, September 3rd, at ten a.m. If you are arriving on Saturday morning try to get there early enough to set up camp as trips generally spin off right after the meeting and it's helpful for shuttle if your vehicle isn't loaded to the gills with camping gear. When you arrive, folks who spent Friday night will be chomping at the bit to get going. If you are camping Friday night then please try not to chomp at the bit too much Saturday morning. We'll get there. ..... We'll meet at the picnic tables behind the office. We'll meet at nine on Sunday and Monday.

If you are camping "off-campus" please don't ask me to coordinate with you. I'm not smart enough to do that. Show up at Ray's for the morning meetings or hire a spokesperson, not me.

This trip is open to almost all levels of paddlers. If you've never been in a boat before then you aren't ready. At ordinary water levels the upper sections of the New are pretty newbie friendly while the gorge offers more difficult rapids. With rain other options open up.

Where? Ray's is in Hico (pronounced HIGHcoh) near the intersection of routes 60 and 19 which is about five miles north of where the New goes under route 19. Head west very briefly on 60 and turn right on Sunday Road. Ray's is about a mile on the left. 304-658-4386. Reservations are not required for tent sites. At last count it was $10 per person per night. Electric sites are $10 extra. Dogs must be leashed. Please respect quiet hours.

They accept cash, check, and all major credit cards. I'll guess they prefer cash so bring some bills.

GPS user note, I love that technology. Trust it blindly if you wish but I recommend at least glancing at a map or two before you head out. This is the wild part of wild wunnerful West Virginia. Your technology might fail.

We tend to have large groups on the river during this weekend. If you are not in to such things then that's totally fine. Spin off your own small group trip and we'll hear of your adventures in camp. Please stop by the meetings to say hello.

I'll post this to Coastals, the Monocacy Canoe Club, and the Carolina Canoe Club, the three with which I'm most active. Feel free to cross-post to other clubs if you wish.

And so, eesh, the covid stuff. I'm tired of it too but it needs mention. I attended an event somewhat similar to this earlier this summer and about ten percent of the crowd got sick -- and that's just the ones who got mentioned on Facebook. I'll wild-guess it was twice that. Thankfully I haven't heard about any hospitalizations nor deaths but some got quite sick. Please come prepared to be open minded about folks who are more worried or less worried about this than you are. Wearing masks and /or having windows down during shuttle probably won't kill anyone.

====================================

Often this time of year we are lamenting a lack of water in the New. Not so, this year. It has been enjoying healthy flows, sometimes quite high, for most of the summer. As of this writing the gorge is higher than some might want but it is dropping fast. Not to scare anyone away, just pay attention.

Cheers,

Ken Dubel

[paddlin_bill]

Thank you Ken, for continuing to post this annual delight.

I'll be there for all 3 days of paddling.

[GeorgeMichie]

Ken, thanks for organizing. I'm hoping to paddle tandem something above the gorge Saturday with family, and if folks are doing the gorge Sunday and the water level isn't too high I'd love to take a crack at that solo. I'm not staying at the campground and will be closer to the Sandstone-McCreery section of the New. If others are interested in something around that area on Saturday, please let me know
when/where you're meeting. We can go it on our own, but wouldn't mind company.

[mkeverline]

Staying at Ray's
Getting in Friday. Will kayak the Gorge Sat and Sun. My son will join us Sunday.
Looking forward to it!

Eye Mike

[bambam]

Hi Bill, hi Mike, hi George. Looking forward to it.

I have always promised the newbies that I would lead, er, coordinate a trip on an upper section on the Saturday if nobody stood up to do so. I've never had to make good on that promise as someone has always stepped up, leaving me to coordinate something on the gorge. This year I am planning to take my offspring through the gorge on a raft on Saturday. I can still make that promise for Sunday if need be.

Is anyone game for coordinating a trip on an upper section on Saturday?

Cheers,

Ken

[paddlin_bill]

I can possibly coordinate something Saturday if the water levels keep us on the upper New. If we have to go someplace else all bets are off - I don't know the other rivers.

Just don't think I can pull off a super-shuttle if there are both Surprise and Gorge trips going Saturday.

[Jenny]

Hey Ken,

I'm planning on driving up on Friday and staying (at the campground) until Monday. I'm willing to coordinate non-gorge trips on each day, as needed. See you soon.

Jenny

[bambam]

If I may state for the record, both Bill and Jenny rock!

Cheers,

Ken

[GinnyN]

Hip Hip Hooray ! for Bill and Jenny!

I forget - the 10 AM Saturday parade / festival http://oakleaffestivalwv.org/ in Oak Hill interferes with shuttle for Surprise (Thurmond to Cunard) or Silo (Prince to Thurmond) section?
I think it's Surprise, but not sure.

[GinnyN]

I finally found my notes from the GREEAAT Ed Evangelid:
The parade screws up the shuttle for Surprise section as they close the local roads in Oak Hill @ 10 AM or a bit earlier for the parade. You can still do a shuttle backtracking to Fayetteville, but Silo would be better on parade day (Saturday). That way anyone who wants to do the non-Gorge trip but doesn't show up until 9:30 AM Saturday can still join in. That also gets the longest day paddling (Silo) over with the first day as everyone is fresh for paddling. But it means dinner is a bit late that day.

I've attached several files that might be useful to folks - to refresh memories, or for newbies to familiarize themselves with the area.

[Amphibious]

The Vonesh-Balcomb family unit (James, Sophia, daughter Asha 13) is in negotiations about whether we can make this happen. I think we are most interested in running the *upper* in our 13 ft raft-probably as an oar boat, as it’s a lot of raft for the 3 of us to paddle raft. But if others are looking for space in a raft, we could paddle raft a crew of 5 +. I’ve never done the upper section, So I am interested to float it for that reason alone. We are also trying to work up to doing the gorge, which I have kayaked prob a dozen times but never rafted. (I’m less confident/cautious of my rafting skills with family on abroad… so we’ll see how upper goes before I take them on that). Saturday am will be a push for us, so I was wondering if it’s likely there will be a Sunday trip on the Upper. Jenny, sounds like you might? (I might come up ahead of the girls and kayak the gorge Sat, then raft upper with family on Sunday, then see about Monday..) Also, are there any other kids coming we know of? Middle school girls

[Savanna K]

I plan to be there Sunday and Monday and would like to paddle the Gorge as long as the level is OK.

[Terri]

I plan to be there too. THANKS KEN!

Terri

[GeorgeMichie]

Pete Runge is leading a run on the Glade Creek section on Saturday. We're meeting at the G Sandbar takeout above McCreery a bit after noon, if folks are interested. Just 4 boats right now.