DAY 11--UPPER YOUGHIOGHENY...

SEPTEMBER 21st
UPPER YOUGH.

Okay, Okay, so I know we were there on an abnormally crowded day since everyone was stopping here on their way to the Gauley, but holy cow, I've never seen so many whitewater enthusiasts in once place! There were rafters, canoers, and kayakers everywhere. It was great to see so much energy out on the river.
You just had to watch out to make sure that energy didn't run you down if you paused to contemplate rapid for too long or catch a surf wave.

A typical scene here at National Falls. After I got boofed on by an overly enthusiastic paddler, I caught the eddie to watch the fun from the sidelines for a while, and let me tell you, there was plenty of fun...

This is a shot of Don heading into one of the many rapids with a healthy crew of onlookers there to support him. As far as we know, all the paddlers made it off the river in one piece before the water ran out, and everyone headed for the Gauley. This is my first experience with kayaking in the east, and even my experience on the Upper Yough could not have prepared me for what I was about to witness at the Gauley River Festival.