New River Gorge First Descent

Class V selfie attempt under the New River Gorge bridge.

The New River is ironically named. It’s older than the Appalachian Mountains it carves through at more than 480 million years. But for every paddler at some point, it is, in fact, a new river. That’s what it was in early July for three Keelhaulers, who made their personal first descents of the New River Gorge.

Keelhauler vice president Don Howdyshell led Nick Conway, Javan Robinson and myself down the New for our first runs with Jeremiah Richard making his second trip down the gorge. The paddle started with a meet up at Cathedral Café, a chapel-turned restaurant in downtown Fayetteville, West Virginia, for a large, delicious breakfast before setting shuttle.

The trip was only Don’s third, but as the most experienced paddler in the group he felt confident leading a small, solid crew down—spending days studying his GoPro footage from his first two runs proved useful homework.

After unsuccessfully encouraging Javan to run the staircase seal launch at the Cunard put-in, we hopped in our boats and set forth. For the uninitiated, the water of the New is amazingly warm. Its North Carolina headwaters travel north to the gorge, making the pulsing green water feel like a drawn bath. The level was 2 feet which, according to American Whitewater, “most agree (is) the optimal level … the Keeneys, Double Z and Fayette Station are really stompin’” even though to seasoned NRG paddlers it’s low-flow. In the gorge, 2 feet is about 4,500 cfs, which for those of us who regularly paddle the Stony, Lower Yough and other like runs is about four times as much water as we're used to.

Weaving through the mountains, we passed through Pinball rapid, skirted the edge of Upper Railroad and bobbed down the middle of a few warmups before coming to Upper Keeney, the first of the three Keeneys—the rapids that would offer the tallest waves of the day. Upper Keeney was simple enough, just ride the wave train down the middle and grab the eddy on the left above Middle Keeney, which is where the fun really starts. As each boat dropped into Middle Keeney, it’s stern quickly disappeared. As you paddled in to the first drop, you caught a glimpse of the preceding boat’s stern summiting the giant haystack wave in the middle of the rapid before they quickly disappeared again, and you started your ascent up the beast. As the river pulsed, you might find yourself climbing it as a green wave and launching off the top, or if the wave was breaking you’d find yourself trying to brace into it as you got body slammed into what felt like a brick wall. Good times.

Amidst Lower Keeney rapid on the New River Gorge.

So far, so good. We gathered ourselves, got beta from Don on Lower Keeney and started our approach. We took the mother duck, all-the-ducks-in-a-row approach with Don leading followed by Nick, Javan, myself and Jeremiah running sweep. Here’s where whiplash took full effect. With all the paddlers lined up, inevitably each kayak was a little off the line of the boater ahead of them, with the final boat in the row the furthest off line. Don dropped in a little left of middle. Smooth. Nick hit the crashing curler ricocheting off the top boulder on the left, and he immediately went over. Javan slid down in and was off moving right nicely, while I recognized I was too far left and tried to boof onto the curler and got spun backwards. Jeremiah was so far left of the tongue that he almost boofed the guard boulder itself and got flipped right at the top. Don made it through smoothly, but Nick succumbed to the power and height of the waves and swam. Javan, seeing Don successfully moving to river right, followed suit. I started my turn downstream just in time to get sideways body slammed into the third large wave, brace into it and straighten out to line up for the next one and start working right. Jeremiah tried to time his rolls with the rising waves. Though unsuccessful, his first two attempts gave him just enough air to hold tight until things calmed down. He ended up running the nearly 100-yard rapid entirely upside down and successfully rolled somewhere near the Halls of Karma—an epic exercise in staying calm under pressure. At the end a massive whirlpool reached up and grabbed Javan’s stern, sucking it down and forcing a hard brace, but he was no worse for the wear. We gathered Nick and his Fun, took a hydration break on shore within sight of Lower Keeney to watch the rafts disappear in its waves while celebrating and enjoying the adrenaline high. It was intimidating, exhilarating, humbling and encouraging all at once.

Nick coming through Lower Keeney on his second day in the gorge.

The rest of the run was a breeze. Solid lines (thanks to Don), a few combat rolls to be had by all, some epic (and unexpected) stern squirts by Jeremiah, bluebird skies and warm breezes. After cruising through Fayette Station, the final rapid, we cheered on Nick as he dutifully drank his booty beer and set off to the Overlook restaurant, high on the gorge rim, where we watched the sun set behind the mountains and had a few rounds to mark the occasion. It was the stuff first-descent dreams are made of. A successful run that left everyone feeling empowered and accomplished, topped off with good company and tasty spirits. It left everyone asking, “When are we going back?”

Javan attempts to become one with the New River Gorge.