Webster Wildwater Weekend 2005 Recap
"Whitewater & Ducks in Class IV and Snow"
by Heath Damron
Friday night we (Chris B, Jim D, John N, Sara D and Heath D) rolled out of Huntington into a beautiful thunderstorm on our way to Camp Caesar, Webster Springs, WV. We arrived late and found Bob and Chris Anderson tucked in warm and cozy in the upstairs of the MUWC cabin in the honeymoon suite (penthouse). Once unpacked we wound down with some musical styling of John "Blues" Neely. Bright and early (6:30) myself and Val (my greyhound, aka MUWC mascot) attempted to wake the crew for an early paddle but there were no takers. After breakfast, down to the river we went. After signing up, we rallied at the put-in. Nick Jitma joined the crew. Joe Napora and I were the only two MUWC'ers racing but Chris B led John N and Nick J down behind the racers in the sweep. It was not long until the gun was fired and I watched the long boats out-distance my <3m boat. I got into a nice rhythm but could not help but notice all the nice little surf spots I was passing up. It was great to see all the spectators at PX and along the course. Next thing I knew, I looked around and saw the finish. Five miles went fast and I had more left to spare. Finishing in a time of 36:56, I felt great. Joe finished in an awesome time of 39:01. Bob Anderson took tons of pictures during the weekend. Here is the link to the Webster Gallery. Sara D and Jim followed along the course and took pictures. Here are a few: (first 5 river action shots courtesy of Jim Denvir.... all the rest, C. Barry)
Heath Damron vs. Shredder @ PX
Joe speeding under the bridge above Cherry Falls
Heath chasing Rodney Kickel just above Cherry Falls.
Chris Barry: First Overall Boater in the downriver polo event
John Neely celebrating no swims and being the slowest overall down the river
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After we ate some of that delicious chicken at Bakers Island we headed up for another run. We put in above Cherry Falls just to get a quick run back hoping the Three Falls section would run for the evening. Jim D, Chris, John, Nick and I put on to a totally new river. I have no clue what the gauge was but it was getting interesting. It was significantly higher. It was the biggest water Jim had seen so he would not allow me to hit the beautiful surf that we were passing up (Jim is the faculty advisor). After hearing that Three Falls was too low, we rallied for a third run, but the army was much smaller. Jim ran Chris and I up to the top. At the bridge we could tell there was a lot more water! The surf started 300 yards below the bridge and did not end till the takeout. The little slow-you-down holes in the race were now perfect green waves that you could surf till you had enough. One of the best surfs was above PX where there were five or more perfect waves. As soon as you were done with one you just jumped on the next one waiting behind. At PX there were no top holes. It was nothing but a tongue of water feeding the monster below. The river left was green, tall, and surf-able. We enjoyed it so much we walked back up for another run at it. It was basically a 50 foot wide wall of water which was quite a sight to see.
PX level ??? - Perfect
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"Ducks in Class IV"
We told the crew about PX after we got to the cabin and they insisted that they wanted to see it. While looking at it just before sunset, which was probably the highest of the day (next day it was lower than the race level), we saw some ducks hanging out above the rapid. Next thing we knew the ducks seal-dropped in, peeled out of the eddy, lined up into fighter jet attack formation and went for the hole! Three white ducks styling a class IV rapid was a sight to see. If only I had audio of our cheering from the bank. The ducks hit the meat and surfaced about 10 feet downstream. They ferried over to river left after styling the drop.
The three ducks peeled out into the current
Ferrying out to hit the meat of the PX bottom hole
Lined up for the good stuff
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Party Time
Brian Rahall: early during party and later during party
Snowfall during the party
Big Sycamore up on Back Fork of Elk. Largest in the state. This is a nice side trip when in the area.
Yes this is from inside the tree
A view looking up the trunk from the inside of the tree
Webster Weekend was a blast. We will be back next year!