New

Highlights: The reported level is considered to be on the low side for this run. However, the flow was definitely sufficient.

This section has been done at levels well below 0 and the commercial limit is 12 ft. It is said that lower levels cause undercuts to be exposed and higher levels produce some serious big water. Since several outfitters run trips down this stretch, be on the lookout for rafts. This trip starts below Cunard with a bit of flatwater. The first point of interest is Upper Railroad. Run right of center. Below the pool is Lower Railroad. There are a couple of small eddies on river left above the drop. I recall peeling out and going sharp right around a pourover. Soon, the pools shorten and some easy rapids are encountered. One of them is a good playspot known as Ender Waves. Don't get too relaxed because the Keeney's are coming up. It is impressive that drops this big can exist on a river this size. Upper Keeney is recognized by Whale Rock. Middle Keeney is a steep rock pile. Watch for holes. Lower Keeney has big waves and requires a left to right move. Watch for mystery moves at the Halls of Karma. The next area of difficulty is Double Z. This is a long technical rapid. Start center. Then, it is possible to eddy out on the right bank. From here, work back to the center, but be sure to stay away from the undercut on the bottom left. Hook is next. On the right, there is an interesting move that can be made by ferrying between two rocks. Keep paddling and head left to catch some air off of a great wave. After passing a riverwide hole know as Greyhound Bus Stopper, there are a couple of rapids known as Upper and Lower Kaymoor. The Fayette Station Bridge will then be spotted. At this point, there are a couple of good rapids left. Undercut is one of them. Don't be fooled into starting too far right on this one. The key is to start right of center and head toward the undercut rock on the right bank. Just make sure to cut back left well before the undercut is reached. Stay away from the bottom left side of this rapid. There is a nasty hole here known as Bloody Nose. I'm sure it is called this for a good reason. Fayette Station Rapid is last. No better way to end the trip than with an awesome wavetrain. Take out on river left.

Photos
McCreery to Stonecliff
8-2-03
6.1 ft. (6500 cfs) @ Thurmond
Click photo to enlarge

See Wildwater West Virginia
May be purchase at a reputable
paddling store

The first time I ran this river was early October 2001. The gauge at Hinton was around 1.7' Good level for open boats. It is advisable that open boats don't proceed over 2.5'

staying at the government campground. The next morning Alan joined us and we proceeded

Here the river increases in difficulty to a class II-III rating. Watch out for waves large enough to swamp open boats immediately. Spectacular canoeing if your boat is outfitted with floatation. The Hinton gauge was a 1.9'

There is a nice surfing ledge right above the old bridge piers at Glade.


Piers at Glade	Double ledge below McCreery

I recall a good rapid which I would say was the third rapid down from Meadow Creek. Ran this rapid 3 times in 2 years. It was best ran starting left and cutting far right. At levels around 1.9' there were some nice wavetrains here. Around 1.7' it became technical. Below 1.5' it left only one rocky route. I don't believe this is a named rapid but we were calling it "Nick's Nemesis" because he had some trouble there a couple of times (may have lost a fishin rod also)

We liked this river so much we decided to come back in late summer 2002 and this time primitive camp above Glade.

with camping gear. Hinton was at 1.5'. This made the routes more limited in places.


Me sitting in an eddy above McCreery taking photos	Alan chillin' in an eddy


Below "Nick's Nemesis"	Nick and Frank after a swim