First March Weekend Update

So March has really started with a bang.  I've been quite busy out boating and working on lots of school stuff.  Since the last update, I've had a bunch of fun creeking in both northern WV and for the first time, I headed down to Fayetteville to fire up a creek down there, so here it goes:

Saturday, March 5th:
A few weeks ago Matt and I had a big group of people going down the Lower Big Sandy, but due to the cold on of the first timers hiked out before the first rapid because he just wasn't feeling it.  That guy is my very good friend Mike Maloney, and I knew he has had is eyes set on it for a while.  With a more forgiving water level, and warmer temperatures, and more laps under my belt, I took Mike down for his personal first descent (PFD) as we as he was my personal first guide (PFG???) and guinea pig down the LBS.

Everyone did very well, I shot some stills and some with the GoPro, and after we finished Chris and I met Clark for a second lap, and Mike headed to the Dry Fork with some other boaters.  While the first lap went very smoothly, the second lap, not so much.  We had a swim in the last hole above Wonder Falls and I chased a boat full of water over the falls and almost into the Poop Chute.  Thankfully I was able to bulldoze the boat away from  being destroyed in the Poop Chute, ferried across the lip of Wonder, and made it down safely to continue chasing the boat.  After Big Splat, I got pinned under a log because of low water and Chris has a meeting with the rock in 1st Island, as well as a sweet hand roll recovering.  Unfortunately, I didn't have the GoPro on when we ran it, so no footage.  After getting to the take-out, both of us were beat and decided a triple run day on the LBS was going to have to wait for another day.  We all headed home, and later Chris and I met up at the new Mountain State Brewing Co. brewpub in Morgantown.  I didn't take many pictures, but here's what I got.

Chris doing a little LBS Rodeo in a trashy hole

Mike getting a piece of it too.

Mike at the take-out after his first successful LBS run:

Chris chilling below Wonder Falls after someone's out of boat experience.

The paddle to the take-out

And last but not least, the helmet cam video:

LBS GoPro HD Run

Sunday, March 6th
Yesterday started early, with a 170 mile drive from Morgantown to the Tudors Biscuit World in Fayetteville to meet with the Marshall University Whitewater Club President Brian Bridgewater and his friends to run Mill Creek, a steep and fun tributary of the New River.   Mill was nice because it is pool-drop in nature compared to pretty continuous stuff that I am used to, and the drops are all super fun.  The section that we ran finishes, or shall I say climaxes in a 100 yard long slide, into a small pool above a 30 footer.  SCHWEEEET!  I'll let you in on the pics from the trip, and a short that I put together late last night.  A full video will be out later, when I have more time to edit the monster, and more upload credits through Vimeo.

Brian after F-up I mean...Mess Up Falls

Casey running one of the many slides on Mill Creek

Brian on Mill Creek Falls

Cody dropping Mill Creek Falls

Radley dropping Mill Creek Falls

Casey dropping Mill Creek Falls

Hiking up the hill after running the falls

So that's about wraps up the weekend.  Waiting on Mark and the Bad News Boat Squad to show up for another epic day of paddling.

Oh, and the video.....
Mill Creekin' Sneak Peakin'

SYOTR,

Radley