So this weekend started off early. My buddy John hit me up on Wednesday about a secret creek in Northern WV that dropped 1000 ft in just under two miles. With rain on its way and snow melt to boot I figured we needed to make a trip of it. I got my schedule worked out called in sick for work on Friday and took off Thursday evening for Morgantown. After meeting John in Fayetteville we headed to WVU for some entertainment at their roll sessions. The whole way up was nothing but talk of how stoked we were that this creek might run. We didn't even discuss alternatives, we knew it was gonna happen. We got to WVU and I got to meet the crew who were surprisingly cool with the fact that I was a Marshall boater. Boating can bridge all gaps I guess, even the hatred of rival schools. After realizing I may have the narrowest hips on the planet for a boater because I felt like a hot dog in a hallway in everyones boat we headed to Radley's for some beers and planning. At the apt we put together the game plan and I finished up some work that needed to be turned in the following day for class. Brenton showed up with the enthusiasm we had all hoped for, since he was the only one who had been on the secret creek before, he had a good feeling it was gonna run. After another beer we decided to hit the hay since we would be getting up in less than five hours.
We arise to the phone call of Brenton's buddy telling us he was gonna be late so to sleep in a bit. As good college boys do we sac back out forgetting to set an alarm. We were inevitably running late. We drove for an hour or so when we see Nori and his gang driving the opposite direction and pointing to turn around. We figure they must have checked and the run was to low. We were all slightly bummed about getting skunked but there was definitely enough water for something to run. I was worried cause I had my mind wrapped around the 2 miles of steep and clean drops and all I knew of the other creeks around Cannan was that they tended to be manky and hard. So we followed the caravan and found ourselves headed for Otter Creek. I had heard of this place from Logan and how remote and beautiful it was. We get to the take out and the local guys say the level looks low but we thought we would give it ago since it had rained most the morning. Little did we know, that rain was gonna give us more than we wanted. We got to the put in rolling 9 deep and walking through almost a foot of snow. Two miles later we find ourselves at the put in for the run. Everyone is pretty stoked there is flow since this is a true source to mouth run starting in a marsh atop Cannan valley and ending in the Dry fork. We meander and portage the slow water through trees and Rhododendron that made it feel like we were in a maze. The gradient picked up until we hit a nice 15 foot drop with a slide landing. We got out to look at it and this would be one of the easiest big rapids as well as one of the last we got out to scout. At this point Nori told us that this was the highest he had ever seen it and since he was the only one who had run this 13 mile class 4-5 creek we were all kinda wondering what was to come. The only word to describe the rest of the day was EPIC and not in the high five the bros and drink a beer as you reflect on all the lines you styled. It was epic in the sense that we all made it out alive. God must have known I wanted to see my 24th birthday the following Tuesday.
We paddled another mile or so portaged a drop with a tree in it and then the bottom seemed to fall out of the creek. It got steep and continuous with good eddies had to find. Good thing Heath taught me when I first started paddling that being able to catch crappy non existent eddies was the most important thing when running hard creeks. I hated it at the time cause I always flipped but on this day his help and advise from those early trips definitely helped. John and Brenton were out front probing the drops and giving us the ok if it looked clear of wood, after that it was read and run stout drops. The crew was obviously on the brink and we were all working together to keep everyone safe when we had our first mishap. One of the guys swam after getting beat on in a hole and John ended up getting shoved into the biggest drop of the day blind. The boat pinned and I was out of my boat with the rope running through the snow to make sure John was ok. He was already out of his boat knowing we needed to get the boat free up stream and keep moving down river if we had any hope of making it off by dark. Brenton clipped into a rope and jumped in to get the boat. He clipped a line to it and we got it to shore. Most the crew walked that drop because it ended in a bad hole with an undercut and a pin rock guarding the exits. I was amazed John had run it blind and made it out clean.
We started on our way still moving quick and the group had got its flow back. Everyone was showing signs of fatigue and we were only half way through the class 5 section. We dropped into another stout drop and one of the guys that was in an open canoe ended up swimming. He is a bad ass boater but this creek was raging and his boat had disappeared. His buddy swam again and his boat was pig nosed and paddle broken. He put back on with a spare breakdown paddle and continued for a ways looking for the canoe but it was gone. The group all eddied out on the bank and talked things over. We made the call that the open boater and his friend needed to walk out together because we didn't have time to keep looking for the boat. As they started what would be a 5 mile hike in the snow out we continued to bomb down the run. After a rapid where everyone in the crew got pinned including myself in a hair situation we got back in our groove. Running drops catching an eddy getting the ok and dropping in. It seemed like we were in the twilight zone cause the big drops just kept coming. Everyone took there fair share of beat downs and donkey kong attacks but we were moving down the river always looking behind you when you caught a thank God eddy to make sure the guy behind you was still ok. We made it to the lower section of class 3-4 drops and everyone was elated to be out of the mayhem. We bombed down the last 3 miles in no time and made it to the take out. The whole group hollered and yelled because we had made it. It was like we had been to battle and all made it out alive, but what about the guys walking.
It was getting dark and was definitely cold out and Nori had a flat tire. We sent two back up the trail with lights and dry clothes for the guys walking while we ran shuttle. After running the hour and a half shuttle and Brenton almost crapping his pants driving his CRV out the 4wd roads we made it back with food and a beer for the rest of the crew. We had all made it out alive!!! The drive home was quiet and sleep was a welcome reward when we got to the cabin. John and I woke up the next morning sore and tired, my shoulder had an awkward ache to it, so even though there was awesome paddling to be had we decided to make our way home. After all we had an epic day end only 8 hours ago. I stopped by the Tudors in Fayetteville and thought to myself as I looked outside how happy I was that everything had gone as well as it had the day prior. It could have turned out alot worse and I was thankful we had all made it out. My view of whitewater changed after that day. I had run hard drops and gotten beat down before but on Otter creek there wasn't the option of walking up the hill to the car or backing out without consequence. There can be real consequence when paddling hard whitewater in remote areas which adds to the experience and feeling of boating. The key is to be prepared, listen to your gut at the put in and give it your all cause the outcome otherwise may not be so kind.
