By Spider Rybaak I touched down right in the middle of Gauley Season, six weeks of awesome whitewater that lures paddlers from around the world to Fayette County. Spawned by the Corps of Engineers drawing down Summersville Lake for winter, this bubbly extravaganza lasts from the first weekend after Labor Day till the second week of October.
Experts classify it as the seventh most challenging whitewater in the world.
To ensure it stays that way, the National Park Service set aside the most exciting stretch as the Gauley River National Recreational Area . Go to GORP's paddling forum . Also in the neighborhood is the New River. Don't let the name fool ya. Dropping 750 feet in 50 miles, the New is guaranteed to make you wet.