Buckhannon Trip

  Saturday we headed to Webster Springs to "Shred" the Elk. We cruised up the road to Bergoo and took several hours to get back. We happened to be there the same day as the Webster Wildwater Weekend. We hadn't planned for it and we were running a little late so we missed most of the festivities. The Elk is a beautiful class II-III (IV) run. It had plenty of water on Saturday the 5th, and we all had a great time shredding. Shayne was the only swimmer, during a moment of inattention.

We headed west on April 4th to Buckhannon, WV for Bill Ward's Annual Spring Time trip. Bill's family ownsa "holler" and they always graciously allow us to stay in his Grandparent's old place. We had a great weekend. It was sunny and warm during the day and rained every night. 

  The last couple years there had been a shortage in the rainfall category making many of these smaller volume streams hard to catch running. This year was quite the change. We got a different run in every day. Friday we caught the Middle Fork of the Tygart at bare minimum. It was a good time none the less. Everyone's run was uneventful.

 Sunday was the day we had all been waiting for though. The 4 mile run on the Buckhannon River down to Sago was perfect. The level was 8 feet and the weather was beautiful. The class III-IV run was a great time, and we had a few minor mishaps. 

  This is a very unique and beautiful run in total seclusion in the heart of West Virginia. We stopped and saw the Sago Church featured so often on the news and went to the memorial for the miners that lost their lives in the collapse January 2, 2006. It was very touching.

There were about 15 of us on the trip, and everyone has been talking about it since we got back. 3 days of good paddling and a great time by all. Wow, what an adventure! 

- Matt Knott