Mystery Archive
Mid Atlantic
The Cheat River, WV
By Jim Snyder
The Cheat River is the birthplace of the squirt sport and mystery moves. Jesse Whittemore evolved the sport into
high performance play and inspired Jim and Jeff Snyder to follow suit. Jesse went on to design and build boats
in Friendsville, Maryland. but Jim and Jeff pursued the sport in Albright, West Virginia- the put in for the Cheat
Canyon. Jim went on to design short squirt boats in an attempt to get cartwheelable boats. And Jesse pretty much
stayed with designing long, fast, pointy squirt boats. Jesse discovered Blasting, Backblasting, Splats, and Bow
Screws- so his contribution to the sport is quite noteworthy. The first mystery moves in a squirt boat were done
by Jim Snyder in a small eddy at the top of Decision Rapid - the first rapid in the Canyon. No one even lays in
this obscure little eddy anymore. There are only a few mystery spots on the Cheat. Its best squirt levels are relatively
low (2-2.5') and so it tends to be shallow. The river is full of good Mush Move spots and has superb blasting available
at Cueball Rapid at these levels.
The Mystery Spot Below Calamity
This place has never been properly named like most mystery holes.( It is now known as Fascination ally) It lies
about 100 yards below Calamity Rock Rapid on the "Narrows" section of the Cheat- 10 miles upstream of
the Canyon. It is frequented at very low levels (below 1') in the summer because you can drive to it and get meager
but consistent downtime (DT). At higher levels the eddy line gets kind of squirrely and consistent DT is harder
to get- but not impossible. The best eddyline lies on "Attainer's Right" (river left). There the river
kicks sharply off a shoreside rock and forms seams with other lesser slabs in the area. You use a steep charc with
your bow partially submerged before you engage and try to drop quickly. You might get just a couple seconds downtime
but you can get consistent good results. This is a good place to work on Black Attacks and is where Jim developed
Light Loops. It's also an excellent place to do Screws.
The attainer's left eddy line can yield results also but takes a different handling. The easiest way to get good
DT is to go way to the top of the eddy and use a backcut mystery. You can even ride the mystery into the main slab
and across it into the eddy on the river left shore- stay underwater and leave that eddy on a mystery also. Another
way to mystery on this side is to come out much lower- maybe 20' downstream and use a "regular" charc
and try to link up with seams squishing around in the middle of the slab there. Just keep winging down and being
persistent and you will travel a bit but quite likely get acceptable to good DT. Local boaters also enjoy swimming
through mysteries at these low levels and often get major DT and travel big distances.
Slam Dunk
This is a powerful mystery spot about 60 yards downstream of Armadillo Rock, halfway down the Cheat Canyon. A large
low rock splits the main slab of the currents just to the left of center. You leave the eddy breaking left and
try to engage your upstream hip fully and drop pretty much level but winging down. Only do three turns underwater
at the most or you will have a chance to whack a shallow rock that waits off to river right or you may go too far
downstream to recover into the eddy easily. This is a good place to perform dervishlike black attacks and is an
excellent play spot at the right levels (2'-3'). The drawdown is profound and can be disconcerting but there is
no history of anyone ever having a bad ride or getting whacked here.
Cueball
Cueball is famous for it's blasting hole which is similar to Swimmers Hole on the Lower Yough- but cranked up about
double. The optimal level for the hole is 2.3-2.5 when it is fluffed up a bit and has strong shoulders but still
an intense slab. Good squirt boaters can achieve blasting transitions and shudder Rudders at will here although
it isn't easy. There is an excellent mystery spot on downstream 100 feet just to the left of the big splat rock.
Here the currents pile into steep sided bedrock slabs which form the river left shore and form ponderous but fickle
seams. The trick is to wait just on the upstream flow section of the seam area and wait for a big seam to lumber
your way. When it does attack it quickly and drop fast winging down hard but level into the encroaching slab and
seam. If you get lucky your head will disappear for a few seconds and you will get up to 4' deep as you spin. This
is a very powerful and dynamic arena and doesn't lend itself well to roaming. But it is definitely worth a detour
if you are ever passing by.
Recyc
Short for "Recyclotron" this was once one of the best mystery spots in the Appalachians. After the flood
of 1996 the pool level below the slide type hole dropped 2' and destroyed the mystery capabilities the arena had.
When it was good- from 1985-1996 you could easily get 3-5 seconds DT and often 8-10 seconds. This was one of the
first places where paddlers experimented with big DT (over 6 seconds). It was named by Jim Snyder after Paul Marshall
named the flume-like drop below it- "the Cyclotron" in the spring of 1986. The Cyclotron disappeared
in the flood of 1996. The best charc was breaking left from the center to dive with a shallow charc into the thin
slab and drop sideways to a point where the bedrock bottom fell away. At this point you could drop deeper into
an underwater eddy with the currents passing just over your head. Then when you had enough you could easily hit
the up button and erupt vertically next to the waiting mystery riders. A few people and boats were speared this
way with rude bows. You could also break right from the center and get respectable DT although you would often
travel in this mode and so couldn't roam as peacefully. In the final days before the 1996 flood, squirt boaters
were starting to have a problem with boogie board riders who would drop in for verrry long rides- to the excitement
of no one. They ended up trying to work next to the boogie boardom and that was often a successful solution. When
Recyc was big - anything over 3'- it was (and still is) way burly and gave violent and dynamic- although not impossible
rides. Jeff Snyder was master of riding these levels- often jumping in at 6' and higher. At this level the foam
pile is at least 6' tall and 50' wide and the slab is about 2' thick. The ride is often so violent you often become
an end throwing speck. Jeff seemed to bide his time calmly and well though in all conditions. There is good footage
of him in there with just handpaddles at 6' in the video "Token of My Extreme".
Bottom of "What" Rapid
"What" Rapid is the last significant rapid in the Canyon but still about 2.5 miles from the take-out.
At the very bottom of the rapid is a large rock splitting the currents in the center of the river. You eddy up
behind the left side of the rock and leave the eddy very close to the rock with a steep diving charc. You have
to wing down as you are dropping vertically. If you do it right you will be pulled down abruptly and sent for a
spin or two before the currents force you up- very similar charcs and conditions to Trash Compactor on the Lower
Gauley. The thing to remember here is to not travel back into the eddy underwater if you can help it. There is
a rock about 4.5' deep on the eddy line and it can give you a rude whack if you don't give it some space.
Last Mystery
There is a little known mystery spot just above the final riffle going into Jenkinsburg. It is at the bottom left
of the rapid above the riffle and is only distinguished by a low lying rock with strong deep currents to the left
of it- almost next to the shore. You break out high going right with a steep diving charc and try to link up with
a seam about 18" beyond the eddy. If you get it right your head will disappear for a couple seconds. You travel
a lot and can't get much support from the eddies so it is very fickle but worth a stop if you have any energy left.
Upper Gauley River, West Virginia
By Jim Snyder
The Upper Gauley is one of the original playgrounds of squirt boaters and it has several good places to play although
they tend to be pretty powered up. There is an excellent mush move available from the top of the river left eddy
at the "Parking Lot Waves". Drop in high and slow, being careful to avoid the big obtrusive rocks lurking
on the eddy side of the eddyline. After you travel a little bit the currents power up and will gobble you readily.
Remember to watch out for ignorant plastic boaters who will have no idea what you are doing and may try to leave
the eddy to tap the waves- right into your path of course.
The First Mystery Spot
This is an un-named place downstream of Initiation Rapid about 100 yards. A large rock splits the main currents
and creates an obvious eddy to try. You break out bearing left and can go regular or backcut. People rarely get
decent downtime here though but it is a good place to work out early trip jitters and get tuned to your equipment.
It's also a good place for screws- even in a rodeo boat. The best charc is a hard fast drop close to the top of
the eddy and you might get a few spins before the currents urge you up. This isn't a bad place to sample but not
a wise place to spend a lot of energy and get cold early in the trip.
The Spot Below Pillow
This is another un-named spot down a bit from- but in sight- of Pillow Rock Rapid. A modest sized rock splits currents
obstinately near the river left shore. The small eddy is powerful and dynamic and there is often kayak and raft
traffic passing by so you have to be on your toes to get your timing to jive with the traffic. The charc is short
sweet and powerful but quite worthwhile. Use some speed to pierce in close to the rock- bearing left. Drop steep
and fast with significant winging down in a near vertical mode. You'll get pulled under eagerly but then spit back
up after just a turn. Still it is dynamic and smooth and easy on the body. The eddy can't take many paddlers but
this spot is always worth a stop on your way by. This is another cool place for big black attacks or light loops.
Sweet Cheeks
This is a little understood and used mystery spot which is a favorite of old schoolers. It was named by Eric Lindberg
and Whitney Shields back in the ancient days of the sport because substantial mysteries result in a gentle spanking
off the bottom of the river. It lies around the corner from Pillow Rock and is a very obscure ripple in the currents
below a riffle- pretty much in the center of the now sedated river. The most used charc is a slow dropping backcut.
Come out of the attainer's right eddy with a lot of speed to cross the 30' of currents you need to. Use this speed
to transfer into a lateral dropping charc as you wing down with the left hip to tap into meager currents falling
off an underwater ledge. Stay very flat and spin slowly and expect a second push of energy from the significant
downstream currents you just crossed. People who get really big DT here (over 7 seconds) then tap into a juicy
seam which starts right after the initiation zone and proceeds very far downstream. You can turn slowly or just
proceed downstream on a kind of straight mush move like charc. You can also use a regular charc- bearing your bow
to the left in the initiation zone- but this is a complicated charc which is really a sophisticated form of mush
move bearing left and looking downstream. For this charc leave the eddy and cross the currents and enter the initiation
zone a bit more upstream than you otherwise would. This place is definitely worth a good stay as it is plastic
repellent and even easy to work around the significant raft traffic.
Sherlock
This is one of the most powerful and fickle mystery spots on the entire Gauley. It lies just to river right of
Postage Due rock below Sweets Falls. It was named by Jim Snyder around 1989 because if you do it right you can
"Sure Lock" into big DT as you "solve the mystery". The best levels are 2,000- 2,500 cfs. People
rarely do it right. This is firstly difficult because rafts often tie up in the eddy for long lunches and completely
block the entrance charc. "HAHA! Tough Luck" they laugh. If there are no rafts there it is still a difficult
approach. There are strong currents encroaching from the right as they exit the "Room of Doom". Then
you are pressed close to the undercut Postage Due rock - who's steep face often gets in the way of your right blade.
because of this it is advisable to enter the approach eddy with some speed so you can coast through the tenuous
final feet before you engage the slab. Enter the slab within two feet of the rock. You don't need a steep dive
but you would do well to wing down strongly. You will zoom into travel mode quickly and finally encounter support
from the eddy about 10-15' downstream. If you have been able to get deep by this point you are in for some real
big DT- over 10 seconds. You may travel a bit downstream and chances are you will be at least 4-6' deep. Remember
to exit breaking left to re- attain the eddy before you travel too far downstream or getting back will be very
difficult. A cool aspect of this arena is that it usually features many hundreds of raft customer spectators who
get their first look at mystery moves. This often results in loud rousing cheers from the peanut gallery (uh...
if you do well- otherwise it's possible to provoke confusion and laughter- so this arena is not without risk).
Mastercard/Visa
This is a very powerful drop zone halfway down the last rapid of the Upper Gauley. It involves a 2' high pourover
with a soft shoulder on attainer's right. You eddy up behind the hole and break out bearing right. Pierce your
bow into the slab and then proceed to quickly engage your left hip into the slab. Wing down and prepare for dynamic
but short (3-4 seconds) DT. You will be traveling fast towards rocks immediately downstream so don't lurk or roam.
Just blast down and back up and catch your breath because it is pretty exhilarating. This arena is so powerful
you can even disappear rodeo boats here.
The Last Mystery Spot
This little obscure un-named spot is actually the home to a lot of fun! In recent years people have been destination
boating here by driving into the take out at Panther Creek. It lies at the river right bottom of the last rapid
of the Upper Gauley. It is a small low rock on attainer's left bordering some modest currents with a delicious
shape. Come out high and drop your bow deeply but also count on significant winging down with your left hip. Turn
quickly underwater back into the eddy you left for some support but then proceed to turn slowly without traveling
too far to attain fines DT's of 5 seconds or more. This place proves it's the shape and not size of the currents
which dictate how well you can drop. People often enjoy spending a half hour or more here-no matter how tired they
are- because it is real easy on the body.
Lower Gauley River, West Virginia
By Jim Snyder
The Lower Gauley features some of the very best mystery arenas in the world. This is balanced by the fact that
it has a lot of flatwater to paddle at the end of the trip. Blasting Five Boat Hole at Koontz' Flume is a must
do for any serious squirt boater. It offers an intense but likable ride with plenty of opportunity for transitions.
There are also super nice waves lower in the trip for super nice surfers.
Trash Compactor
This is a special spot at the way bottom right of Junkyard Rapid. It was named by Dale Adams around 1993 (?). It's
against the river right shore and plunges deeply off the side of an small underwater rock. You come in with speed
but coast your final charc (good technique anywhere). Come in very close to the rock- almost scraping it and dive
steep and fast with a plunging charc while you wing down hard in a vertical mode. You will soon gain support of
the eddy which powers up the slabs ability to drive you deep. Good riders can easily go very deep for over 7 seconds.
There is a bit of travel involved but it's not like you're roaming. You can also do powered up exits because the
squeeze here is sooo dynamic. Timid or inexperienced boaters usually get lesser results here. Keep your charc clean
and simple because this place is so powered up that it can torque your body if you are waffling around. Don't fight
it- find your way to the center of the earth here. If you put too much into it- it will bite back and you might
even end up getting dogged around or doing an ignoble roll in front of your friends. So be careful- but enjoy!
It's one of the best spots on the river.
Twisted Sister
This is the most famous and accommodating mystery spot in West Virginia. Which isn't to say it's not fickle. Even
homeboys often sample the Sister for an hour before she yields the good stuff. It is about 2 miles into the Lower
Gauley near some play waves which are usually littered with plastic- above Upper Mash Rapid. It is a mere wrinkle
at the way bottom left of the rapid. It features an underwater ledge- where you get your down force, a large supporting
eddy- which maintains excellent downtime, and a couple noteworthy rocks- which it behooves you to work around.
It is successfully worked with regular and backcut charcs. Big downtime here is over 20 seconds and involves a
lot of travel- but that is the Schnelle Zone. Most paddlers tap into 3-7 second drops with excellent sweet aesthetics.
It was named by Eric Lindberg and Whitney Shields around 1990 and has remained a favored haunt of shadow riders
since then. It was named that because they liked the name- not because of anything going down easy or juicy seams
or anything like that. The regular charc usually yields the best downtime but is often hard to cypher out- especially
for beginners here. The trick is to leave the eddy consistently- about15-18 inches away from the upstream rock.
Travel with some speed across the approach currents hitting you from the right and generate some lateral speed
which will feed you into the maw of the abyss. Look for the farthest right corner of the mini-wave there and approach
that spot with your bow sunk about 1' but sitting up centered over your wing. The idea is to engage your hip fully
and smoothly in the upstream slab which is plummeting quietly over the invisible ledge. If you do it right you
bow will clear over the ledge with only inches to spare- even though the ledge is about 15" under the surface
and hard to see. Use a single sustained stroke to smooth and guide the impact with the slab. Once you hit- drop
fast with a smooth wingdown and turn back sharply into the eddy. This is not a good time to travel. Once you've
re-established contact with the eddy you can keep spinning at a nice pace and prolong your downtime. There are
special concerns about traveling too far here also- which I will mention later. Another good option is to drop
fast to about 4' deep and then do a full loop (barrel roll) on your way back to the surface. This is where loops
were first developed by Jim Snyder in the fall of 1996. You can also wait until you are nearly breaking the surface
and do a "Retarded Loop" or wait until your head breaks the surface and do a "Light Loop".
You can also do stunning and awesome mobiusequences here to really show your stuff- although homeboys almost never
do because they are saving their energy and feet for downtime. The backcut charc is also very effective here. Approach
the same way but a bit more downstream like you are trying to catch a surf on the mini-wave. Then deeply engage
your bow in the furthest right tiniest corner of the mini-wave and use a powerful sustained up-directed backstroke
on the right to jam your left hip into the slab. You don't need to wingdown much here because you are going down
big time no matter what if you've done the approach right. The best thing to do next is to stall or use some magic
force to sustain spins against the whirlpool energies. No one knows exactly how this works- but it sure does here!
It's also fun and effective to stop your spin and reverse it. The one thing it's not a good idea to do is to travel
fast backwards along the ledge in this mode. There are 2 underwater rocks of concern here. Both are about 4.5'
deep and a ways away from the drop zone but still quite accessible. They are called the Pinning Rock and the Rock
That Waits. The Pinning Rock is out in the center of the river and is usually encountered by mystery riders traveling
backwards along the ledge from a backcut approach. You will get there in about 3 seconds from a very deep drop
and will have a half second of turbulence to warn you that a hard crash is imminent. This is your one chance to
hit the up button. Often people who drop deep and travel here see shadows of neighboring rocks pass by above them
on their way. If you hit the rock- which has been done too often- quickly turn vertical and try to splat your way
off the face. People who impact this rock often get deep scars on their hulls and report that the hull crushed
on them- a very bad sign. But no one has ever been pinned seriously and most people just live by the discipline
of not roaming into the neighborhood. The Rock That Waits gets a lot of visitors. It is down in the eddy- just
on the eddy side of the eddy line about 25' downstream of the drop zone. It takes a deep drop and about 3.5 turns
to find yourself parked there. You have to stay deep the whole way to really visit. When Jeff Schnelle gets his
big downtime here he has to navigate past this rock underwater. I'm not sure it's well marked at all, but there
is distinct turbulence for a full second before you get there. A good way to guarantee that you will never park
on the rock is to keep your boat only 4' deep in this area. This way you will pass over the rock for sure. Five
feet deep is asking for it though- so be precise. It helps to open your eyes and keep a reading on the surface
so you know how deep you are if you venture down that way. There have been a large number of pins and whacks on
this rock and no one has been crushed badly on it- although Knuckle Down Guthrie got his moniker by mauling his
innocent hand between the rock and his boat once. It's pretty benign though and there's a chance that Dan's choice
of coffee had something to do with the incident. The beauty of this spot is that it is easy on the body and yields
very consistent good results for practiced players here. It is a high point of the year for mystery artists and
there are sublime gatherings which occur in the fall season. It's a classic Mecca that should be on every squirt
boaters list of places to visit.
New River, West Virginia
By Jim Snyder
The big and beautiful New River has many mush and mystery spots - but only a couple worthy of a few hours diversion.
But one is one of the first and most famous and fickle of all mystery spots-
The Halls of Karma
This classic arena was properly named by Jim Snyder after a Black Oak Arkansas song about being torn between "God
and the Devil". It was named around 1979- before squirt boating began- when river guides used to amuse themselves
by swimming the whirlpools after being shown how by Tim Kanannen. It is one of the first arenas where squirt boaters
sought out big DT. It is exceedingly fickle and yet serves up major downtime to true devotees. The best levels
are when it is pretty low and stable- from 0 to -2'. A major portion of the river is slamming off a huge rock at
the way bottom left of Lower Keeney Rapid. The river is quite deep here, even at low levels, although the bottom
has been touched a very few times by people who dive deeply into the hearts of big whirlpools. The charc involves
breaking out from behind the rock bearing left. For the best DT you need to turn sharply underwater before you
travel too far and tap back into the eddy for support. This requires engaging the slab very close to the rock-
within about a foot of it- and winging down hard right away semi-vertically. Many people waste hours here by making
the mistake of dropping too slowly and trying to link up with an obvious seam about 3' out which is derived from
the pillow formed by the rock. You can link up with the seam but you rarely get any good downtime at all because
you travel fast without spinning and lose any support from the eddy. Some people, like Jeff Schnelle, get huge
DT here and do travel to get it- about 50-80' in 20-25 seconds. But it is all based off an initial deep drop and
using support from the river left eddy. Sometimes you can get a good ride by traveling across the currents underwater
and downstream a bit and tapping into the river right eddy. But this is very dynamic travel and usually people's
up buttons get greasy from all the action and they have premature evacuations. At any rate, this is a superb place
to play for many hours and you have to pace yourself, bring drinks, snacks and rest periodically to get the best
of the arena.
Thread the Needle
This is just upstream from Fayette Station about a quarter mile where two huge rocks sit in the middle of the river.
The mystery eddy is on attainer's right below the rocks and near shore. It is only about a two boat eddy with a
vague looking eddy line. It is good at most levels but best at lower levels. You leave the eddy very high near
a micro wave and use a flat slow drop to tap into a distant seam in the currents. You have to travel 5-8 feet to
find the seam and by then your head should be disappearing. You can usually have your head gone for 2-3 seconds
and this is an excellent arena for explosive black attacks or light loops. It's easy to get consistent results
here at lower levels if you have any energy left
Read Hole, On Passage Creek, VA
Here’s some info on a great, little-known mystery spot on Passage Creek near Front Royal, VA .
The AWA Link will give you some more Info. (http://www.americanwhitewater.org/rivers/id/1981/)
The spot is called Red Hole, and it’s about 2/3s of the way down the run through Passage Creek Gorge. It is road
side and can be easily located just above the nice rapid with a rock retaining wall against the road on the river
left side. The actual spot is on the river left side, and it is a seam/eddyline that comes off of a small six inch
ledge. The ledge is angled from left to right going downstream. The prime entry point is about two feet in from
the end of the ledge/seam, and is best attacked with a regular charc going left, and shallow hip angle. If you
hit it in the right place, the drop is effortless and instantaneous, and a steep forceful entry is not necessary.
The hydrodynamics of the ledge is similar to Last Chance at the takeout of the Upper G, but going left instead
of right and the ledge is angled downstream a bit more. Once you get the hang of Red Hole, you can roam easily
even without an entry stroke. At the prime levels, even a novice mystery mover will sink out of sight with ease.
Many times you will bounce smoothly along the sandy/gravel bottom for 8-10 seconds before emerging ten or fifteen
feet downstream. In my experience, I have yet to find any spot that dishes out such high success with minimal effort.
Below the spot is a thirty yard pool before the river runs into the next rapid, and the eddy on river left at the
spot is plenty big. One major drawback is trout fishermen. In season, the stream is choked with fisherman and Red
Hole is definitely a favorite fishing spot. It is also a favorite summer swimming hole for locals, but usually
the creek is far too low in the summer months.
Anything above one foot on the painted route 55 gage will work, with prime levels between 1.5 – 3 feet. As for
directions, I believe they are posted in the AWA link above.
By, Joel D. Meadows
Directions Below from--Chris Fewster
Red Hole, Passage Creek, Strasburg, VA:
Located off Rt. 55 east of
Strasburg just upstream of the state fish hatchery and downstream of
Elizabeth Furnace. Look for an angled ledge on river right with a deep
pool. There is some rock art and a sign that marks the spot. Extremely hard
to catch with water.
This section By, Chris Fewster
Down Under, McCoy Falls,
Upper New River, VA:
Located on the New River at the
site of the annual New River Rodeo near Blacksburg. From Rt. 460 take
Prices Fork Rd. then McCoy Rd and follow it until there is a parking area on
right near County line. Spot is located on river right at the top ledge.
Level should be between 3.0 and 4.3 ft at Radford USGS gage. Runs regularly
in the winter and spring from weekday releases from Claytor lake
The Bubbler Posted by ricky
This new mystery spot is really cool! Locals have been getting rides from 8 - 10 seconds pretty consistent and
it is very gentle with lots of bubbles for the view. Drop similar to Last Chance on the Gauley, but smoother rides.
Camping available in the Jefferson National Forest (Norris Run Road toward Pandapas Pond... primitive in the forest
10 min. & great Mountain Biking Area), Claytor Lake State Park 30 min. off Interstate 81 near Dublin, White
Rocks Campground pay spots in the National Forest near Ripplemeade off Route 460 turn on Route 635 near 460 bridge
that crosses over the New River and go 17 miles up the mountain about 45 minutes from the mystery spot & plenty
of hotels in Blacksburg where Virginia Tech is located.
DIRECTIONS:
From D.C., Richmond, & Charlotte or South: take I-81 to exit 118 in Christiansburg which is the Blacksburg
VaTech exit. Take rt. 460 West towards Blacksburg for approximately 10 minutes to the 2nd Price's Fork Road exit.
This is rt. 685 towards Price's Fork--away from Blacksburg
From Beckley, Charleston (W.Va.), Ohio, Kentucky: take I-77 to the Princeton exit. Take rt. 460 East for approximately
45 minutes to the 1st Price's Fork Road exit, this is Prices Fork exit -away from Blacksburg.
Once on rt. 685 towards Price's Fork, turn right onto MCCoy Road(across from Snuffy's Market) and follow to stop
sign (several miles). Turn right at stop sign (Big Falls Road)and go about 2 miles on left. You will first see
Big Falls Rapid which is the home of the New River Rodeo and just down stream 1/4 mile will be a pull off on the
left (just before you cross over the RR tracks the second time)this is the parking for the Bubbler
Mellow Ledge, New River Gorge, WV:
Located 1/2 mile upstream of the Fayette
Station bridge between Millers Folly (Undercut) and Thread the Needle. On
river left side at a sloping ledge. Best between 3.5 to 5 ft. Very nice
gentle mysteries. You can eater paddle or walk up to it.
The Attomattox River in Petersburg, VA
I noticed a "Danger Whirlpool" sign. I got to talking to a fisherman and he said that at higher flows
a "dangerous" undercurrent from where the channel narrows and where an underwater ledge is located A
BIG Whirlpool forms . All of this occurs under the aluminum bridge (highway 36). Has anyone squirted here?
I got my first mystery at this spot. In short at high water (4 ft +), stay away!! This thing gets ugly fast. Since
that time I've spent many a day squirting from the Pipeline down to the whirlpool and had a blast in the deep currents.
Best levels seem to be somewhere in the 8" to 3' range. Each level has a preferred spot to play, and it is
well worth the effort to stop.
The Gages
Old RC gage at matoaca bridge. about 3'- on the USGs matoaca gage is around 0". On RC gage. Somewhere around
18".- On RC (4.5' on USGS) seemed to be the funnest level. Take a look below for a warning!!!
Dangerous whirlpool below the route 36 bridge near the takeout at Virginia State University. I recommend taking
off the river before this hole that roams around a twenty by thirty foot area. Also, the eddy on right side has
very fast upstream current. A tall dam with keeper hydraulics is 200 yards downriver. The entire Appomattox runs
through this tiny granite notch. It is over forty-five feet deep underneath the bridge according to some SCUBA
divers I ran into when the river was a lot lower!
Take off the river just after Target rock rapid if you want to avoid this monster whirlpool. The whirlpool forms
underneath the bridge at Virginia State University at higher water. If you can see the bridge think about getting
off the river. You can scout this easily when you set up your shuttle before getting on the river. There is a dam
200 yards down river of this whirlpool which adds to the danger. I've seen debris enter this hole and come back
up about seventy-five feet down river. If you hear that the Appomattox is flooding its fun just to watch this hole.
It is really awesome. Just don't fall off of the rocks!