PINEY CREEK, WEST VIRGINIA

Reported as experienced by Bernie Farley

On August 1, 2009 the crew rallied to paddle the Upper Meadow River. At 1600 cfs the run is over in a couple of hours so we decided to run the Middle Meadow River for the second run. We picked up another crew of three to make it a total of nine paddlers. It has been awhile since I paddled the Middle and I had forgotten how much fun it really is. A good time was had by all. At the take-out under the Rt. 19 bridge we decided that the Lower Meadow would be good to go for Sunday.

Saturday night it started to rain, and rain, and rain some more. Sunday morning the rivers and creeks were on the rise. The Lower Meadow was definitely off the table. When the creeks rise fast we head to the top of the mountain and paddle the creeks that usually don't run. Out the door I go to check out another favorite run at the top of the mountain that can no way be too high. Guess what? IT WAS TOO HIGH!

After a lot of phone calls back and forth and some head scratchin',we decided at noon to do a high water run on the Middle Meadow ( 5300 cfs ) and maybe, just maybe another run will come into play later. Five miles later after paddling HUGE waves and avoiding DEEP holes we were again, you guessed it, under the Rt. 19 bridge. We walked up to the top and decided to go in different directions and get beta on some other runs and rally for another paddle.

5:00 pm I get the call that Piney Creek in Beckley is the best bet. The first crew fizzled and a second crew was in the making. They will be referred to as the Three Amigos. Two Amigos were at the house and the third Amigo was in Fayetteville. At 6:00 pm we leave Fayetteville and are on our way to Piney Creek in Beckley. Drop a car at McCreary and off to the put-in, no problem, one of the Amigos knows exactly how to get there. Up Rt. 41 to Rt. 19 and turn left, sounds easy. To shorten this part of the story up, we had the opportunity to visit Old Beckley and were introduced to not one but two of Beckley's finest and one was nice enough to give me his autograph. During the information gathering session one of the Amigos was persistent with his wanting to know where Piney Creek was and both Officers did not have a clue what he was talking about. The same Amigo said they might want to search the vehicle but tell them no way because we are in a hurry! I could visualize my hands cuffed behind my back with an officer on either side lifting up on my wrists putting my feet in the air and dragging my baby soft complexion on the pavement. You betcha I have time!

7:15 pm we find the put-in...

" How long do you think it will take to paddle 12 miles Amigo?" Amigo says we should be off by dark and I am thinking Captain Thurmond Challenge was yesterday! Guess what, at 7:15 pm and still having to get geared up and put on the creek leaves only about an hour fifteen to paddle 12 miles. Surprise, surprise, it didn't happen. Amigo description was five easy boogie in, a couple steep in the middle, and five easy boogie out, no problem. The first seven were well described and we scorched it with daylight to spare. The next two were squint eyed approaches but the last three were pitch black. These are times that you dig deep inside the psyche, find that Batman sonar, look for the white, and hope that there is no wood in your near future. This was all good until everything was white in this so called easy boogie water in the pitch black dark of night. Your inner child is screaming, " What am I doing here?" I just closed my eyes and screamed like a little girl, and somehow, I made it to the bottom upright and alive! Good boat designs make a difference! By the way, do you need one?

This is a really fun creek that should be enjoyed after reading the description from a guide book, going with someone that knows the run, and with an adequate amount of daylight. The level was a lot of fun at 3.25' on the USGS gage. The water quality was not as bad as previously reported by other crews but you could smell the chlorine injection from the wastewater plant. There were no pollution foam piles that I could see while that was an option. PADDLE ON!

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