The Cheat River drains 1,400 square miles in North Central West Virginia, joining the Monongahela River a few miles downstream of Morgantown, West Virginia near the Pennsylvania state line. It drains a massive area in the Monongahela National Forest and drains places like Canaan Valley, Cheat Mountain, Snowshoe, and the Elkins area. Some sections of the river downstream of where we are paddling in this Kid's Nature Corner are famous for whitewater. The Narrows' section is a family style whitewater run, and downstream the famous Class IV-V Cheat Canyon. The section we are paddling is from Holly Meadows Road to St. George, a Class I float trip.

A Day On The River

The Put-In
It took awhile to work out transportation arrangements to get all our boats and people to the starting point or as it is called in the river world the 'put-in'. We needed to keep enough cars at the stopping point, the take-out, so we could drive the vehicle drivers back to the put-in to retrieve the cars. We packed everything in a few vehicles and drove up Rte.72 along the Cheat River to the Holly Meadows road where we turned off to get to the put-in spot. We decided to do the shorter three mile trip so that we wouldn't be rushed and everyone could relax and have fun instead of worrying about how far we had to go. This turned out to be a good decision.

It took us a little while to get all of our rafts and duckies blown up with the air pumps but working together we got them blown up and carried the kayaks and canoes down to the river along with all our coolers, paddles, gear, lifejackets, etc, etc.

The kids all played in the river and had fun. A few kids weren't quite sure what to do when we put some of them in the inflatable kayaks and shoved them off.. Some of the group don't have that much river experience so there were some wide eyes at the start. After the first bend though everyone seemed happy and there were no worries. Life jackets worn by the kids and all non swimmers is the safe policy and everyone should have one along.

The Snake

All the kids and some of the adults swam as we floated , and we searched out a lunch spot after about a mile. The first spot we came to was a little cramped, and Caileigh almost immediately spotted a big beautiful black snake (Black Racer) resting peacefully up in the roots of the bank.

It was nice for him (or her?) to show itself to us and we got a real nice look of our new friend all stretched out as he slithered into a hole in the base of the tree roots. They are 'good' snakes and keep poisonous snakes away while also controlling the rodent population. Everyone got a good look and then we spotted a better lunch spot across the river with more room.

We paddled and some even swam across and we had a great lunch and fellowship while the kids swam and explored the riverbanks.

Forrest Swims
We had a ways to go and not soon after launching we heard the rumble of the thunder nation and the big clouds loomed behind us. We paddled on and had some fun going through the Class I riffles and swifter parts. Folks were trading around in boats and having a great time. Diana were mastering the art of ducking and Eljah was standing up in his boat 'striding'.

I was lucky enough to be a part of the rescue team assisting Forrest when he flipped over in one of the swift parts. His buddy Elijah was right there too and Forrest executed a perfect self rescue. He kept his feet up, and keeping control and a hold of his kayak and paddle, he floated safely and in control to the calm water. Elijah helped him to get over to me. We had Forrest climb into Diana's ducky boat, while Elijah and I wrestled his boat on top of Elijah's ducky to flip it over and empty it.

It was a team effort and throughout the whole rescue Forrest was brave and the best part was he got back in his boat. It was his first (but not his last) river flip and self rescue and we were all proud that he had handled it so well and by the book.

The Storm
Soon after that the thunder started to increase and we could see and feel the rain coming. It came with some wind, and some force and we were all caught a little unprepared for the sudden drop in temperature that comes with getting soaked. In retrospect we all were a little nonchalant in not bringing rain gear and being prepared better.

The rain intensified and the Robert's family had found a little rock ledge that appeared from nowhere. As we started for it we had some discussion about safety and lightning strikes. Discussion and cautious went out the door when all of sudden it started to hail. I looked at the shoreline by the rocks and saw no big trees so I figured we'd be ok. It was intense and the hail brought with it not only cold but it hurt some when it hit you. I had to cuddle and shield toddler Aeriella to protect her since she was riding with me and Cailegh was able to get out of the kayak and huddle under the ledge with Max and company. It poured and poured, and we huddled and huddled trying to laugh it off.

Finally after maybe 20 minutes it slackened some and started to only drizzle. We all shook it off and begin to collect in one spot along the shore. Wow. that was a challenge we all agreed, and we immediately started on downstream. We loaded alot of the duckies on the rafts and the flotilla was a little rougher for wear but still happy. The sun even poked out once and it turned out the take-out was only 1/2 mile downstream. That ledge was a miracle because I don't think the kids would have been to happy having to endure the rain and hail.

Home at Last in St. George
At the beach were soggy and happy, and our gear was everywhere as we re-grouped. The drivers went to the put-in and got the vehicles and then we had a cookout at a great spot. The kids even learned how to jump rope with Carol Calhoun putting on a nice demonstration...way to go Carol...didn't know you were a jump rope queen!

Everyone agreed we had a great time and the extreme weather event made it very memorable and a great learning experience. There was even talk of whitewater and multi-day trips on the Cheat.

Group photo time at the take out.

Best Water Levels 6"' to 3'
on the Albright Gauge