Pillow Rock Gauley River 2017

The view while hanging out across from Pillow Rock on the Gauley River during Gauley Fest 2017.

[@timmillan6701]

Rafted down the Gauley in the mid 90s. It’s the only time I ever rafted and I couldn’t have had a better time. That river is no joke

[@johnmc8785]

I'm pretty sure the blue Creature-Craft that appears @2:30, is a Handi-Raft Modification, being paddled by its inventor, Eric Thompson. E.T. has a T-8 level spinal cord injury. Yes, he's paddling the Upper Gauley, solo, and he is paralyzed from about the sternum on down. Very big, very brassy, his are!

[@jakobfolmar6604]

Jesus. That's some crazy shit. At least he doesn't let it dictate how he lives his life.

[@droan999]

What a fn badass, thanks for the story

[@oopalonga]

looks like hsi buddy at 2:48 is about to test his luck

[@chodeoriki4113]

Holy shit. I had a spinal cord injury c2/3 and damage at t5. I would never I’m my life would I even try anything like this. Fuck that. AND I HAVE USE OF MY LEGS. was paralysed from the neck down initially. Being only able to blink. Thank you for this piece of info. Really appreciate it.

[@red5drones37]

I was the first video boater on the Gauley ran Pillow every day. Most people hung out river right. Nice to see people on river left.

[@CreaturecraftWaterwog]

Sweet, that run of Eric in the turquoise and red handicraft is great.

[@bubbygedling3833]

The gauley river is an awesome time if it's not on your bucket list it needs to be.

[@tankmaster1018]

Lmfao is it an unwritten rule that if you are on Pillow Rock and see a Creature Craft coming, you have to attempt to jump onto it?

[@adamashe9536]

Seriously I need answers!

[@johnblair1334]

Absolutely a rule

[@skylermummert24]

Probably depends on how much booz you’ve consumed lol

[@bibekjkarki2357]

This is how festivals should look like.

[@Average_CoD_Clips]

I heard about this dangerous rock from a reddit post. Looks very easy to get spun sideways or caught in the cross currents.

[@songchau8087]

That guy that jumped at 2:48 to be able to flip the Creature Craft. Is he alive? There’s no way he’s able to surface from those current. Looks like a whirlpool tbh After looking closely, the second guy who jumped to flip it back over seems to be hanging onto the raft. But the first guy who jumped on at 2:40 and flipped it, definitely did not resurface.

[@XconnorX11]

They're fine. People were jumping into the water left and right and no one seemed concerned, leads me to believe its not a huge deal. you can see an eddy just beyond the rapids and people swimming to it

[@GuadalupePicasso]

This is the first that I’ve ever seen these Creature Crafts before. Interesting design theory to keep them from flipping; but, doesn’t the very design greatly reduce ones visibility, since there is a massively thick inflated tube directly in the middle of ones line of sight?

[@joshpit2003]

Looks that way. But visibility probably isn't that important in this type of craft. In pretty much all the videos I have seen of them, you are just along for the ride. No amount of paddling seems to make any difference in the upper-class rapids that these float through.

[@number4cat1]

Creature Craft don't need no stinkin' line of sight!

[@alexsinger7469]

Im in the blue helmet on the far end of pillow rock at 2:49 jumping off

[@mariarohmer2374]

Really brave. But tell us why people jump? I know nothing about this festival.

[@billquantrill4960]

Legend.

[@RagingRapids311]

Anyone know what kind of boats start coming in at 1:20 with the raised ends?

[@danshockley115]

Cronin Ugly Ducky

[@Hovermaster]

Nice showing of Creature Craft.

[@lostilein]

Creature-Craft no matter how Bad u hit the Line...u will make it :P

[@Kusunoky]

There is a big hole close to the rock I am not expert but I think that one is dangerous yet people jumping on it.

[@cherylchambers2880]

People are crazy

[@JaredG_WV]

RIP Chris Malamisura

[@Aliciadoriety]

Love it

[@paulkerby4829]

Yeah great fun

[@ЗалинаЮсупова-д4г]

Столько адреналина

[@cherylchambers2880]

Been there done that

[@catpants401]

so if you wipe out will you drown???

[@radoe6096]

nathan loud , not if the gods are smiling on you.

[@berrycrawford5579]

You can drown in any moving water. Seriously.

[@MEB98040]

In the distant past, running a river was a wilderness experience. Much has changed.

[@jhintlemann4666]

min 2:11 the man with the blue helmet is jumping in to the water from the rock xD

[@thakidistight]

Whats with these idiots jumping on the creature crafts? Some random person jumps on my boat, its not going to end well.

[@Michael65429]

Agreed...

[@tarajoyce3598]

Then don't float a creature craft if your aren't into the spirit of the fun. That WVA fun.

[@thakidistight]

@@tarajoyce3598 yea rowing a raft with training wheels is a ton of fun. And jumping on someone else's boat is lame. WvA fUn!

[@tarajoyce3598]

@@thakidistight here... hold my beer 🍻 Cheers Relaxand have your fun your way.

[@stephenedwards5567]

Pigeon guides

[@kwons_pov]

Is this an event?! If so whats it called?

[@tankmaster1018]

Its the Gauley Fest! It's held every year in September, and is a couple of days of camping out in a local park and hitting the Gauley and/or New River by day, and getting absolutely hammered and doing keg stands until you collapse and destroy vender stands by night. Lmfao at least thats what I experienced in 2019 which was my first year getting out there. It was at a local Veterans Memorial Park with live music and bands playing N shit, with everyone camping out with the Jackson Kayak RV as a sort of festival center point. My experience was limited because I had just started kayaking and wasn't nearly good enough to paddle any of the rivers in the area, so I helped out a friend who was running a vendor booth. My last memory of the Gauley fest was calling it a night around 5 in the morning right after someone had attempted to do a keg stand in front of the booth and fallen, crashing into the stand and taking the table and a few people with them. Good time to call it a night!