Buried deep under the waters of Summersville Lake since the Gauley River was dammed in the 1960s, the Lost Gauley is a section of the river that only resurfaces about once a decade.
“The dam has to lower the lake to inspect or work on the damn dam,” says Dave Fusilli of Demshitz, who ran West Virginia’s elusive Lost Gauley last weekend during one of those rare opportunities.
With three other paddlers, Fusilli did a 20 mile run ending at the Summersville Dam, where the famous Upper Gauley River begins. The Lost section began with class II to III rapids in the section that’s usually underwater. “This would be the start of paddling 150 feet lower than usual,” says Fusilli. “We could see silt and really cool layering in the silt on the banks of the river. This section reminded me of the last day of the Grand Canyon.”
Watch Fusilli’s video of the Lost Gauley here:
