Blackwater, WV

My Nerves Are Shot

My Nerves Are Shot
Photo of Joe Stumpfel by Dave Woten

Gauge Information

River Description

Description provided by Bobby Miller: The Upper Blackwater is one of the most challenging and dangerous runs in northern West Virginia. There are no huge drops but it is constant maneuvering over 2-8-foot ledges and around big boulders with ugly sieves. The rapids stay consistently difficult the whole way to the end so be prepared to bring your "A" Game when you venture into the canyon.

After working your way down the steep trail to the putin, make sure you take a look at the first rapid, Phil's or 100 Yard Dash. You'll probably gaze upstream at some point to see a horrendous looking drop on the river right side called Puke. Here the river falls off an 8-10-foot ledge into a sieve. The sieve is not quite large to fit the whole flow of the river, so some water bubbles up and over the sieve rock (which creates an extra 3-foot drop). It has been run (including by the ZoneDogg) but it is not recommended. At higher flows (over 300 cfs), the river left side of this rapid goes through a very difficult but slightly less heinous drop than Puke called the Notch. It is runnable but, again, not recommended.

Back to Phil's, it begins with a sloping 6-foot ledge into a roostertail followed by some shallow stuff slamming into the right wall and pouring off a 3-foot ledge. I head straight down the first ledge on the far right (just to the right of the roostertail), then drag my left blade once past the rooster to turn me left away from the right wall. The hole at the bottom of the next ledge can get rather stiff as the water goes up. Other people hit an eddy on the right at the bottom of the first ledge and ferry out in front of the wall. This works, except that it is difficult to peel out of the eddy due to shallowness. Either way, you don't want to go straight down the middle of the first drop and piton into the roostertail.

From here, Phil's continues over a juicy 4-foot ledge that is boofed on the right. Then, it narrows and goes over a slope that is best run left of center with right angle to avoid an undercut on the left. The next 50 yards are rocky and technical with small ledges and moves leading into the Upper Blackwater Rodeo Hole. This hole is at the very bottom of the rapid and would probably be a great hole in a rodeo boat (it can get a creek boat vertical). It is kinda sticky and there are lots of tough drops still to come in the next 2.5 miles, so play with caution.

The river widens out below here and I run a small channel on extreme river left that contains some small drops. For the next quarter-half mile the run goes through delightful boulder patches that are all boat-scoutable.
Soon, you will reach Z Falls, which is recognized by a good horizon line and a triangle-shaped rock with a pillow on it in the middle of the river. Go to the left of the triangle rock and boof off a 6-8-foot ledge. After landing, I head left over some small drops with right angle and pillow off the left wall. There is a good boof on the left in the next part and a good boof left of center in the final drop of the rapid.

After a small pool, you want to stay to the right through some shallow stuff. At the bottom of this shallow stretch lies SIK Slot. It is on the right side of the river. You run between a boulder on the right and a fan rock a few feet to the left of the boulder. I drag my left blade as I go through the slot and over a 4-5-foot ledge to prevent my paddle from hitting the boulder. Very cool.

Immediately after SIK Slot, there is a really cool boof on the right. The rapids remain steep with lots of cool boofs and slots for the next 1/4 mile.

When you see a sizeable horizon line, you will know that you have reached Tomko Falls, which marks the start of the steepest and hardest stretch of the Upper B (Oh Yesh!).

Tomko is the steepest rapid on the Upper Blackwater and definitely one of the most fun. It is broken into two parts. The top part can be run a number of ways. The most common line is to boof off the top 8-foot ledge on the right and run a few smaller drops into an eddy on the right. You can also boof the left side of this drop or run a series of drops in a slot on the extreme left but these tend to filter you towards an inconveniently placed boulder right above the second part.

From the eddy on the right, ferry out in front of the inconvenient boulder and into an eddy on the left. The second part of this rapid is another 8-foot boof located left of center. I head sideways with right angle towards the boof and, at the last second, take a wicked bitchslap of a boof stroke to get a SIK launch. As you fall, there will be spray flying up underneath you, hinting at the possibility of there being a rock that you will land on. I have never landed on any rock coming off this boof so I don't worry about the spray. A junky runout drop carries you into an eddy on the left.

After a twisty slope into a hole, you reach Shock to the System. Here, the river necks down and pours over a slope into a 4-5-foot ledge with a vicious hole at the bottom. At lower flows (below 250 cfs), you can go right down the middle and punch/jump the hole. As the run gets higher, you may pay a severe penalty if you attempt to punch the hole. At higher flows, the best idea is to start far right (scraping over a small rock at the top) and then cut hard across the drop to the left, boofing off the leftside rock. This is a very tricky move to do correctly but, if nailed, it will prevent a nasty surf in the hole.

After a fast pool and a small sloping ledge, you reach Sticky Fingers, one of the most dangerous rapids on the run. Get out on the right and have a look. Most paddlers walk this rapid and with good reason. This is the only place where anyone has drowned on the Upper B. If you decide to run it, the best line is to ferry out to an eddy agains the left bank. From here, peel out and punch a hole, being sure not to get pushed too far right. Then, you run off a small drop in the center next to a large sieve. This is a very scary rapid!

Photo: Zone Doggy Dogg cuts yet another SIK boof, courtesy of Dave Woten.


The next rapid, Pinball, is a steep, trashy rock pile. Half of the flow goes far right and drops off into a sieve. You don't want to go here. The best way to run this rapid is to run far left and stay all the way left until the last chute that falls off to the right. Avoid any temptation to take any of the chutes that drop off to the right early (they are rather pinny). Immediately and with no break, there is another horizon line. This can be run down a double drop on the left or a 5 foot drop in the center.

Right after, the river pools up behind a pile of boulders. This is Angle Left or Piton. Here, the river drops off a sloped 6-foot ledge into a stiff hole. The best line is start right and drive left. Your bow should miss a rock shelf at the top but hit a second shelf after it. This will launch you out clear of the hole. If you blow it, you might get backendered or surfed. At higher water (over 300), there is a sneak on the far right through a very narrow slot. Take this if you have any doubts.

The river heads quickly into some small drops that lead to Flatliner Falls. This is a simple ledge that should be run in the center. There are pin rocks on the right and left, so be careful.

After some more boulder drops, the river widens out and you reach a stretch called No Man’s Land. For the next 3/4 mile the river alternates between wide shallow stretches and more steep, challenging boulder drops. A lot of the boulder drops are very fun so relax and enjoy. About halfway through this stretch, Pendleton Run comes in on the right, coming off the mountain in a beautiful cascade.

As you near the North Fork (you will be able to see the cut in the mountain where the North Fork comes in), you will come to a long, shallow, but still fun slide. It is at this point that you need to be looking out for My Nerves Are Shot And I Can't Take It Anymore! This rapid is a long series of slides that is a lot of fun but also challenging. The next rapid after the long, shallow slide is a boulder drop that leads into Nerves.

The first slide at Nerves is a simple straightforward slide. This leads right into the second slide. This slide is steeper than the first and has a ledge that starts falling off to the left about halfway down. You don't want to drop off to the left too early because this will put you into a nasty crease. You don't want to fall off the ledge too late because this will land you into a nasty hole against the right wall. Try to be aware of where you are in the rapid, pick a spot, and drop off.

The third slide is a smooth slope into a hole. The right side of it slams into an undercut cliff on the right. Most people run down center-right, riding the huge pillow coming off the cliff. Immediately head left and run off a 5-6 boof that is drop #4 of Nerves. This drop can be run down a slope in the center too. The 5th part is a simple slide that can be run anywhere.

After a pool, you reach a junky drop that has a SIK boof on the right. If you go for this boof, be careful. There is a horrible sieve waiting below you if you blow it and some ugly rocks all around the boof rock. Those not wanting to risk this boof should run left of center down a simple drop.

A few more rocky drops carry you to the final rapid on the Upper B, Tightness. Tightness is in the center of the river and is basically a 5-foot drop that should be boofed with hard right angle. You land immediately beside a rock that threatens to destroy your elbow. It is a totally SIK move but not one that you want to blow. If you don't want to try this, the far left channel is less hairy. Don't run the far right drop because it is a 5-foot ledge onto some junky pin rocks. Yuck! Well, that concludes the Upper Blackwater.

You will see the North Fork coming in on the right. Continue on down the Lower B or hike out and run the Upper again!

Shuttle: Take Rt. 32 towards Davis. Turn at the Exxon station (there will be signs for Blackwater Falls State Park). Follow it back for a mile or so until you reach a "Y" in the road. Make a left at the "Y" and cross the Blackwater. Shortly after, there will be a parking lot on your right. Park here. You will be able to hear the roar of the river from here. Follow the trail down the side of the mountain until you reach the river. This is the putin. The takeout can be in Hendricks (the Lower B takeout) or at the confluence with the North Fork.

Levels: The gauge is very convenient for this run, being the Davis gauge just upstream of Blackwater Falls. Generally, the Upper Blackwater is run most between 250 cfs and 325 cfs. However, the Upper B is enjoyable on down below 200 cfs. I like to see 150 cfs or higher before I'll drive out (I have done it as low as 80 cfs, very scrapy). Between 150-250 cfs, the river is not pushy and is channelized enough that there is not a lot of scraping. This is a great level to see the run at for your first time. As the water progresses over 300 cfs, there is more padding but also a lot of power. Nasty holes begin to develop and the distance between rapids shrinks. Once it reaches 400, most paddlers will want to head elsewhere. My personal cutoff is at 500 cfs. Of course, there are guys that run it at higher levels than I do--and I wish them the best of luck.