Hook 99

Observant paddlers looking back upstream will notice a plaque on the downstream face of a large midstream boulder honoring Richard Harmon, one of the early characters of West Virginia boating. The rapid was originally known as Harmon’s 99, though many now call it Hook 99. The name traces back to Richard’s C-1, marked with a large painted “99,” likely from a race. On one memorable run, Richard’s boat pinned against this very rock. He escaped safely, but the C-1 was lost. Over the following week, the fiberglass boat was recovered in three or four large pieces downstream. With some resin and fiberglass work, Richard patched it back together, and soon “99” was running the New again. Try that with a plastic boat.