September 13, 2026 | Adventures on the Gorge — Lower New River
Troop 900 traded the Scout Hut for helmets, paddles, and one very big river this weekend as Scouts and leaders headed to West Virginia for a whitewater adventure through New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.
The troop made its basecamp at Campground C at Adventures on the Gorge, spending the night at the resort before an early start Sunday morning. At 7:45 a.m. on September 13, we reported for our Lower New River trip, geared up, and met our river guide for the day — Guido.
And Guido had his work cut out for him.
The New River may have a misleading name. The National Park Service describes it as one of the oldest rivers in the world, older than the Appalachian Mountains it cuts through. While it is sometimes popularly called the world’s “second-oldest river,” geologists can’t reliably rank ancient rivers that precisely, so “one of the world’s oldest” is the safer description.
The area also has a relatively new distinction. What was previously New River Gorge National River was redesignated New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in 2021. The park now protects more than 70,000 acres and 53 miles of the New River as it winds through southern West Virginia.
Into the Lower Gorge
Our destination was the Lower New River, and this wasn’t a sightseeing float.
The Lower Gorge is the serious whitewater section of the New. The National Park Service describes its rapids as ranging from Class III through Class V, with huge boulders, powerful currents, crosscurrents and hydraulics requiring crews to maneuver their boats through some impressive water.
The photos tell the rest of that story.
There were moments when the entire raft disappeared behind a wall of whitewater. Paddles went up, helmets went down, and everyone learned quickly that when Guido called for a stroke, every paddle mattered.
That’s exactly the kind of experience Scouting is supposed to provide. A raft doesn’t particularly care who is the strongest person aboard. Getting through a rapid requires listening, communicating and working together. Scouts had to trust their guide, trust one another, and keep paddling when the water got rough.
A Warm September Day — and Much Cooler Water
September 13 turned out warm around Fayetteville, with temperatures reaching around 80°F after a morning low in the mid-60s. hat made for comfortable rafting weather, but the New River itself was another matter.
Fortunately, nobody had much opportunity to complain about getting wet. The Lower New took care of that almost immediately.
More Than Just Whitewater
What made the trip special wasn’t simply the size of the rapids. We were rafting through a landscape that tells hundreds of millions of years of Appalachian history.
The New River cuts through the Appalachian Plateau, exposing rock formations hundreds of millions of years old. The gorge is also intertwined with the more recent history of West Virginia’s coal mines, railroads and communities that once occupied this rugged corridor.
For Troop 900, though, September 13 will probably be remembered in somewhat simpler terms:
We went camping. We put on helmets. We climbed into an orange raft with a guy named Guido. And we paddled straight into some of the biggest whitewater in the New River Gorge.
Everyone came out wetter than they started, with a few new stories to tell and another Troop 900 adventure in the books.
Thanks to Adventures on the Gorge and especially to our guide, Guido, for getting Troop 900 safely through the Lower New.
Next adventure awaits.
