Kayakers Paddle 100 Miles in Three Days

Crazy ideas happen all the time.   Acting on a crazy idea is a much rarer occurrence.  However, for kayaking enthusiasts Tim Ligon and Jeff Petry the crazy idea came to reality. 

The two met and did a lot of rowing together with the Coal River Group last summer.   Petry suggested he’d like to try to float the entire Coal River watershed in a weekend.  Covering 100 miles of water in 36-hours is definitely a challenge.  Ligon was game for it and several more chimed in they would be willing.    However, when it went beyond a crazy idea and plans started to form, Ligon was the only one still on board with Petry.

"When I started with the Coal River Group it was just one of the challenges. We’d say, ‘Boy I’d love to do it all in a weekend.’" said Ligon. "You have to do 35-miles a day. I had it in my mind I was going to do it one day and I finally somebody who was crazy enough to do it with me."

The pair planned out their routes and picked their weekend.   Mother Nature dealt them a winning hand. 

"You want it after a nice long rain. Conditions were excellent for that kind of trip." Ligon said. "The week before they had REALLY high water and it took out all the trash and trees.  A week later we had about a five foot event and you have everything out of the way."

Day 1 Ligon and Petry floated 35 miles on the Big Coal from Whitesville to Briar Creek at the town of Sproal.  The takeout point is just downstream from Emmons in Boone County.

Day 2  The pair put in at Madison and floated all the way to Alum Creek taking out at Lyons Park. The Little Coal Watershed was accomplished entirely in a day.

Day 3  Ligon and Petry returned to Briar Creek, where they had taken out on day one, and resumed the float on the Big Coal.  They picked up the last four miles of the Big Coal and went to work on the main Coal River all the way to St. Albans. 

Both will tell you day three was the most difficult.   The third day included a ride over the three foot dam at Upper Falls.  Typically the dam is an obstacle requiring a portage, but on the day they rowed up the drop was about one foot because of the high water.  Each is an experienced kayaker and managed to find a line across the falls without trouble. 

"I wouldn’t recommend going over the dam for somebody with just a little bit of experience," said Ligon. "We were prepared for a bad incident we had a whitewater helmet, life jackets, throw ropes, and all the things you need for a problem."

The final stretch of the Coal River to St. Albans features long stretches of flat water and required considerably more rowing than the upper reaches of the watershed. 

Although they aren’t the first to do the entire watershed, they aren’t far from it.  Bill Curry heads the Coal River Group and offers a special guide vest to those who can prove they’ve canoed or kayaked the entire waterway.    Curry says he’s handed out only a few of those vests over the years.  Typically those who’ve earned them did it over the course of several years.  Ligon and Petry earned theirs in three days.

"The adventure of traveling 100 miles in three days was a once in a life time event for the guys but it had a serious purpose as well," said Curry. "The CRG’s Coal River Water trail is about to be opened for the season and the guys helped us with the important annual early spring scouting to search for river impediments and trash."

The Coal River Group was formed to bring attention to the Coal River and to work toward restoring the watershed as a recreational waterway to be enjoyed by all.  Curry hopes more will consider taking the challenge or just enjoying some days on the waterway in southern West Virginia.