Let me know when your boating (saw you're picture's on the other thread).  Used to paddle the slip all the time when I lived in n.w Pa, and used to work on the Cheat and upper yough (buddy has a 500 yd range in Bruceton Mills, nothing like boating and shooting in the same day!).  Going to park and play on the Gauley and New this weekend, and do some shooting in Pax to boot!  Nice to know somebody else boats!

wait a sec, I worked the Cheat and Upper and Big Sandy for Precision rafting for a few years...  who the hell are you..?

My boating name is "Zipperhead", and I was trained by Bryson ([i]Wildman[/i]) from Friendsville!  I worked for PRE before Phil Coleman moved to Costa Rica, and was actually supposed to move down there with he and Scott.

I actually began in the late 80's when I worked for Greg of Wild Rivers Photo...  I've paddeled over the dam in Bruceton Mills several times, when the Sandy was flowing enough to put the big boats in at the base.

Furthermore, I'm a member of the "Burned Out Canoe Club", and I know you know those guys.  I also host and updat the official BOCC website  [url]www.great-river.com/bocc[/url]

One last tidbit;  I swept the floor and cleaned shop for Backlund, in exchange for a $450 guide stick that was named, "The Missing Link"...  Now, if you go back that far, you have to know who I am.  Also, the guy that referred to me as the "Missing Link" ([i]Mark Susco[/i]) lives just up the road from Bruceton Mills.

Small freakin world, so call me sometime!

Oh yea, being in Illinois, I don't get to paddle much, but come "Hell or Highwater", I will be at the BOCC bash next easter at the Cheat Canyon Campground...  I've had to miss the last several, and they are beginning to wonder if I'm dead!

I paddle a Hydra Centaur C1 and am fine in low volume 4/5's, but don't have a roll, so I won't take it to the upper.  Besides, the upper was made for Duckys!

One last thing, I was one of the very first boaters to ever R1 over Big Sandy Falls in a 6-man, and land it clean and dry...  I also ran the lip, not the slot!  This was in the days when Jesse was still building boats in Friendsville, and us Yough Outfitter/Precision guides all camped at the mouth of Muddy Creek on the Cheat.  Ummm, where the "Mountain Surf" factory is in Friendsville, used to house our favorite tavern too!

antiUSSA, Worked for Eric Neilson at Cheat river outfitters when I lived in Eastern Pa (6 hour drive every weekend).  Been boating for about 8 years now, started in upstate New York on the black and moose.  My buddy who I'm house sitting for in Beckly worked at presion for Roger and also did some safty boating for Phil in C.R. when he went down there to paddle.  Boomer and Johnny Reagan in Friendsville know my pretty well, but since I'm in N.C now, usually don't make it up to albright (New and Gauley only 2.5 hr drive.  Ask you're buddy in B.Mills if he knew the two boaters who lived in the only trailer IN town (that was my old girlfriend Kim and myself).  First time I met Greg was several years ago.  He was at big nasty watching my buddy surf big nasty at 7 feet (he went in blind, first time on the river).  Don't know Bryson real good (seems like he always had a couple in him whenever we bump into each other!), but he was good buddies with T-Bone, who I used to boat with regularly on the upper y (T-Bone moved to Colorodo and married Stacy, a hot guide for A.W)  Small world indeed.  Look forward to boating with you.  By the way, two weeks ago, upper gauley running 1800, sunny, mid 60's, and only came across 8 other boaters the whole day (some days are more fun than others, but always good days!)  Later   Joe