Gates Magazine...

THREE MID-ATLANTIC ADVENTURES

GOOD GAULEY, SURF'S UP IN WEST VIRGINIA

Each fall, West Virginia is flooded--by whitewater rafters heading for the Gauley River. The Gauley is famed for its fall releases from Summersville Dam, which causes some incredible whitewater runs for rafters in the know.

At least 25 outfitters now cater to whitewater rafters and some have started offering great packages that include rafting, accommodations, meals, and much more. It's a heart-stopping bargain.

Class VI River Runners in Lansing, one of the most successful companies, offers a number of packages. Its base camp is north of Beckley in a thousand-acre oak forest overlooking the beautiful New River Gorge.

Class VI's facilities include a general store, a popular restaurant, restrooms, and a viewing platform overlooking the gorge. A well-organized check-in quickly moves paddlers to buses and the Gauley River put-in just below the thundering dam.

On Class VI's Gauley River trips, each raft includes a guide who explains fundamentals, the river, the history, and the tall tales. The rapids include easy riffles (Class I) and some legendary Class VI runs (watch out for Sweets Falls, which is not always sweet to rafters!). Class VI includes stops along the riverbank for exploration and a picnic lunch that's so popular the company recently published a cookbook.

Class VI offers all sorts of packages for the Gauley (and New) River trips. The Gauley season this fall starts on September 9 and runs Friday through Monday until October 16 (excluding October 14). The basic one-day trip starts at just $99, but their multi-day packages are more fun and a better deal. Class VI also offers great packages with meals, accommodations, camping, and flights with USAir.

Contact Class VI River Runners at P.O. Drawer 78, Lansing, WV 25862, 800/CLASS VI (252-7784).

THE NANTAHALA OUTDOOR CENTER: A SOUTHEAST OUTDOORS MECCA

The Nantahala Outdoor Center in Bryson City, North Carolina is an ideal adventure destination for college adventurers. Located just outside the stunning Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the center has become a national magnet for people interested in whitewater rafting, canoeing, kayaking, rock climbing, mountain biking, kayak touring, and other outdoor activities.

Though its paddling school and whitewater rafting expeditions on five Southeastern rivers continue to be the NOC's focus, its programs have expanded considerably over the years. They now boast an extensive adventure travel division, rock climbing and backpacking courses, mountain biking, fly-fishing workshops, a corporate team building program, retreat and meeting facilities for groups, a booming mail-order business, a variety of accommodations options, three restaurants, and much more.

The NOC has built a reputation as the school of choice for beginners and experts. "We didn't start out to be a mecca, but the success of our students and instructors has made us a sort of institution," Payson Kennedy says.

The NOC's whitewater instruction schedule is extensive. In kayaking and canoeing, students can sign up for everything from weekend sessions to intensive seven-day camps. Skill levels range from beginners to experts and the student-to-teacher ratio is never more than five-to-one.

The course possibilities are almost endless. They offer river leader courses; a sampler course (one-day introductory courses to canoeing, kayaking, rock climbing, mountain biking, and kayak touring); kids' courses; week-long youth programs; women's courses; fast-track kayaker weeks; tentative kayaker courses; sea kayaking; mountain biking; rock climbing; worldwide adventure travel trips; and much more.

Contact the Nantahala Outdoor Center at U.S. 19 West, Box 41, Bryson City, NC 28713, 704/488-2175 or 800/232-7238.

VIRGINIA'S WINTERGREEN RESORT IS ALL GREEN

When it comes to resort development, Virginia isn't always for lovers of the environment. However, students of the environment will love the development at Wintergreen. This four-season mountain resort development is all green (and so is Doug Coleman). The fall foliage season makes it a perfect time to enjoy the Wintergreen environment.

Doug Coleman, a Bridgewater College graduate and Wintergreen Resort's biologist/naturalist for the past 17 years, has helped to bring development and conservation closer together. "The environment has played a role in every stage of development at Wintergreen," Coleman proudly states.

Coleman is in charge of organizing and carrying out almost every outdoor program Wintergreen offers. Education and conservation are the themes behind every activity. He runs at least five field trips a week, children's nature camps, wildflower symposiums, and a myriad of other special educational events which attract more than 10,000 visitors annually. Coleman's relocation programs have saved more than 150,000 plants slated for the dumpster during development.

Of Wintergreen's 11,000 acres, 6,740 have been set aside as permanent undisturbed forest. Coleman is particularly proud of places like the ten-acre nature preserve that was originally slated for development as 12 $40,000 homesites. He also designed a 25-mile trail system around the mountain-top community, which is designed to pass through nature's wildflower gardens and geological formations.

On September 16-18, Wintergreen and the Virginia Museum of Natural History will sponsor "Virginia's Natural History" for nature enthusiasts of all levels. Coleman and many of the state's finest field scientists will share their most recent findings and favorite field trips near Wintergreen. The fall foliage season provides a perfect time for leaf-peeping at Wintergreen, with many programs, hikes, and ski lift trips available. From the Blue Ridge Parkway to the base of the mountain, the fall colors explode for all to see.

Thanks to people like Doug Coleman, Wintergreen has become established as one of the mid-Atlantic's premier four-season destinations. With golf, tennis, hiking, mountain biking, skiing, dozens of other outdoor activities, and luxurious lodging and dining, Wintergreen makes Mother Nature green with envy.

For further information about Wintergreen's environmental programs, contact Wintergreen Resort at P.O. Box 706, Wintergreen, VA 22958, 804/325-2200.