Posts Tagged ‘under the bridge’

My Ride in the Rescue Boats

Tuesday, October 18th, 2011

By Sarah Powell-Henning

I was born and raised just down the road from the New River Gorge Bridge, in Oak Hill, WV.  One of my earliest childhood memories is of being on the Bridge with family and friends.

My mother, father, grandparents and great-grandparents (and several generations before that!) all, were born and raised in the area. My Grandmother has told us stories of watching the Bridge being built. Her house was just a stones throw away.

Dad (in green life jacket) at Bridge Day in the mid-80's

It’s safe to say my family has been here awhile, and it’s safe to say that Bridge Day seems to be in our blood.

My Dad

The Dragan Brothers, founders of Wildwater Expeditions, along with Butch Christian, Tom Stafford, and some other Wildwater originals, were part of a group that formed the Bridge Day rescue boats. Many know them simply as, “The Pick Up Guys”.

My dad, Tom, was a part-time raft guide in the 70’s and 80’s for Wildwater Expeditions, and for a couple of years was part of this team.

I remember hanging out on the rocky shore of the New River, watching the jumpers aim for the target. More often than not (or so it seemed), Dad and the other guys would rush to pluck jumpers out of the water.

The jumpers would get out at the bank, cold and soaked, but smiling and ready to pack up and do it all over again.

Dad and Tom Stafford pull in a jumper

Jon Dragan and Tom Stafford are no longer with us, nor is my Dad. He passed away two years ago.

So this past Bridge Day, I was beyond touched to have the opportunity to get into the rescue boats with Tom Dragan and his crew and experience for myself what it’s like to be part of “The Pick Up Guys”.

Riding with the Rescue Team

I didn’t know which rescue boat I’d be in.  When I stepped into Missy and Shane Dragan’s boat, it was a good feeling.  After all, our fathers had worked together.

Here’s what I learned:

This team moves fast.  Missy and Shane kept their eyes on the sky most of the time, expertly judging where the jumpers would be landing.  Before they even hit the water, a boat was on it’s way.

And once they got to the jumper, they had to quickly pull them up into the boat, gear and all, because chances were good that someone else needed to be picked up.

Dropping a jumper off at shore (side note - some sweet 80's fashion going on in this pic!)

Jumpers (as many as four at a time, at one point that morning) ride in the boats until the rescue team gets a break in the action and can drop them off at shore.

Their job is critical.  There’s no doubt that what the rescue boat team does is one of the most important jobs on Bridge Day.

After the exhilaration of just jumping off The New River Gorge Bridge, some of those who make a water landing might not exactly have swimming at top of mind.  Jumpers are not wearing life jackets, making it imperative that a boat get to the jumpers quickly.

One of the strangest things we saw was a jumper who landed in the water and lost her shoes in the drink. The jumper was fine. The shoes? Never to be seen again.  She didn’t seem too worried about it though, since she’d just made her first jump off the New River Gorge Bridge.

Teamwork is key.  And this team was tight.  There was constant communication about jumpers coming in, who would grab them, the status of jumpers.  There were times when two or three boats needed to work together to assist a jumper.  I’ve never seen a team more focused or in control.

One of the toughest things about being part of the rescue boat team?  Finding time for a bathroom break.  Who would have thought?

Me on the boat in 2011 with Missy and Shane

A Reflective Day

I want to thank Missy, Shane, and Tom Dragan and the entire rescue boat team for providing the opportunity to experience something that was a very special part of my Dad’s life.

For a moment, I was able to close my mind to the action and reflect on how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful place, full of determined, generous people.

Most of all, I thought of my Dad.

I thought of his life, and how grateful I’ll always be for our time together.  He was my best friend, and riding with the rescue team gave me a chance to connect with him again in ways I didn’t expect.

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Posted in Bridge Day History, People of Bridge Day | 13 Comments »

Rafting on Bridge Day; Or, How to Get Up Close and Personal With B.A.S.E. Jumpers

Wednesday, September 14th, 2011

As you know, Bridge Day is a very unique festival. It brings together extreme crowds and extreme thrill seekers in an electric atmosphere.

But there’s another way to experience Bridge Day: on the river.

Why Raft?

Rafting the Lower New River on Bridge Day is a great way to enjoy the event. Most whitewater rafting companies offer packages that allow you to raft and spend time underneath bridge watching the base jumpers, up close and personal. Watching the jumpers from water level is a whole different experience than watching from the bridge.

Why?  Well, would you be more excited about a herd of bulls running at you or away from you?  Exactly.

From bridge level, the jumpers hurl themselves off the platform and as they fall away they get smaller and smaller, and if their parachute doesn’t open instantly, you get little sense of the gravity (no pun intended) of the situation.

This could be your view

Jumpers Up Close and Personal

But from the water, you have a better perspective of just how little time jumpers have left for their chute to open as they accelerate towards you.

You get to see just how hard it is to have a good landing, especially on a rocky riverbank. You can watch their faces as they realize they are destined for a splash landing and a rescue by the safety boats that are positioned to quickly pluck not-so-lucky jumpers from the water. Maybe they get caught up in the trees above your head. Or maybe Elvis lands in your pot of chili (true story).

Lower New Fall Colors

But you also get some adventure in your day as you navigate the rapids of the Lower New River. The fall colors are usually in full swing, making this one of the most wonderful times to experience the Gorge. And there’s a good chance you’ll be offered a discounted rafting trip on the Gauley River as part of a Bridge Day weekend package.

So lets review why rafting on Bridge Day is a good idea:

  • Different, and in some opinions, better perspective to watch base jumpers.
  • Scenic time to whitewater raft .
  • Possibility of discounted Gauley trip the next day.

 

So if you love Bridge Day but want to mix it up this year, a quick run down the Lower New River with some added action at the end may be just what you’re looking for. It is a wonderful way to spend a fall Saturday in WV.

Have you rafted on Bridge Day?

 

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Ever Wonder What Happens Under the Bridge?

Saturday, October 16th, 2010

Ever live in an apartment where you can hear the folks which live down below? You can often hear them, but you have no idea what they are doing down there. Same thing happens right here on the Bridge.

Benjy Simpson

Benjy Simpson

Most associate Bridge Day with the vendors, the views and of course the jumpers.

However, there is an entire army of rappellers under the Bridge, doing some very exciting things.

Thursday
For Benjy Simpson, entering his 19th year as Bridge Day Rappel co-coordinator, the preparation for Bridge Day begins on Thursday. Known, respectfully as the “Troll Beneath the Bridge”, Benjy organizes and manages nearly all aspects of the “under the bridge” portion of Bridge Day. It’s quite the responsibility and there is no one better for the job.

Carefully he and his team (holla’ XTR!) rig ropes and braces using knowledge, surgical precision and a variety of knots and attachments.

They prepare the locations for the teams to skillfully slide down rope more than 800 feet.

Friday

On Rope

On Rope

Continued rigging and preparation of Bridge Day highline. Checking, double checking and checking again.
It’s an amazing site to watch this aspect of preparation and watching the team maneuver across beams and perched precariously some 850′ above the river below is enough to make you dizzy. Really dizzy.

Saturday
It’s time to play. Safe. The legions of rappellers, comprising the teams selected via lottery, scurry below the deck of the bridge to prepare for the day. Most try to make as many trips as possible. It is a unique opportunity.

On Saturday at 8:30 am, before the Bridge is open to the general public, a series of flags is raised by a team ascending one of the lines. An United States Flag, a West Virginia flag and a National Park Service Flag all are raised to celebrate the start of the day. At 3 pm, they are lowered signifying the conclusion of another Bridge Day.

While all the action above and on the Bridge is fun and exciting, there is also plenty going on below.

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Posted in Bridge Day Events, Rappelling | No Comments »

The Pickup Guys

Sunday, August 23rd, 2009

(No, it’s not another MTV2 reality show)

“Holy Sh*t; I just ripped your arm OFF!”

The Bridge Day 'Pick-Up Guys'

The Bridge Day 'Pick-Up Guys'

To most, these words would be bad news, unless of course you are stuck in the middle of the New River floating toward a series of rapids with a parachute strapped to your back and the guy yelling at you happens to have a boat there to save your butt.

So you could almost forgive the rescuer when he next utters, “Can I give you a hand?” (Thankfully it was a prosthetic limb.)

Most spectators on Bridge Day only get to see the B.A.S.E jumpers as they hurl themselves from the bridge, but a small group of people get to watch the jumpers once they’ve completed their 876 ft. descent—it takes guts to jump; it takes skills to land. And an even luckier few get a front-row seat to the action out on the river. Known around the Holiday Inn bar as “the Pickup Guys”, these Bridge Day regulars are on hand to pluck stray jumpers out of the New River.

The goal, in case you haven’t been to Bridge Day before, is for a B.A.S.E jumper to land safely on the left-hand shore of the river, repack his or her parachute, and race to the top of the New River Gorge Bridge to do it all over again. About 25% of the time, however, Mother Nature and/or the better part of valor conspire to send a jumper into the drink. That’s when the Pickup Guys come into play. Engines roar, adrenaline pumps, and one of four specially designed rescue boats races into action. Within seconds, the jumper is safe on dry land, albeit soaked to the bone.

Being a Pickup Guy isn’t a glamorous job. Jumpers are usually so high on adrenaline that when you haul them into the boat they don’t know up from down. Their legs are doing the sewing machine fast enough to put Singer out of business and the water that pours out of their chutes chills you to the bone. One time I was almost on MTV, but it was the 80’s and I had a very stylish neon-pink trucker cap on, so it’s not like I could show the clip to my friends anyway. Once the festivities end, however, the Pickup Guys can hit up the Holiday Inn and partake in free rounds from grateful swimmers. Trading lives for Busch Light is ok with me, but if you’re buying Natty, make sure you’re closer to the other guy’s boat next year.

So if you want to be close enough to the action on Bridge Day to feel the nylon of a parachute on your face, what can you do to become a Pickup Guy?

Aside from the requisite emergency medical training and boat skills, there is a long list of other requirements.

  • First you spend two years serving up banana pudding and other assorted lunch treats to the rescue team on the shore—this demonstrates your commitment.
  • Next, you shadow a driver by sitting in a boat eating Italian sausage sandwiches avoiding jumpers who are trying to soak your bread – this hones your parachute dodging skills.
  • If you are lucky, you then graduate to ladder boy—watch out for those sewing machine legs; they will crush your fingers against the side of the aluminum boat.
  • And finally, after five or six years as a ladder boy you can drive the boat . . . when the regular drive has to take a bathroom break.

Special Guest Post By:

Grant Dragan, 2009

The Bridge Day Rescue Team has evolved from river guides from Wildwater Unlimited and Dragan Diversified Inc. to include members of the Oak Hill Fire Department, Fayette County Vertical Rescue Team, Jan Care Ambulance service ,the National Park Service & countless others. Together “we” make it happen.

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Posted in BASE Jumping, Visitor Information | 3 Comments »