VHS-2026-514 turned out to be a promotional tape from Appalachian Wildwaters — a whitewater rafting company operating on the New River. Two segments: “Your Day on the Lower New River” and “Family Rafting on the Upper New River.” Total runtime somewhere around 15 minutes, which is exactly the right length for a tape that knows what it is.
Whats on the Tape
The Lower New River segment is the full experience — 20-minute bus ride to the put-in, first rapids, Jump Rock (a crowd favorite, apparently), a riverside lunch, a float past actual ghost towns, and then a stop at the outpost before calling it a day. The Upper New River segment is shorter and aimed at families with kids.
Both segments have the same soundtrack: The Wildwater Band. Lots of banjos. The kind of production that costs nothing and somehow works perfectly.
About Appalachian Wildwaters
Appalachian Wildwaters is a West Virginia outfitter thats been running trips on the New and Gauley Rivers since the 1980s. The New River Gorge area became a National Park in 2020, which made the region significantly more visible — but tapes like this predate all of that. This was marketing before the internet, sent to potential customers who asked for a brochure and got a VHS instead.
Tape Condition
Good condition. Clear picture, no dropout, audio intact. The banjos came through clean.
Verdict
A certified good tape. Regional promotional video, solid production for what it is, and a nice time capsule of pre-internet adventure tourism marketing. The ghost towns are a real highlight — the tape mentions them almost in passing, which is very much the vibe.
This one streamed on Mystery Tape Thursday. Watch it live every week on Twitch: twitch.tv/90scraig