If you run the lower Gauley River in the fall, there is a good chance you will encounter squirt boaters at a place early in the trip known as "Twisted Sister". They play there for hours. They're  "Gettin' their Dips" in.  There is a sunny beach on the right and some small surfing waves near the beach, but the squirt boaters seem to hide over on the shadowy left side of the river.  In the large innocuous eddy there you will see them form a "Mystery Circle".  You might not notice more than that though.  This is because of the "Mystery Effect" that has power over unknowing passersby. And I don't recommend paddling over and quizzing them on what the game is here. Once you are too close you will see a near blankness to their bloodshot stares. They are zombies in a Mystery Trance. And there is only one thing that can break their trance.  But first you have to know about the  "Mystery Effect" so you can see through it and understand the game.  A "Mystery Move" is a short trip underwater in a squirt boat. You use the boat like a wing to fly around 4-6' underwater for just 5-6 seconds on the average. Big mysteries go past 20 seconds and are often more than 6' deep- the "Schnelle Zone". At Twisted Sister you use an underwater ledge at the top of an eddy to attain "downtime" (DT).  Usually there are 4-6 squirt boaters and unless you watch closely you won't see the upstream-most one silently fade into the river.  A good mystery just lets you in so smooth and quiet....  We noticed the Mystery Effect several years ago.  Passersby- usually rafters- have no clue as to what we are up to.  And often as a squirt boater is about to drop out of sight exactly in front of an "innocent" raft or kayak, these innocents will look away and be completely oblivious as to what's going on below.   I've seen many times when they look back after the submariner has resurfaced only to see nothing out of place in their world. I think once you intend to mystery you become shrouded from attention.  This leads people to "not notice" hundreds of times over. And that's good because once you fall sway to the seductions of the Mystery Trance there is only one thing that can bring you back....

So the Mystery Circle proceeds like a revolving oval of squirt boats.  The upstream-most boat will drop into the seam and become one with the river as the last mystery-chaser is emerging from underwater some ways downstream.  On rare occasions there are two mystery boaters under in the same eddyline at the same time.  And then there are others in the line waiting their turn to tap in.  So this Mystery Circle is the portal to the Trance.  The boats go around and around in circles for hours - with few words exchanged. 

Sometimes you'll hear one call to another to see if the Trance is heavy. "What's your name Eric?" almost never gets an answer.  And it's a worry because the Trance is hard to break. The allure of the Trance is a sweet

charc- a surreal and peaceful swirling.   But you don't always have total control of the ride and there is the infamous "double-suck" which can take you to violent and distant realms where there are even pinning rocks-  with names!..A double-suck is when you drop an initial 4-6 feet and then hover. You can then be suddenly whisked away by violent currents which draw you to a deep layer where it is not so easy to come up fast. Most seasoned mystery dogs hit the "up button" promptly when this happens.  They don't want anything to crush their appetite for downtime. There are some though...who just travel.  But most people are content with 5 second mysteries. So the Circle goes slowly around and the Trance deepens with each dip.  Maybe it's the metal flake in the sunshine.  Maybe it's the fast underwater spins of the mystery combined with the lazy roll of the Circle. Maybe it's the indescribable feeling of being instantly hugged all over by Mother Nature in a fervent wet kiss. Some claim it's the fickle nature of the spot.  You have to study it and be of pure intent. You can't just "try".  You have to feel your way around underwater to keep from getting lost.  Maybe it's the magic of being suspended amidst the bubbles.  But whatever it is....  it's a Trance.

I think, in a way, the Trance is at the heart of this sport and I don't trust it.  The deep is NOT a compassionate arena. A squirt boaters visibility underwater is low and his speed can be high.  I think the Trance brings on a cozy lull.  This is because it is extremely amphibious and it fires up primitive nerve centers of the brain.  When the amphibious part of your soul understands its playground like this you start waggin' yer tail and flappin' yer flippers and holding yer breath like you never missed a millennia.  You can lose your urge to breath when you go underwater by taking just the right size breath and relaxing- more Trance-inducement. And at some point in the splashy sparky mess you realize......nothing.  Not a single thing. Not your last ride.  Not the day of the week or your name. You will have only charc and it's twisted weavings.   Often, that's when a friend will ask, "What's your name Jim?". And I'll curl my lip and look back to my charc and think, "That doesn't even deserve an answer...  even if I did know it..."  At that point the Trance is heavy and there is only one chance for escape. And what is that last chance?    Simple really.  Mystery after mystery, drop after drop of water ekes its way into the boat. At some point you'll have enough that it sloshes around a bit inside the boat. This retards the hair trigger steering required to navigate well underwater. And so your ride starts to break down.  You get worse and worse results as time goes by. After a while you will have your first thought again-"My feet hurt".  This is ridiculous because your feet are totally numb but it is a sign that you are coming around and soon you will resolve to go to shore.  The next thing you know, you find yourself in the drive-thru at McDonald's wondering if you could handle a large shake and why does the truck seem to be swirling..?...