by Lynn Seldon

Eight inches from the edge of the New River Gorge, the Arnold family found its dream home, 900 vertical feet above the rapids that rafting pioneer Dave Arnold paddles by day.

When Dave Arnold heads home after a day of paddling on West Virginia’s New River, he doesn’t really leave the river – his view just changes. Dave, a founding partner of Class VI River Runners, lives right on the edge of the New River Gorge.

This house – and Dave and his family – couldn’t have a more appropriate location. Situated on 10 acres down a country road and 900 feet virtually straight up a wall of rock from the New River, the house (like the river) has many stories to tell. And Dave serves as its voice.

A House with History

“The purchase of the house is a story in itself and I have many more that I enjoy sharing with houseguests,” says Dave, who was a West Virginia rafting pioneer almost 30 years ago and is now considered a bearded river sage. “When we bought this house, the seller said it was truly meant to be. He was right.”

Dave and Peggy Arnold bought the house from Jack and Vicki Eades back in 1983. Jack had decided to head off to seminary school Lynchburg, Va., and contacted the Arnolds after Peggy half-jokingly mentioned they’d love to buy their well-situated log home if they ever decided to sell. Jack later told the Arnolds he’d been looking for a sign about whether or not to sell when he pulled up to his house and a tree limb fell on the hood of his car.

Incredibly, each couple wrote down their hoped-for price on a piece of paper and were only $3,000 apart. So they split the difference and the unique real estate deal was done.

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