Have you ever felt the cool breeze in your face?
How about the rush of frigid cold water beneath a raft?
The thrill and excitement as you’re thrown into the middle of a raging river with only a paddle to save you!?
Have you ever been… white water rafting??
Neither have we! …(assuming you answered no).
Okay… so maybe the river isn’t that raging (we picked the beginner course)… and the water’s not that frigid (although the guide does describe it as “bracing”).
Here we are at the Nantahala Outdoor Center, ready for our first white water rafting experience.
So grab a paddle and climb on board! 😀
The Instructional Video
Maybe not the most exciting part of the trip…
Unless you’re us!
We can’t help but notice how much they emphasis procedures for falling out of the boat…
… We’ll be fine!
School Time Memories
The next step is to get up to the launch point.
For that, they load us into a school bus!
Ah… the memories of riding to school.
Except… we don’t remember the seats being this small 🤨
Hi Ho! Off We Go!
Before long, we’re ready to launch!
Our guide, Lee, starts us off with some neat nature facts!
and some light rapids to get us going.
We’re so lucky to have Lee with us as a guide.
He makes great company and expertly navigates the waters
The Thrills Of Rafting
The majority of the river is Class 1 and Class 2 rapids, with one class 3.
This is on a scale of 1 – 5.
– Class 1 – Few obstructions, all obvious and easily missed with little training.
– Class 2 – Occasional maneuvering may be required, but rocks and medium-sized waves are easily avoided by trained paddlers.
– Class 3 – Complex maneuvers in fast current and good boat control in tight passages or around ledges are often required; large waves or strainers may be present but are easily avoided.
So, we’re not too concerned; and after being on the river for about a half hour, we’re feeling comfortable.
On the raft we meet John and Rachel from Ohio, who have their two kids with them!
We also learn that Lee (our guide) is a fairly accomplished folk singer, recently performing shows in China!
He even teaches us all a Cherokee song!
Land Ahoy!
After two hours on the river, we reach shore.
Next time, it’ll be the intermediate course for us!
Relaxing Evening
As our adventure ends, we slip back into the trees and enjoy a relaxing evening camping.
Oh yeah… and with a little extra something we picked up at the Biltmore Estate 😉
