What a weekend! Ever since our family trip to Jackson Hole, WY where we rafted the Snake River, we've talked about going whitewater rafting again--and we finally did! We invited Mike and Megan Armstrong and Brett and Lyndsey Tuley from church to join us in the fun. Nathan chose the Ocoee River in Tennessee (just across the border from GA--about 2 1/2 hours north of ATL). We had adventures along the way going through small country towns and trying to find a "sanitary" public restroom and a place to eat that wouldn't give us food poisoning.Once we arrived and they gave us the low-down on the how to's and such, I started getting a little nervous. The whitewater level on the Snake River had only been IIs and IIIs, with one IV at the very end. The run on the Ocoee would be IIIs and IVs. Getting a good view of the river on the ride up, I could see my life flash before my eyes and picture myself lying water logged at the bottom of the river. OK--so I was A LOT nervous. I just kept telling everyone around me that it was going to be fun, hoping I would finally shake the nerves.
When we set off, my heart felt like it was going to beat right out of my chest. We got lucky to have the "lead" guide for the trip in our boat and got to be the first boat down the river for the group. The guide was impressed with our rowing skills, and commented several times on how efficient we were.
The very first rapid was a level IV, so once we got through that I had a glimpse of what the rest of the 2-hour trip would be, my nervousness disappeared and I was able to really have fun. No one in our boat ever unintentionally went for a swim. The highlights of the trip were during one rapid when we got stuck in the middle of the rapid sideways against a rock (aptly called O.S. Island). Our boat quickly starting filling with water and it took us a split second to realize our guide was yelling "high side" as we all instinctively scrambled to the high side of the boat so we wouldn't capsize.
My favorite rapid was called "Double Trouble." It was two big rapids, one right after the other, that flipped the front of the boat up in the air. No sooner had we come off the first, the bow of the boat was up on the second. What a thrill! (I think I screamed through that one--rowing my hardest all the while so I wouldn't get thrown out). That is the secret. If you don't want to end up in the water--ROW, ROW, ROW when your guide tells you to.
One part of the river was really calm, and the water was chilly at first, but then not bad at all, so we all jumped out of the raft and went swimming for a few minutes. I felt like a beached whale when Nathan pulled me back into the raft.
Another fun part was when the guide took us "surfing" through a rapid. We rowed into the top of it, and the he told us all to "get down", which meant to get into the bottom of the boat. We rode through the rapid without rowing at all, and just having a great time.
My most favorite rapid was fun not only because of the rapid, but because our guide had such confidence in our abilities as a group that he decided to have a little fun. He had each side of the boat row in opposite directions so the boat would start spinning. We got going so fast in a circle that I forgot about the rapid and laughed about how fast we were spinning--reminded me of the tea cups at Disneyland with Dad spinning us. I remember hearing a somewhat familiar laugh, and I looked over at Nathan to see him laughing out of pure joy. I haven't seen him laugh like that--so carefree--in years. It was all worth it just for that laugh and smile.
The best part about the day is that I didn't once think about work, laundry, chores, or stress of any kind. It was nothing but friends and fun! Nate and I are already planning our next trip--hopefully next May. Here's a slideshow of pics from the trip.
