This past week, I went on a short vacation with my family. While some 20-somethings might not look forward to a vacation with his or her parents, I am fortunate that we all get along pretty well and my parents enjoy a little adventure.
Friday, we arrived at the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) for a 1:30 p.m. trip. Our guide happened to be the man my father talked up in the parking lot because they were both Cowboys fans. (Note to the ladies: a man will talk to a total stranger like they’re best friends if they love the same team). Our guide’s name was Mark, aka “the Dude”, because he bears striking resemblance to Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski.
Our family tackled class 3 and 4 rapids, which was pretty fun, though on the first rapid, we almost lost everyone from the left side of the boat. I was one of the people tipped backwards, and it was a team effort to get everyone back in. As I was telling my parents, it isn’t falling into the water that seemed the scariest. What is the most frightening and gives you the fight/flight sense of panic is that in the water, you can’t see where you’re going to fall. You can’t brace yourself because things are too chaotic. However, if you follow directions given by the guides, the fun outweighs any fear you could feel about being in the water.
In fact, in a quiet area of the Ocoee, my brother and I jumped out and swam in the river. There was something so peaceful about it. No one seemed to speak. There were no chores to be done, no papers to grade, no to-do lists to make. All I had to do was focus on my limbs, keep kicking, and feel the cool river water pushing against me. It was an amazing experience.
The Ocoee River has an interesting history. According to the TVA, “dams…make the Ocoee one of the premier sport rivers in the Southeast. Site of the 1996 Summer Olympics whitewater competitions, the Ocoee boasts the mile-long Olympic whitewater course and a four-and-a-half-mile rafting area”. If it were not for the flumes and dams, we wouldn’t have been able to raft because there would be no white water! In addition, our guide said there are just over 20 rafting companies in the area, but I recommend the one we went through. The staff was great and they have a photographer taking pictures of the rafters from the shore.
If you’re interested in planning a rafting trip, act fast, because trips end in October. You can become a fan of the NOC on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/NOCcharles or visit http://www.noc.com. For more on the Ocoee, visit http://www.ocoeeriver.ws/history.htm.
0 comments:
Post a Comment