The Thrilling Recreation of Whitewater Rafting

Last November I went back to the Grand Canyon, taking my two boys with me. We stopped on the way to see the IMAX presentation of the Grand Canyon. The thrill of watching the pioneers try to navigate the Colorado River through some of the Canyons most potent whitewater brought back great memories of my whitewater rafting adventures in the 70s and 80s.

In the 1970s rafting companies started to spring up using inflatable rafts to shoot the white water anywhere it could be found. In Munich it became an Olympic Game. In 1996 the Atlanta Olympic Games brought it to the Ocoee River near Cleveland, Tennessee. This is a river that is controlled by the US Corp of Engineers and the amount of water that goes down through this area of Tennessee is regulated.

Ocoee was the first river I tried whitewater rafting on in the 80's. The first time I went was May and the water was very cold. I rented a wet suit, paddle and life preserver to keep some of the warmth in my body and so I would float if tossed out. They then proceeded to give us some instruction on how we would maneuver the river. Basically listen to your guide and do what ever he says should be done.

Next I was packed into a bus which took me up the river were our rafts and guides were waiting. The guides showed me how to place my feet in the footholds and allow my body to relax and ride the river. He also emphasized the importance of following instructions.

As I proceeded down the river slowly to my destination I learn the tricks of paddling. Then I am awash in white water and riding down the river before it seems the guide has finished. What instruction did I miss? Oh well nothing to do now but follow his instructions, which he is already barking out fast and furious as I ride, uncontrolled it seems, down the treacherous river toward certain doom.

White water that I am referring to in this article is the part of the river that runs fast across the shallows and creates a white foamy look. It is in these shallows and holes that I find my rush in this plunge down the river holding fast to my heart and the raft.

The front of the raft is for thrill seekers only because there is definitely a good chance that you will be thrown out the front of the boat. This happened to me this first trip racing down the rapids on Ocoee. Strangely it helped to relax me after being christened in the cold, clear, green river.

It was a ride that I can never forget. I always long for more and enjoy the river immensely more then I ever thought I would. This summer my thirteen-year-old son will get the chance to enjoy the thrills of the outdoor rivers in the southeast as we search for fun and thrills in a whitewater raft.

Cite:

Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_water_rafting