Adventure 1: Whitewater Rafting (Things You Do For Those You Love)

For Eddie's 31st birthday, I thought it would be incredibly nice of me to give in to the pressure and do something that he has wanted to do for the entire duration of our relationship. I finally agreed to go whitewater rafting (what was I thinking?). If you know me (or have read my bio), you probably can tell that I'm not exactly outdoorsy, athletic, or all that adventurous when it comes to anything beyond say...riding the carousel at Dollywood or Busch Gardens (oh and p.s. I can't really swim all that well either). After postponing the trip multiple times due to unforeseen circumstances (i.e. me making up any excuse not to go), Eddie and two of our closest friends, Regina & David, headed out of upstate South Carolina to make the trip to Hartford, TN where we would raft a six mile stretch of the Upper Pigeon River.

Eddie and David have both rafted before, so for Regina and I this was a totally new experience. We decided to use Big Creek Expeditions to captain our maiden voyage. Their website described the trip as "Fully-guided 6 mile stretch of whitewater bordering Smoky Mountain National Forest. Class III and IV rapids, beautiful mountain surroundings, and family fun. For ages 8 and above. No experience necessary."

 

Good thing...since I definitely had no experience. Here's a little word of advice...don't google class III and IV rapids before you go experience them. The day before our trip, I sent Regina email after email with information on the possible dangers involved in this grand adventure (I was totally hoping she would back out so that I could blame it on her…didn’t happen). My greatest fear on this trip was that I would fall out of the raft, and float away...alone...no one would be able to rescue me...and I would live out the rest of my years on the river. I'll admit…I can sometimes be a little dramatic.

 

After arriving at Big Creek Expeditions, we signed in and were given a short orientation on rafting safety. All I remember from this orientation was to never let go of my paddle, and if I fall out, ball up into the fetal position so that the river hydraulics don't suck me under and kill me. Oh, and I believe they also may have said "don't panic if you fall out." Right. The presentation was actually quite detailed and delivered with some humor...so I did crack a smile or two.

 

(picture courtesy of tnvacation.com)

Professional guides were assigned to each group (ours was Jim). We geared up in very fashionable lifejackets (or personal floatation devices as they called them) and fancy helmets. We looked very amazing (not) and very much like we knew what we were doing (also a complete illusion). Jim made sure we were safely fitted into everything and tried to put my worried soul at ease. Poor Jim.

 

We took a short shuttle ride (via an old school bus) to the put-in part of the river and got in line to load our raft and ourselves into the water. Keep in mind, participation is required. I wasn't just "along for the ride." Jim would shout out commands to paddle every now and then...usually never more than two or three strokes at a time...nothing too strenuous. I have to admit, it was pretty exhilarating right from the start. The class II and III rapids provided us with little sections of waves and small drops. In between there would be some drift time to talk a little with the people on our raft, readjust our positions and check out the beautiful mountains around us.

 

The class IV rapids were not nearly as bad as I imagined they would be, and for the most part were actually, dare I say, fun. The only downfall (literally) of the trip was when Regina fell out of the raft. While I was thankful that it was not me (Praise the Lord!), I did totally panic when we went over a drop and I saw her flip right out of the raft. Fortunately, I had learned what to do in such a situation (yeah...I really did listen during the orientation)...so I was able to save her life. No big deal.
You're welcome Regina.

 

The entire float lasted about 1.5 hours. The takeout point was where we had originally parked, so after we changed clothes (in a rather sub-par bathhouse) and were able to view pictures from the trip that Big Creek had taken. Everyone is given the option to buy a cd of Big Creek’s professional photos at the end of the trip...a cool memento to have albeit a bit on the expensive side (30 bucks!). I would definitely recommend taking a disposable waterproof camera…and getting some shots of your own.

 

Overall it was a good intro to whitewater rafting, and I can't believe that I am admitting here that I would actually do it again. After our day on the river, we were all pretty hungry, so we ended our day with a stop in Asheville, NC to eat at the award winning Tupelo Honey restaurant. We'll do a review of this little joint later on. It was a fun trip...with fab friends and some phenomenal food.

 

Happy Birthday Ed (you owe me).

Now here's how the trip stacked up for each of us:

 

Nikki: Fun! My thoughts are above.

 

Eddie: Fun! I had a blast taking on the Pigeon River again…This was an excellent gift for the amateur thrill seeker in me… It was just enough excitement to get my adrenaline pumping with the class IV rapids, but it was also calm enough to not freak out our maiden voyage novice rafters McWifey, RKB, and the random folks from Michigan who were lucky enough to be in our group. I would definitely love to do this river again, or maybe even something a little more intense now that we all have our rafting merit badge LOL… Big Creek is an efficient company that eases the fears of beginners with experienced guides who are very knowledgeable, and who gave a humor filled explanation of what to expect… They also did a good job staying on track and maintaining our group schedule… If this will be your 1^st time taking on a river adventure, I highly suggest you stop and pick up a waterproof camera to record all the great memories you are sure to encounter.

 

Regina: Fun! I thought there were going to be a lot more rapids; however, there was a lot of just drifting and floating down the river. I am embarrassed to say that I did fall out of the raft. However, my bestie Nikki and her husband Eddie pulled me to safety. Where was David you might ask? He was pulling all the lost paddles to safety. I was also upset with the pictures. I thought the company would take multiple pictures along the whole journey, but they just took many pictures at one rapid. Made me sad. The best part of the trip was hanging out with my fabulous friends and eating at Tupelo Honey in Asheville, NC. It was AMAZING!!! From the fresh made biscuits they serve before you get your meal to the homemade pecan pie! I'm just glad I got to scratch rafting off my bucket list.

 

David: Fun! The water was cold, and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend a hot summer day! I was also excited when I picked out my life jacket that it did not smell musty like I had been imagining! The trip to Tennessee was very fun-from the ride in the old school bus to the almost parking ticket in Asheville! Also glad we didn’t have to pay $30 for our pictures like the other riders in the boat! Can’t wait for our next adventure!

 

The rundown:
What we did: White Water Rafting with Big Creek Expeditions
Where we did it: Pigeon River in Hartford, TN
How far away it was: A little over two hours
How much it cost: Normally averages around $40/person
How we saved dollars: Groupon offer...$34/person which included a CD with 15 pictures (worth $30)...4 Groupons purchased made one of ours free for additional savings!
Would we do it again: Yes