White Water Rafting 2010

A typical day on the Area II whitewater rafting trip starts out with Cliff waking everyone up and instructing them to come to breakfast dressed for an awesome day of rafting. The excitement builds as the bleary eyed rafters gather for a hearty country breakfast server by Songer’s catering staff. Cliff gives some last minute instructions and we all gather at Songer’s store for a paper work check and organizing the anxious rafters into groups for the first days rafting. The old timers like Pat and Zach joke and kid the new rafters about the days rafting to pass the time while the Songer trip leader gives final boarding instructions and it’s time for the walk as we like to call it. We all head down the path to the equipment building for our helmets, PFD’s and paddles. As we proceed on the path our Video Boater Dave starts the days shooting, joking that this is how we will identify you later. Julia is on her Queen of the Nile chair carried by a crew of veteran rafters. As you may have gathered by now we always have fun!

We board the bus and it’s off to the river. While one the bus ride we get the last bit of safety instructions, tempered with some jokes to relieve the tension of the new rafters. At the river we make that last pit stop and then find our river guide who helps carry our raft to the river. Once on the water the guide goes over how to paddle a raft, yes it is different than paddling a canoe. We head down river to our first whitewater of the day, Upper Railroad. Anxious paddlers at the ready and into the rapids we go the air is filled with the roar of the rapids, laughter and some screaming and a few moments rest then Lower Railroad is upon us. After the rapids it’s calm water and marvelous scenery.  Those that are not wet enough from the rapids jump in for a swim and some piracy as they strive to attack Cliff’s raft to throw him in the first of many times for the day. After several more rapids we beach for a river lunch of stacked sandwiches, salads. Cookies and more. Lunch is over and back on the water for more rapids and fun up ahead is Thread The Needle rapids a favorite swimmers rapid and also a place to intentionally flip your raft. Then all too soon we see the New River Gorge Bridge and know the days rafting is near. We help stow the rafts and tiredly board the bus for the ride back to base camp. Cold drinks await us on the bus and the excited rafters chatter about the day’s events.

Once back at Songer we hit the showers while Dave produces the day’s video. All gather to view the day’s fun and plan for the next day; yes this is just day one of two fun filled days on the river. After the video we all gather for a hearty dinner and more fun with camp fires, volley ball and anything else we can come up with. That’s a typical day of rafting I hope to see you all this June at Songer for lots of great fun.

Hope to see you this summer! 

Cliff