Weather: clear skies, air temp - high 76 low 47, water temp - ICE!
After a scenic drive, we arrived at the river ready to do some rafting. John (the outfitter owner) hustled us into lifejackets and paddles and loaded us on the bus with high hopes of still having water at the put-in. Upon arrival at the put-in and seeing that we weren't too late, he rushed through the safety dance and released us to go tame the wild Nantahala. The put-in was uneventful, but our first swim of the day occurred five minutes into the trip when Jenny lost her foothold on the raft on a rapid and fell into the frigid water. She was quickly pulled back into the raft, and her paddle was retrieved (VERY IMPORTANT!!!). Although the river was low, neither raft had too much trouble dodging the rocks. Both rafts took the hero line at The Bump, where Neil decided it was a good time to go swimming. After a crash course in running the falls, both boats ran the falls without anyone going swimming again. Dinner on the way back was provided by the best barbeque place in WNC, Barbeque Inn in Asheville.
AWARDS:
First Swim goes to Jenny
Dale Earnhardt Award goes to Chris for his spectacular performance on those mountain roads
