Nantahala White Water Rafting

I have been rafting the Nantahala since I was in elementary school. The ONLY company that I raft with is the Rolling Thunder River Company (Rollingthunderriverco.com). They are the best. The river is a 2-3 on a scale that goes up to 6. So, it is fairly easy. There are drops along the way, but the biggest ones are last. That's where they take your photos of course. It has a beautiful scenery. It's amazing to be floating down a river with two giant mountains at your sides. Well, I'm from Florida, so all mountains look giant to me. It's an awesome experience. The staff is great. The guys are really hot! Especially Daniel and Eric. The last time I went down the river was two years ago. We stayed at the cabin on site at the rafting place. It was pretty much like a hostile. It had bunkbeds that slept three in each of the rooms. It did have a decent sized kitchen. It ended up being like $12 a night to stay! Super cheap! To go down the river it was like $82, but that included all your equipment and everything. They even explained all the moves and everything before you went down the river. Since we had been so many times we were able to raft without a guide! That made it super fun. But my brother was the captain and we were going down the river sideways for awhile until he abandoned ship. If you like to drink booze is always nice. Buy the alcohol before you get there because you're in the bible belt and it's a dry county! Which is funny because drinking seems to be a hobby for some of them up there.We made friends with the guides and the owners kids. Which was a good idea since they let us borrow their mini rafts to use when we all went down to swim in the lake. We normally stayed for 4 days and 3 nights. A couple were spent partying with the guides and playing drunken twister. I unfortunately lost against Daniel, who also happens to be a gymnast. Go figure. For the last two years I have still been with the same company, but I have been rafting the Ocoee River. They have another rafting hub in McCaysville,Ga. There is no on site cabin though. We rent a cabin called Mountain Dreams from the Kaylor mountain rental company (Kaylormtncabins.com). It was a beautiful three story cabin located on top of a mountain facing a beautiful view. Each time I go rafting there are normally 12 of us. It was a little more expensive than the hostile, but well worth the money. It was about $25 per night. The rafting was a little more because we chose to do "Double Trouble", which means both sections of the river. It cost $93. That also includes lunch on the side of the river. The Ocoee is a class 3-4. There were lots of drops and turns. It was a very fun river. Depending on how many people go, driving from Starke,Fl to Blue Ridge,GA costs between $20 and $40 in gas per person. The upper part of the river is where the water olympics were held in 1996. Unfortunately, we won't be going with Rolling Thunder next year when we go down the Chattooga, not because we don't love them, but because they don't raft the Chattooga.:(. If you're planning on white water rafting then I strongly recommend the Rolling Thunder River Co.

If you are in for adventure, you're in luck! I have been white water kayking twice with the folks from Nantahala Outdoor Center. I have gone on 2 different of their rivers, and I have had a blast each time! It is so exhiarating and liberating! I absolutly love it! It is for all ages and expertise. I even got my mom to go last time! She had fun too!

The two rivers I have kayaked are the Nantahala River and the French Broad River. The scenery along the way is breathtaking. And, not to worry, there is always a guide around, if something goes wrong! They are the friendliest people I have ever met! Honestly! You should definatly give this place a try! You will love it, probalby even get hooked...