The troop wanted to go on a whitewater trip, so Ms. Spell found the Nantahala Outdoor Center and made arrangements
for the troop to camp and go rafting. The trip officially started September 14th, at 9:30 a.m. by loading the
troop trailer and we pulled out at 10:00 a.m. The first stop was a rest stop off I- 40. The troop ate a bag lunch,
hopped back into our cars and continued on our way. We soon drove into a large thunderstorm. A few hours later
the caravan turned off the highway at a gas stop. By this time, the rain had stopped. Everyone jumped out to
stretch his or her legs and/or buy a snack from the convenience! store. A 2-hour drive after the stop and then
we were at the check-in for the Lost Mine Campground. Trouble struck us when Eric found out he had left his brother’s
football in a plastic bag at the rest stop. Joel told us to set up the tents and the tarps before putting personal
gear in the tents. After setting up the campsite, a few of us went down to the creek and skipped rocks. After
our little fun and games, it was time to fix dinner. All the patrols made and ate dinner, then sat around camp
or went out exploring the campground. A hide-n-seek game was played by the Shark and Leadership patrols. When
our game was over,! we all went to bed and some of us played cards in our tents.
Sunday morning arrived bright and early. We were up by 7:30, compliments of Joel. Thanks, Joel. Breakfast
preparations were quickly started and the meal soon enjoyed. After breakfast clean up, we changed into our swimsuits
and got ready to go on the river. Joel came by and gave a 5-minute warning for everyone to head for the vehicles.
We drove to the Nantahala Outdoor Center and walked across the bridge overlooking the Nantahala River. On the
other side of the river was the Raft Station. We checked in at the front desk and one of our guid! es, Will, came
up and escorted us to the Life Preserver and Splash Jacket station. After we suited up in those splash jackets
(Man those made you feel like you were a Martian!!) Will showed us how to sit in the raft, use the whitewater swimmers
position and how to go down the Nantahala Falls in a tuck position. Once Crandel (one of the other guides) handed
us our paddles we were told to jump on the bus. Once the short 8-mile ride was over we took our rafts to the water
and after a few quick tips we started on the Nantahala River! Of course we had trick competition. Peter‘s raft
won. “Soon,” said the guides when we asked when we were nearing the Bump. The Bump is a big rock sticking out
of the water. When all the rafts had passed the bump we were closing in on Nantahala Falls. We were told that
when the raft went over Nantahala Falls our picture was taken. After the falls we turned into the endpoint of
our river journey. The raft crew hopped out slowly because of sore and cramped legs. We pulled the raft out of
the water and stowed our paddles. The crews took off their splash jackets and lifejackets. After everyone took
a bathroom stop, we headed over to the picture station. When the people who bought photos went to the cars and
drove slowly but very loudly up the long, winding road to our campsite. The caravan stopped at the campsite and
unloaded. Everybody dashed to his or her tents for dry clothes. The patrols cooked dinner, cleaned up and went
to bed.
Joel woke us up and we started breakfast. After breakfast we packed up our tents and gear. We packed the
cars and we were off to our destination- New Hope Church. The c! aravan stopped twice on the return trip. While
closing in on Greensboro the White Hawk sped up and got some truckers to honk at us. Being so far ahead the White
Hawk pulled into the church at 3:15 just as Luke’s dad had predicted. The troop unloaded and left. Overall the
trip was fun, some mishaps here and there but everybody had fun!