Nantahala Rafting Trips
Tuesday was a great day of rafting for the Middlers and Seniors at camp, including the mini session girls who arrived last weekend. We offered everyone either a day trip or an overnight trip that included staying at our Nantahala outpost. This meant sending one group down the river in the morning, and the second in the afternoon, with the afternoon group spending the night.
Rockbrook is fortunate to be one of only two summer camps that have a US Forest Service permit to raft the Nantahala River. This means we adhere to the same standards as professional rafting companies in the Gorge, and it allows us to hire our own guides, use our own top-notch equipment and schedule these trips when we need them.
A trip down the Nantahala is an excellent introduction to whitewater rafting. The guides first introduce paddling techniques, and explain what to do while going down the river. The entire trip is 8 miles long and takes a little more than 2 hours. There’s a nice rhythm of rapids (with names like Delbar’s Rock, the Bump, Patton’s Run, and the Ledges) and calm sections to keep everything exciting. The highlight is the final rapid, a class 3 drop called the “Nantahala Falls” or “Lesser Wesser.”
Check the photo gallery soon to see more pictures!
A Big Fiesta
A bunch of Middlers and Seniors took a whitewater rafting trip to the Nantahala River today. Our very own guides (Clyde, Kelsey, Sid, Mallory and John) gathered up the rafting gear (boats, paddles, helmets, PFDs and other safety equipment) and met us at the river. We stopped for a picnic lunch along the way, but by 1pm we were ready to raft. Since the weather was perfect, sunny and warm, we had a great time splashing each other, and even jumping in the water for a quick dip on calm sections of the river. Every boat ran the final rapid just perfectly.
Another highlight of the day was our dinner event— Fiesta Birthday Night! This is a special dinner where the dining hall is rearranged so that everyone in camp sits at a table according to their birth month… all the January birthdays together, and so forth. Each table shouts “Happy Birthday” to famous people born in their month: “Happy Birthday Barack Obama!” (August), for example. And, of course, each month has an elaborate cake to share as well. The food was an awesome Mexican Fiesta too. We had steak fajitas, beans, rice, homemade guacamole, diced tomatoes, cheese, salsa, and sour cream. The tri-colored peppers and onions really made it! All the campers dressed up for the Fiesta and the dining hall was decorated with piñatas and colorful posters. It was a great time.
After dinner, during the hour before evening program starts, the campers have free time, but we always have an optional group activity planned. We call these activities “Twilight Activities.” Tonight we had two Rockbrook Alumnae visit and hold a singalong. Elsa Claverie and Jo Littleton brought their banjo and Ukulele and a list of cool new songs to teach us. They actually weren’t “new,” but old traditional songs that we didn’t know. It was so neat to hear the singing, harmonies and enthusiasm in the room. It made everyone feel good… that feeling where the back of your neck tingles. There’s a short video on the RBC Youtube channel of the singing. Enjoy.
Summer Camp Rafting
Here’s a set of photos of our whitewater rafting trips on the Nantahala River. Each session we take girls over to the river for a fun-filled day rafting. The Nantahala is one of the best known whitewater rivers in the southeast and always offers an exciting ride. Check out the photos and you’ll see what we mean.
