Rafting with "the gang"

I guess it was about a month ago now (man, time flies) that I went camping and rafting with some friends up in Bryson City, NC. The weather was PERFECT -- warm and sunny, but not hot... chilly at night, exactly what you want for camping. We stayed at this great campground near the river, and had a huge site by a creek to ourselves, complete with enough room for my recently-made polish golf set. :)

Except for our fear of the nazi-ish hippie woman who ran the place, it was a relaxing time in the woods. To give you a taste of her approach: on their website, rule #7 states, "Do not deface, cut, or drive nails into trees or tables. Putting an ax into a tree is the same as having an ax put through your tent." Can you hear the banjoes? So, we were a little concerned going in. And then when we met her, and were paying, etc, she warned us to make "only the smallest fire ever" since they were in such a drought. We joked about trying not to burn down the forest, and she said, with a little too much seriousness, "Well, I have your address here on the sheet, so if you burn down my woods, I know where you live." YIKES!

But it turns out she was pretty cool, and we really enjoyed our stay. Drinking, building (maybe not the smallest) fires, polish golf, eating lots of meat and mac and cheese. Then, Saturday, the river! We rafted down the Nantahala with a guide from the Nantahala Outdoor Center. He tolerated our childish humor and antics quite well, and I think by the end, he actually liked us. He even let Michael guide the raft for a while! The trip was Class II/III whitewater, and it was a good introduction for those of us who hadn't rafted before. Bill fell in (the water was FREEZING) and then later, Erin voluntarily jumped in for a swim. By the look of icy shock on her face when she re-surfaced, I think she regreted it. :) But all in all, it was a great trip! Next time, Class IV, perhaps? Or, there were these cool kayaks that we wanted to try, but we didn't feel bad-ass enough (see pic)... Maybe next time, though.

We didn't take many pictures on this trip, but we did buy this one from the outdoor center. (Note Bill flashing gang signs while the rest of us are busy trying to keep the raft from flipping.)