White Water Rafting

I have only rafted on the Ocoee so I don't have anything to compare it to other than what others have told me. It's not bad at all. It's not like rafting in Colorado or in N. Carolina so I've been told, but it is FUN!

The Upper course is a lot more rough than the Middle. My partner in crime, Hannah, & I went for the first time 2 yrs ago. We had a blast & I screamed my head off. We did the Upper then which has the 1996 Olympic course on it. It was so cool. It's more rocky, more remote, & just loads of fun. The Middle is way more mild. The Middle is one that I would definitely take the kids on provided they are really close to 12 or older. The age limit is 12 but if you have a 10 yr old that could pass for 12 then they will not turn them away.

I've always used Quest Expeditions & never been disappointed. From what the waiter told us in Chattanooga when we got dinner, I think I'll stick with Quest. They supposedly have the best safety record on the river. I think I believe it now after hearing his little story of his last rafting trip.

Tom P. & I met up in the Manchester Walmart at roughly 8:20am. We checked in with Quest just before 11am their time. It takes a mininium 1 hr 30 mins to get there from Manchester's Walmart, fyi. Our bus left at approximatedly 11:15am for our 1/2 day excursion. It rained just a little & much to our surprise the water was not that incredibly cold. It's like bath water in July, Aug, & early Sept. So, for the record, when you've had a couple of 90 degree weeks, June is ok too. Tom took some photos with a waterproof camera. If he sends them to me, I'll post them soon. One in particular should be funny. Some ladies put walmart plastic bags on their heads, tied them, & then put on their helmets so their hair would not get wet. Too funny! It was their first time rafting & I really wanted them in our boat because they looked like fun but they were in another boat. The people in our boat turned out to be nice, though. The guide, "Jo-Jo" or Jordan was good but every guide I've had there has been exceptional.

We found out that Riverfest was going on downtown Chattanooga but didn't go. I was game but someone didn't make plans to have the dogs fed. :P A last minute Sat night into Bonnaroo just wasn't happening even though I suspect we could have got in fairly cheap. I had one too many margaritas in Chattanooga so Tom had to drive us back into Manchester. All in all a FUN day! There will be a full day rafting trip planned for Aug, I assure you. (Tom, you will have to have someone feed the dogs the next time, ok?)