Detour Discount-20% off Luxury Yurt Lodging, 20% off Zip Line Canopy Tour

Western North Carolina-Falling Waters Adventure Resort and Nantahala Gorge Canopy Tours are turning lemons into lemonade. The rock slide on I-40 could be a boon for some travelers, if you plan your route strategically. For travelers heading to destinations west of Knoxville, like Chattanooga and Nashville, taking the detour south along Hwy 74 can be a cost saver.

Falling Waters, located in the Nantahala Gorge area of western North Carolina, is offering a Detour Discount. Save 20% on a night's stay at Falling Waters Adventure Resort or take a zip through the trees with the Nantahala Gorge Canopy Tours or do both.  Falling Waters was only one of two North Carolina accommodations selected to the National Geographic 2009 "Stay List" and was selected for its unique, one-of-a-kind experience.

The Yurt Village offers all the amenities of home but gives you a taste of the outdoors. The Yurts are appointed with queen-sized beds, all linens, a CD player, small refrigerators, coffee-makers, and use of the resort's Hot Tub. Bathrooms are private but shared. There are fire rings, hammocks, and hiking trails all on 22 acres. Also located at the Resort is the Nantahala Gorge Canopy Tours.

The Canopy Tour takes you over and through the tree tops of the resort, flying over 1/2 mile from ridge to ridge and then into the trees of the hardwood forest. This two-hour flight is the only one of its kind in western North Carolina and is something not to be missed. Flyers who are 70 lbs to 250 lbs can experience this thrilling activity. All flyers should be able to raise their arms over their heads. Recommended clothing includes closed-toed shoes, a collared shirt and long pants.

Come find out why Nantahala Gorge Canopy Tours is rated #1 in Bryson City on tripadvisor.com. Contact Wildwater for more information and availability. 877-247-5535 or go online at www.wildwaterrafting.com.

Only One More Week on the Chattooga!

But Oh what a time it will be!

November 8th is the last day for rafting on the Chattooga River and the 2009 season for Wildwater. For the past few days we’ve had steady rain followed by gorgeous days like today!! This has caused the water levels to rise again, not as much as we saw last month, but a significant amount. Check out the pictures we’ve uploaded to our website. The Chattooga is the only river run by Wildwater that is not dam controlled. While the rain can have an effect on our dam controlled rivers  (conditions are aided by the smaller streams and brooks feeding into the river downstream),  rainfall is the main influence of conditions on the Chattooga.

Need another reason to go rafting? Well we’ve got two! How about the amazing fall foliage. In the last two weeks conditions have been near perfect to get the leaves popping into their show of colors! Although colors are starting to get past peak in Western NC they are just peaking in Upstate SC where the Chattooga is located. Secondly, mention fall specials and receive 20% off of any Wildwater trip. Don't wait or you might just miss the adventure!!!

Visit our website to find out more about the exciting trips we have to offer this last few weeks, and don’t forget that the weekend of November 7th is also the last release date on the Cheoah River in Robbinsville, NC for 2009!

Plumtree Canopy Tours

@ Toe River Lodge Campground, Plumtree, NC

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23!!!

Experience a real Canopy Tour and Zipline Adventure that takes you into the trees with Plumtree Canopy Tours. More than just a 3 hour zipline experience, enjoy 11 zips and 4 sky bridges while learning about the trees, wildlife habitats, community of Plumtree, the vast underground mines, the hey days of the early to mid-1900’s, and how this region of peaks soaring 5500 feet above sea level remains a world leader today. Operated by the professionals from Nantahala Gorge Canopy Tours, Plumtree flies you 60 feet above Isaac’s Branch Creek, launches you from“Rock & Roll” and zips you past trees and mountainsides on “The Zinger.”

All equipment is provided including the added security of a full-body harness, helmet, trolley, glove, and 2 professional canopy rangers per group.

Plumtree is located in Avery County NC. Due to the twists and turns the roads take it is difficult to give mileage information to guests, but, we can tell you that it is located fifteen minutes from Linville Gorge, and excellent park for camping, hiking and spelunking! Also located thirty minutes away from Grandfather Mountain, and forty five minutes from Boone and Appalachian State University.

For more information you can visit www.vancetoeriverlodge.com or www.wildwaterrafting.com/plumtree.php

Call Wildwater to make a reservation: 800.451.9972

Plumtree Canopy Tours

@ Toe River Lodge Campground, Plumtree, NC

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23!!!

Experience a real Canopy Tour and Zipline Adventure that takes you into the trees with Plumtree Canopy Tours. More than just a 3 hour zipline experience, enjoy 11 zips and 4 sky bridges while learning about the trees, wildlife habitats, community of Plumtree, the vast underground mines, the hey days of the early to mid-1900’s, and how this region of peaks soaring 5500 feet above sea level remains a world leader today. Operated by the professionals from Nantahala Gorge Canopy Tours, Plumtree flies you 60 feet above Isaac’s Branch Creek, launches you from“Rock & Roll” and zips you past trees and mountainsides on “The Zinger.”
All equipment is provided including the added security of a full-body harness, helmet, trolley, glove, and 2 professional canopy rangers per group.

Call Wildwater to make a reservation: 800.451.9972

Want to Stay in an Ewok Village!?

Boy we really lucked out bringing News Channel 7’s  crew up to Bryson City, if you haven’t seen it yet, check out their Cool Jobs segment we posted  a couple days ago. Yesterday they aired their Home Hoppin’ segment. This series take you to up-scale homes (or in this weeks case, campsites) and gives an in-depth tour of the property. I like the end of the clip where Kimberly compares the Yurts to an Ewok Village!

Want to Stay in an Ewok Village!?

Boy we really lucked out bringing News Channel 7’s  crew up to Bryson City, if you haven’t seen it yet check out their Cool Jobs segment we posted  a couple days ago. Yesterday they aired their Home Hoppin’ segment. This series take you to up-scale homes (or in this weeks case, campsites) and gives an in-depth tour of the property. I like the end of the clip where Kimberly compares the Yurts to an Ewok Village!

We’ve got a “Cool Job”

Recently, one of our employees was watching the local news in Greenville, SC and saw a segment about cool jobs in the area. Thinking to himself “Hey, I’ve got a really cool job!”, he contacted them about our new Nantahala Gorge Canopy Tours. They thought it was a great idea and sent a camera crew out to interview several of our Canopy Rangers and film the action on the zip line. They had a great time up in the trees and can’t wait to come do it again! Here’s a link to Lee “Bob” and Jamarcus from News Channel 7 covering our “Cool Job” just outside Bryson City, NC!

 

Trip Changes on the Pigeon

Walters Powerhouse, which is responsible for releasing water into the Pigeon River, has their last release for 2009 scheduled on September 5th. In previous years this has signaled the end of rafting season on the Upper Pigeon River. This is because we rely on these scheduled releases to create exciting Class III and IV rapids on set days of the week to be able to guarantee your trip will be the ride that you expect. However this year we are offering a new kind of trip! After Labor Day we will be offering a scenic River Trip with a chance of whitewater. The trip will be a Class I - II experience with the possibility of a full Upper Pigeon Trip! Why the uncertainty about the size of the rapids? Walters Powerhouse will be releasing water "as needed" rather than following a regular schedule. Lake levels, power demand and weather forecasts will all be used to determine these projected release times. As a result, we won't know more than a day or so in advance when the whitewater will occur and we may not even find out until we reach the launch area! Minimum flows on the river create Class I and II rapids so it can be rafted regardless of flow and the scenery is still fantastic. The Pigeon River will be open on Tuesday’s through Saturdays and this is a GREAT opportunity to see the fall leaf changes and get some excitement in at the same time! September 9th through October 5th trips will start at 12pm and 3pm. From October 6th until November 14th trips will start at 11am and 2pm. The price for the trip is $39 per person – Trips leaving out at 3PM are still eligible for the $8-off discount!

Combining River Rafting and Learning

We have a lot of guides who are teachers and a lot of school groups that raft with us year after year. All of them are saying the same thing, "It's getting harder and harder to get approval and funding from the school board to take trips that are purely for fun." Trips that have an educational component are much more readily agreed to by both the school boards and parents. We can certainly see the reason for this and we want to be able to provide trips that meet the goals and curriculum of our school groups to assist them in getting approval to take their annual rafting trips.

We are currently working on building educational "modules" that meet curriculum standards for schools in the Southeast. The idea is that we will provide materials and lesson plans for teachers planning on coming to the Rivers to raft so that they can provide an educational component to their trip. Initially we're focusing on the Chattooga River although we'd eventually like to adapt the modules to be used on all rivers.

The Chattooga region lends itself extremely well to topics such as geology, cultural history, ecology, biology, water quality, dendrology and even applied mathematics. We would love to hear from any teachers who have built their own lessons into past rafting trips or from any teachers who are considering trips for the future. We have some great ideas and the beginnings of some great lesson plans but any information that have worked in the past would be greatly appreciated! We'd also love to hear what topics would fit in well with your lesson plans for the current year.

Please email groupsales@wildwaterltd.com if you have any ideas or are interested in discussing what we already have in place.

Rope Throw Rodeos and Rescue training

We always plan for a smooth trip whenever we venture out onto the river, but this isn't Disneyland and there are no tracks out there. Every once in a while things don't go according to plan. That's when the training and experience of your guide really comes into play. It's amazing just how powerful the river can be. It can take only seconds for a raft, that was happily floating along to end up partially submerged and "pinned" to the rocks. Once there it can be held in place by the force of the water which can be equal to over a ton of pressure. Luckily the usual senerio is that the guests in the raft either scramble quickly onto the rocks or float out of the boat and are rescued by the other rafts surroundng them.

So now that everyone is safe, how do you go about unpinning a raft that is being held down by a at least a of ton of free flowing river? There are several techniques that our guides are trained to use such as the "10 boyscouts" or dirct pull method, vector pull and z-drag. For most of us knowing that our guide knows what they are doing and has the training to implement these rescue techniques is enough. For those of you who are interested in a more thorough explanation see the end of this post.

Most companies train their guides in rescue systems, but learning these systems once isn't enough for most guides to be able to recreate an effective z-drag when it counts (when there are guests sitting on a rock with a partially submerged raft nearby). That's why we hold training sessions several times each year to refresh our guides rescue skills. We make these trainings fun by including an element of competition - such as during our "Rope throw rodeo". Guides complete the course earning points for laying their rescue ropes across targets, rescuing "swimmers" and tying knots. The guides also build rescue systems such as z-drags and telfer lowers on dry land to refresh their skills.

All of this training pays off. When there is a problem on the river our guides are usually complimented on their ability to quickly and effectively solve the problem. Being able to unpin a raft if there is an unplanned for situation allows us to get on with the trip - which is after all, what we ventured onto the river for in the first place.

How to unpin a raft

We start with the simplest method first and work our way up. This allows us to be efficient if the raft only needs a little help to slide off of the rock and keeps everyone safe - the more complex the rescue system the more potenial for problems. The guide simply starts to pull on the raft at the most likely looking place. The object is to try and dump most of the water out of the raft to allow it to refloat or to use the current to "wash" it off of the rock that has it pinned. If that doesn't work we attach a rope and add more guides to help pull - the "10 boyscouts" method.



If we still can't move enough water out to unpin it we use simple physics to increase the efficiency of our pull - the Vector pull.



Finally we move up to building a rope system - the z-drag. This system works just like a pulley, giving us a mechanical advantage to increase the amount of force we can apply to the raft to allow it to dump the water holding it in place.



If you're interested in the technical details of raft rescue then River Rescue: A Manual for Whitewater Safety ISBN 978-1878239556 By Slim Ray and Les Bechdel is a great resource.

A Zip Through The Smokies

I’m standing in the treetops enveloped by the lush vegetation of the Smoky Mountains. The Cardinal’s bird song is urging me on, saying “Come join us, you won’t be sorry.” I inhale a long, deep breath and smell the moist aroma of the forest and then...take a step off the platform. I feel the cool breeze against my face and remember to exhale with a high pitch squeal of delight; flavored with excitement mixed with little fear.

I just took my first zip on the new Nantahala Gorge Canopy Tours, located 12 miles outside of Bryson City. I checked in at Wildwater Ltd. Rafting then went across the street to the Falling Waters Adventure Resort. The Resort sits on 22 acres and began with lodging of eight Yurts and a Group Lodge. The Lodging used about 5 acres. The rest of the steep and rolling acreage was not utilized, until this spring. Construction began first with an arborist recording the trees health and location then, the course was laid out. All told there are 11 sections; some zip lines side-by-side, 5 sky bridges and 3 transfer bridges.

The half-mile, Canopy Tour course runs from ridge to ridge. The ecosystem is comprised of hardwoods, native rhododendron, azaleas, mountain laurels as well as filled with songbirds. As we waited for the other flyers to complete their zips, the Canopy Ranger explains the history of the area and the uniqueness of the environment.

I’m equipped with a full body harness of webbing that wraps around my upper body and legs. A carabiner and safety line comes from the center up to a trolly. I’m wearing a helmet and gloves for my hands. The course takes about three hours so I'm thankful that the gear is a comfortable fit.

July 10 is the launch date for the new Nantahala Gorge Canopy Tours. This is to be a four-season activity which is a nice addition for the Nantahala area. Individual rates are $69 per person and group rates are also offered . Each session has two Canopy Rangers assigned to each group of 12. 1-877-398-6222 www.nantahalagorgecanopytours.com.

Last Chance-Cheoah Release for the Summer

Next weekend (June 20th and 21st) is the last release on the Cheoah River for this spring/summer (there is one more scheduled release-Nov 7th). One of the questions we often get about the Cheoah is why the release schedule doesn't include more dates during the summer. If whitewater recreation was the only factor to consideration when releasing water into this river, it certainly makes sense that the majority of releases dates would be in the summer. However other factors had to be considered.

The Cheoah River is one of many waterways created and controlled by the Tapoco Hydroelectric Project which is owned and operated by Alcoa Power Generating Inc, a subsidiary of Alcoa Aluminium. Every 40 - 50 years all hydroelectric generation plants must be relicensed and during the relicensing process there is an opportunity for interested parties to raise concerns about the management of the river. The dams in the Tapoco Hydroelectric Project came up for relicensing in 2005 but the process began back in 1998.

American Whitewater, in conjunction with whitewater outfitters, local paddling clubs and environmental resource management agencies negotiated for environmental and recreational releases in the Cheoah River under the FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) laws. These laws which stipulate that recreational opportunities must be considered for the public and meet certain environmental criteria. The group succeeded in securing an minimum environmental flow for the Cheoah River with periodic high water releases, which are the dates when we are able to offer rafting trips.

Previously the river bed had been dry for 77 years. These flow levels are intended to restore the natural habitat of the river bed in addition to providing recreational opportunities. The recreational release schedule was designed to mimic the high water events that would occur naturally on the river due to spring rains, which is why the majority of releases occur in the spring and early summer. The hope is that by releasing a continuous minimal flow with periodic high water releases at time of natural flood events, native species will once again be able to inhabit the river and thrive. High water flows act in much the same way that periodic fires do in forests. The water clears sediment and vegetation, redistributes nutrients and increases the health of the the habitat.

The link below is an interesting podcast that American Whitewater broadcasted about the difficult process that occurred while securing recreational releases on the Cheoah. There's also some great footage of the river itself.

LVMTV :: Monday Morning Madhouse 3/16; American Whitewater's successes with Cheoah Releases from Lunch Video Magazine on Vimeo.

The Real Fun Begins!

This post was from a group considering a trip on the Chattooga. If you are looking for a fun group for your teen to join, check out these guys, Teva Treks. They are a Jewish outdoor adventure summer camp for teenagers. Beginning in summer 2010, Teva Treks will offer teens the chance to explore beautiful places, challenge themselves and build a community to last a lifetime.

"While we were out on the river, we really felt separated from the rest of the world - it was great! We rafted with Wildwater Ltd Rafting, a well-established company that has been guiding on the Chattooga since 1971. All of the guides were professional, friendly, and clearly loved their jobs. We're now debating whether to do an overnight 2-day rafting trip, or to spend one day rafting and one day kayaking." 

Bananahalas

We've had a nice break from the rain. Though we certainly appreciate all that Mother Nature has given us, this past sunny warm weekend is appreciated. As the summer season starts to sneak up on us, a lot of people are planning their getaways and a pivotal part of great memories is sitting around a campfire.

Become the star of the weekend with this twist on the traditional s'mores campfire treat. I call it "Bananahalas," after the fruit that is the base of the treat and the first place I tried it, here on the Nantahala.

Buy a bunch of bananas, not too green and not too squishy ripe. Peel one section of the banana skin back, but not all the way off. Scoop out, with a small teaspoon, the ripe banana fruit. Keep it and set aside. Scoop out enough to create a "bowl" or "trough" so you can put in chocolate chips and mini-marshmallows. Mash the banana fruit that you extracted earlier and then replace it on top of the chocolate chips and marshmallows. Place the banana peel back over the fruit and wrap entirely in aluminum foil.

Place the bananas in the campfire coals so the treat is heated through out.

After the bananahalas are hot, pull out and eat with a spoon. Careful-they might be hot. but oooh, it's worth it,  it tastes like a banana split. Enjoy and . . . don't forget the ghost stories.

More fun from Guide school

Here's a video from one of our guides. Hope you enjoy. It's pretty good!

The Dance of the Fireflies

If you're heading over to the Tennessee Smokies and the Pigeon River, be sure and fit in this once-a-season natural event. People travel for miles to see the light show.

A synchronized firefly show-there are only two places on earth you can experience this phenomenon, southeast Asia and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The peak flashing for synchronous fireflies (Photinus carolinus) that live in Great Smoky Mountains National Park occurs for only two weeks in mid-June. The Male's time is short, they live as adults for only about 21 days. So they turn it on, attract the Females and procreate. The Males fly and flash and the usually stationary Females respond with a flash creating a spectacular and unparalleled natural light show. They are the only species in America that can synchronize their flashing light patterns.

The show takes place at the Elkmont Campground. Getting there can be a challenge but worth it. The campground is closed to private vehicles after 5 p.m. Entrance is allowed if you have a campsite reserved or you may ride the trolley for $1 from the Sugarlands Visitor Center. Trolleys begin a at 6 p.m. and run every 20-25 minutes. Last trolley leaves at 11 p.m.

Come prepared for the evening:

• Bring a blanket or a small lawn chair to sit on, a flashlight or two (cover them with red cellophane to minimize white lights), and a backpack with refreshments. The only amenities at the campground are portable toilets.
  
• Park rangers and volunteers will be available in various locations for questions, guided walks, and assistance.
  
• No pets or alcoholic beverages allowed.
  
• If attempting to take pictures or video, do not use a flash. Not only does it disturb the fireflies, but your picture will turn out horribly. Try turning the flash off, setting your aperture to f11 and taking a long exposure of a few seconds. You’ll get a spooky looking glow…very cool!
  

Scouting for River Clean-up

Wednesday, May 27th, a group from the Georgia Society of Association Executives will be in Asheville for their annual conference. Besides the standard conference agenda, this group is looking to do a little extra for the community by helping with a river clean up on the French Broad. 

The section where they are cleaning up is located along the scenic and beautiful Biltmore Estate.  Jeff Greiner, our VP of Marketing, and his helpful crew went out this weekend to scout the area.

 

They took out a two man kayak (three if two of them are really small!) and a canoe Saturday morning. The cleanup is being spearheaded by Wildwater Ltd. Rafting in conjunction with RiverLink. The GA. Society has partnered with Wildwater for several years, sending their members on rafting trips and team building exercises, and we are happy to lend a hand with equipment and guides for such a worthy cause!

RiverLink is a non-profit organization founded 22 years ago to help as river stewards for the French Broad River and its tributaries. Over the years, the French Broad River Basin has been polluted by farms, manufacturing, and real estate developments along its shores. According to its mission statement, RiverLink's purpose is to " . . . . focus on related issues that directly impact the environmental health of our region's rivers and streams and the growth and sustainability of our economy.” RiverLink will be providing garbage bags and other tools and support for our group to make a difference in the cleanup of our river!

Asheville Happenings

Things have been heating up here in Asheville and I don’t mean the temperatures! While spring is still bringing us chilly weather, that hasn’t stopped people from taking a trip down the river. As you might be able to tell we have just started our venture into Social Networking (If you couldn’t tell- Thanks!). We have a twitter handle (wildwaterltd, follow us!), a Facebook Fan Page and are slowly showing up on many travel websites and blogs. As we are new to the Social Network sphere, we rely heavily on our print advertising. We have mailers that have gone out to our distribution list notifying people of our spring specials, newspaper and magazine advertising as well.

Despite all the work, it hasn’t stopped us from doing what we love, even at work. I never thought any job would come with benefits like having meetings in the middle of the woods, or in the parking lot over a game of hacky sack! Jeff took some time off for a family members wedding, and I’ve been enjoying the great micro-brewery scene here in Asheville. Did you know Asheville was just named Beer City, USA by one of the most renowned spirit gurus on the web? Yeah, we tied for first with Portland Oregon of all places! I’ve also been keeping up to date on my Karate training. Just recently we had a man from China come and teach a seminar on Feeding Crane Kung-Fu. He was talking about the history of the exercises and their roots in Mongolia. Now who has ever used a fact about Mongolia to link their job and their hobbies? I did at that moment.

Did you know that our Yurts at Falling Waters Resort are modeled and named after the original Mongolian structure? While the native Mongols didn’t have such amenities as a queen size bed or CD player in their living structures everything else is basically the same. Their  Yurts are easily collapsible for transportation, have a communal bathroom, and are set up in an area that easily accessible to areas with running water! Ok so maybe that’s a bit of a stretch to be making from one to another, but I did make it and I thought it was kinda cool!

While the east coast is still being hammered by rain, here in the Appalachian Mountains the weather has cleared up and looks to stay that way for the next week at least. The rain we have had the last week or two has brought the rivers up significantly and everyone I’ve talked to says that this is prime time to be taking trips down the river! Hope you can find some time in your busy schedule to get out on the rapids. I know I will!

Phew - and we're done....

A huge round of applause goes out to all of our 2009 Guide School students. Great job guys and gals - the schedule was crammed full, well done making it through. Tonight you can finally catch up on your rest. I know we will!

The last two days of guide school were spent at the Ocoee and Chattooga Rivers. A full combo trip on the Ocoee, including swims at Tablesaw (watch out for the guide getter) and then a "Rope Throw Rodeo" to round out the day. Knots lessons on the bus and Section IV (?) on Sunday (the Chattooga was running at 2.8ft (yes we have water!) so the trip got moved up to Thrifts Ferry - Woodall Shoals).

There was a little carnage here and there - which gave some of our students a healthy respect for the river. Always a nice thing to have in a raft guide. Feedback on the new format for the school was mostly very positive. A few adjustments to the schedule for next year (let us sleep on the bus please!) and we should have it just about right. We look forward to hearing from anyone interested in attending guide school 2010 - just email mcoleman@wildwaterltd.com.

We'll round up some photo's and video footage from this years school to be posted soon.

Guide School on the Nantahala

Guide School-Nantahala

The group arrived at our Nantahala location after an hour+ ride on the bus from the Chattooga. Their time did not go to waste as the trainees practiced their knots and discussed and reviewed river etiquette enroute.

They took a quick tour of the facilities then it was on to land based skills with hands on learning of haul systems and shore- and boat-based rescues.

A break for lunch then they prepared to get out on the Nantahala River. A dismal wet weather forecast was not well received but with the right clothes and layering they were comfortable. Besides they were used to getting wet.

The group practiced raft extraction as well as rope throws but the swim test was saved for another day.

A return to the Group Lodge, dry clothes and dinner was followed by a discussion of Wildwater, its history and a discussion of guest services was lead by Jeff Greiner, VP of Marketing and son of the founder, Jim Greiner.

Off to the Nantahala River we go...

It's day three of Wildwater's new and improved guide school. So far there have been some really good comments coming from the students and instructors about the new format. Day one started with the flat water paddling technique lesson on the pond at Wildwater's Chattooga Rafting Center. Then the students got to "learn the ropes" loading the rafts for the afternoon river trip. They loaded up to head down to Thrifts Ferry for the first river based lesson, which focused on basic whitewater techniques (paddle strokes, river characteristics, basic manouvres such as ferries etc). They even got to see how to flip a raft at Bull Sluice, courtesy of our long time Ocoee Manager Lance Luke! Thanks Lance we know you just did it in the name of education. The day ended (after a fantastic Salmon dinner - thanks Darla) with some classroom time.

Day two was a full day trip on Section III of the Chattooga. Each student got some "stick" time and the day focused on building on the information given the day before as well as learning new techiques - like how to actually get yourself back in the raft if you fall out! The day ended with more classroom time in the evening and an early night (?) in preparation for heading out to the Nantahala River in the morning.

Freddy was down at the Sluice when the students came through - so hopefully she'll have some good pictures to add when I see her on Monday!

Guide School starts today

This year we're trying a new format for our guide school. For those of you that have been to guide school, you'll remember that in the past we held guide school at the Chattooga River over two consecutive weekends. This year we are holding the school over five consecutive days and rafting on three different rivers, the Chattooga River, Nantahala River and Ocoee River.

We've had a great response to the new format and the school has been fully booked for several weeks now. Last night all of our students rolled into the Chattooga Rafting Center, ready for an early start this morning. They started the day with an introduction to whitewater in the classroom and are heading out this afternoon for their first practical river experience. Stay tuned for updates on their progress!

Falling Waters Yurts featured on the Today Show

Wildwater's Yurts at our Falling Waters Resort on the Nantahala were featured this morning on the Today Show on NBC. The travel segment profiled the National Geographic Traveler's annual "Stay List" which came out in their April issue. For those of you who missed it, click play below

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Cheap camping near the river!

The economy is on everyones mind this year and it's affecting the way people plan their vacations. We've been getting a lot of calls from people who still want to raft but are looking at a tighter budget. As a response to that need we've been gathering information about the free and cheap publicly owned campsites that surround our rivers. More and more people are looking at camping as a cheap accommodation option to allow them to still take part in the activities that make their summer vacation so memorable. If you'd like to see our list please go to http://www.wildwaterrafting.com/publiccamp.php. Of course we hope that while you're camping you'll also join us for a fantastic time on the river!

For a great article on the increased use of the National Parks go to http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=88398324362&h=0SVob&u=FGt1u&ref=mf

Please Stand By While We Correct Some Technical Difficulties

It has recently come to our attention that two tools on our website are in disrepair. Please bear with us with us as we diligently work on getting these back up and working so as to make your Wildwater Rafting experience a thrill of a lifetime!

If you have tried to make an online reservation from our website and not heard anything back, please call our Reservation Office and book your trip by phone. They can be reached at (866) 319-8870.

If you have recently tried to request the document "America's Leading Outfitter's: Guidelines to planning a successful rafting experience." and wondering “Where the heck is it?” Please know it is coming soon. Until then please use, as a reference, the informative documents located from our main page under the Group Tab: Group Leader Resources.

Thank you for your patience while we work this out and have a great time on the river!

Celebrate Mother Earth

At Wildwater every day is Earth Day. I ran across a similar philosophy on a lot of blogs but, at Wildwater, this is our core belief. Since 1971 we have been more than just business people making a living from the environment. It was the main reason why Jim and Jeanette Greiner started this rafting business, and was the driving force to get the Chattooga River protected. We wanted to share the river with our Guests and friends.

We feel very strongly that rafting is a great hook to get people out into the woods and onto the river. And then, if we can share and expose our River Guests to the beauty of the mountains and how important it is to protect and preserve the quality of the experience, then maybe we'll have created more advocates to keep the water, air and soil clean.

I think it is obvious that most of our Team Members are conservationists. We have been leaders in highway and river clean ups from our very beginning. We are also the largest contributors to the Chattooga Guided Outfitters and Conservation Fund and the Nantahala River Conservation Fund. These area conservation funds focus on giving back to the specific river's regions with student scholarships, donations to local volunteer fire and rescue units, and funding of water quality studies.

So, Happy (belated) Earth Day, and come see why the Wildwater Ltd. Rafting Team is so passionate about what we do.

Here we go!!!

Wildwater Rafting has now moved one more step into the electronic social world! We recently hired Zach Carter to help us navigate the social media opportunities on the web (most of the rest of us have been paddling, hiking, sailing, raising small children or being discouraged by our teens from joining or otherwise following the social networking developments.) We now have a blog up and running thanks to Erin from our Chattooga River location and Zach here in Asheville.
We're planning on posting updates and good insider info on things like the Chattooga River water levels or the Cheoah River release dates plus updates and comments from Wildwater raft guides and other team members. Carolyn, our Nantahala River area guru, also loves to provide links to unique sites she finds. One she found recently gave me the heads up that tonight, April 22nd, you can see a pretty cool light show in the sky if you have the energy to stay up until midnight (for the best parts). I am guessing some meteor shower activity will also occur before then. Either way I am headed outside tonight and looking up to the stars thanks to her great tip. We are working on some cool new programs to offer folks coming over to the Nantahala River, staying at the Yurts or the group lodge. Please comment and let us know how we can help you get out and have fun or learn more about the rivers and areas we call home.