Whitewater Adventure

Yesterday I surprised Matt with a trip to the National Whitewater Center. He had no clue! I just told him to get in the car (which I had packed and ready to g0). He didn't know until he saw a neighborhood right before the entrance that was called the Rapids. And he was so excited about his day of adventure. He also didn't know that our friends Courtney and JT were coming too. They pulled up next to us in the parking lot and he was thrilled. It was such a fun day to get away together and have an adult day (Courtney and JT have 4 kids too, so they had just as much fun away).
The first adventure was the mega jump. We suited up, went up to the top of the 50 ft. platform and jumped off!! It didn't seem that high until you stood at the edge! It was so fun. (And yes Matt is smelling my helmet. I have an aversion to wearing helmets and they just didn't smell good - so Matt is trying to freak me out!)

Matt after a safe landing.

Me taking steps of the edge!

I got all the way to the top

Matt helping JT get all the way to the top of the self climb wall

After these two we went on a Kayak (therefore the camera didn't go with us any more). We paddled on the Catawba River. We saw a water snake and a turtle. Then we saw a rope attached to a tree (not affiliated with the whitewater center). So of course we had to take a stab at that. The first round, success!! Matt, Courtney and I all had a great swing out. JT was opposite, he tried 3 times and only on the last time he got out all the way. Me, well it just got worse every time. The second time I got rope burn on my armpit from slipping off. Then the third time, I looked like I was a circus act. I slipped off the wooden handle, slid down the rope onto the other wooden handle, where I sat for a split second and then did a not so graceful front flip off the rope - OUCH!! Yes, I got wounds from this. So after we all got beat up, we decided to leave and paddle back. That is when JT realized he lost his wedding ring! This was their 13th wedding anniversary and Courtney even told him not to loose it! (He lost his first one in the New River) We got back and ate lunch. Then we rafted!! Not one of us fell out - close, but no swimmers. Our first guide did some cool tricks with us - tons of fun. Our second guide was fun too, but not as wild.

Then, as if we weren't sore enough, we had to do the climb to zip and the obstacle course. The climb to zip was like a telephone pole with climbing rocks stuck to the side. We had to shimmy up this pole, stand on a 32 ft. platform and then zip line off the top. It was so hard to climb to the top - not one of us had the strength left, but managed to get up there. Matt said he was going to go down, but he saw that I was almost to the top and he couldn't let me do it and not him. Then we did the obstacle course. You walked on a tightrope cable all across and had various rope obstacles to help you get across.

And here we are at the end of the adventures ready to pass out!! We were there from 10:30 am to 7:30 pm and our bodies were ready to give out. I was braver than I thought I would be - I think I am ready for Survivor now!! We will definitely go there again - maybe in a couple of years :)

You can check out some of the whitewater photos online at: www.photos.usnwc.org/rafting

Go to 6-21-10

Click on 3:30-5 and pictures 256-259, 301-304, and 337-343

Also

Click on 5-6:30 and pictures 3-5, 35-37, 40-42, 71-75 (this is where we lost our guide), 82-83, 118-123