Love white knuckles and frothy fun? Come to the land that the iconic film Deliverance hath wrought, that slice of the south where white water reigns.
By living a bit closer to the edge you’ll notice that life takes on hues no flat-screen TV or smart phone can match. Ditch connection to the work-a-day world for a while and see the planet in a different light. Here are some places that can help adjust your attitude:
- Nantahala Outdoor Center knows sinewy southern rivers well, their kinks and their kicks – especially the Chattooga. Learn to paddle whitewater from the pros, the people who do this for a living. Choose from either the mild and scenic Section III or the wild (and equally breathtaking) Section IV. Nantahala Outdoor Center’s rafting fleet is self-bailing and these folks have been leading trips along the Chattooga since 1972. That’s the year Deliverance premiered.
- More Chattooga churning, this time from Southeastern Expeditions. Southeastern too began the business of guiding adventure-seekers down the river back in 1972 (rafting fever reached a real high that year). Matter of fact, the company’s original gear came from Warner Brothers, this after the filming of the movie. The popularity of the sport got another boost in 1974 when Congress designated the Chattooga as one of this nation’s truly “Wild and Scenic” rivers. Southeastern Expeditions will lead you from placid Class II rapids all the way – if you dare – to Class V “ledge-droppers”
- Rolling Thunder River Company really knows the Ocoee, a jewel of a whitewater river located not terribly far from Atlanta. Rolling Thunder is sited in the small town of McCaysville, straddling the Georgia/Tennessee border. That puts it about 15 minutes from the Blue Ridge. The company offers full and half-day sojourns down the Ocoee (which changes names to the Toccoa when it crosses the state line).
(Image: Full On Adventure)
