~ Tales from a "Girly Mom"
Several weeks ago I was invited to participate in the Weekend Retweat trip to West Virginia. I immediately jumped on the opportunity and I’m so glad I did! While I don’t normally consider myself much of an outdoors kind of gal, white water rafting was something that always appealed to me. How could I say no?
We found our way to River Expeditions campground and I was immediately struck by how clean the grounds were. The bathhouses are lined with marble tiles (nope, not kidding), and the grounds were well kept and clutter free.
We spent the first evening settling into our amazing accommodations (how about a 5 bedroom home with leather furniture, granite countertops, a flat screen and hot tub for your next “camping” adventure?). Just in case you can’t get on board and call this “camping,” you’ll be happy to know that primitive sites exist as well. Feel free to haul your tent and gear and set up camp a little more traditionally if that’s more your style.The next morning found us anxiously awaiting the bus that would take us to the river. I think it’s safe to say we had no idea what we were in for! Not only was it the most adventurous thing I’ve ever done, it was the most fun I’ve ever had! We worked hard, but laughed harder!
The rapids were exhilarating, the scenery was gorgeous, but I have to give credit to this guy:
Brad was our guide, and I don’t know if it’s possible to get a better one. He was the perfect mix of professionalism and fun. He had his hands full with us! But he handled us well and I had complete trust in his ability to read the river and get us to the end safely, which is exactly what he did.
One more thing: we were assigned to a boat with 5 total strangers. By the end of that ride, we were friends. Experiencing something like that and looking out for each other has a way of bonding us, and that’s just what happened. After we were off the river, we got cleaned up then built a bonfire with our fellow passengers.
We traveled home on Sunday full of stories from an amazing weekend on the rapids. Our conversation was full of laughter as we recalled the highlights of the trip. We all agreed this would not be our last time on the rapids! Thanks Brad, and everyone at River Expeditions for memorable weekend!
A recap of our awesome weekend:
