Dr. Thomas Wilson and a van full of sleepy Judson students recently made a one-day voyage down the Ocoee River near Cleveland, Tennessee. We left at 6:15 am and arrived at High Country Outfitters after a five hour ride and a quick stop for a few tacos. After a frightening talk from the rafting company's boss about how the river can be bad, we loaded their bus and drove a few miles to the Upper Run, also known as the Olympic Run, of the Ocoee. And this particular Saturday was one of six days the Tennessee Valley Authority dumped tons of water down the river to accommodate competitive kayakers.

"When you fall out of the raft, keep your feet up. If you try to stand up you could wedge your legs between large rocks and the force of the current will break your legs and drown you. This happened to an experienced rafter only last week. Keep your head in the game...float with your feet up," warned the bossman.

We made the trip down the Class V rapids, rated the most difficult of all, intertwined with Class IV's and III's. It was scary, fast and fun. We were only eight miles from North Carolina and the mountains were beautiful. After a warm shower and dry clothes, we headed back to Marion. It was a full day but everyone enjoyed the experience and we are planning on a trip down the Gauley River in West Virginia next Fall...come join us!