Celia,

I haven't done the Lower Gauley but I wonder how dangerous your swim really
was. I know unexpected swims seem like Life and Death but they very rarely
are. I'm pretty sure the danger on the Lower Gauley is considerably less
than climbing Mt. Everest or even the chance of dying in a car accident. The
cool thing about whitewater is that it doesn't "seem" like you have any
control over your fate. It is powerful stuff. That is why it is challenging
and fun.

Having said that, it sounds like either you didn't convey your anxiety about
rafting to the company and guide very well or they didn't do a good job
responding to your anxiety. This could be typical for this company (ie bad
customer service) or it might just have been a busy day and they messed up.
I know that most companies offer a very beginner trip (ie class 2 and 3) and
I would suggest you try one of these trips. Also, spend some more time
talking with several companies in detail about what to expect on your trip.
If they don't spend time on the phone talking about your expectations of the
trip then you probably don't want to raft with them.

Also, many guides do joke about not knowing the river and such. Only rarely
is that the case. I don't know what was true in this situation. Again, it
doesn't sound like your guide or the raft company knew how nervous you where
or ignored that because the danger of the trip wasn't nearly as high as it
seemed to you.

Unfortunately, it is very common for people that have this reaction to
swimming to respond with "I didn't realize the danger I was putting myself
into!". That is why rafting companies have safety talks and liability
waivers. Unfortunately, many people think that it won't happen to them or
that the guide will always prevent anything from happening to them. This is
an unfortunatel belief.

Hope you try it again on a gentler river trip and have fun this time.

pete


"Celia Oblinger" wrote in message
...
Believe it or not, I'm not actually bitching about it.

I knew going in of the possibility of having to swim - I just hadn't done
my
homework on the dangers that I would be accepting, and experiencing.

Bitching, I am not. Perheps my trip is nothing particularly out of the
ordinary - and if that is the answer, then this is what I want to know.

I'm not bitching about having to swim - I just wonder if it could have
been
avoided. It was very dangerous in the areas into which we were thrown. If
it
could have been avoided, then hopefully I could pass this information
along,
in a constructive manner - so it would be better for other people down the
road.

My only "complaint" if you want to call it that - is that perhaps I should
have been AMPLY warned of the dangers that I would be undertaking.

But, even that falls under my resposibility - I should have researched
further.

If what I had was a pretty typical rafting trip (as others have said to
me) - then I just can't understand why anyone would be willing to put
their
life on the line for the thrill of whitewater.

I DO take adventurous chances - including Mt. Everest.

But even with had, I had a great deal of control about my fate. With my
whitewater trip, I felt as if I had no control at all.

Thanks, though, for your comments!


"Jon C" wrote in message
.. .
Sounds like you had no business rafting big water to begin wi th.Or,
for that matter, in a raft at all.

Why on earth would you go whitewater rafting and then bitch about
swimming?

Pete,

Many thanks for your kind comments - they are appreciated!

You are absolutely right - the reason that I was so frightened was because
for those few minutes, I felt like I had absolutely no control over my life.
I was toally at the mercy of nature. THAT, to me, was scary.

Our guide, however, did fully understand not only my apprehensions and
anxiety, but those of my girlfriend as well - as we were his only guests. He
had some sort of an "assistant" with him - but we were the only two paying
guests on our particular raft.

He KNEW how terrified we had become as the trip progressed. But, right or
wrong, it didn't seem to make any difference to him. My friend actually
thinks that he tipped our boat just for fun. Maybe. Maybe not. But, if he
was going to do that, this seemed like a bad choice of a location to
intentionally go swimming.

You are right - the "danger" that I felt was many times amplifed over what
it should have been. Or at least how other people, from their frame of
reference, percevied it.

A lot of this was MY problem - not anyone else's.

Maybe I will try rafting again. And then, maybe not.

But one thing is for su I did have an experience that I will remember for
a lifetime!

Thanks, Pete!









"peteg" wrote in message
...
Celia,

I haven't done the Lower Gauley but I wonder how dangerous your swim
really
was. I know unexpected swims seem like Life and Death but they very rarely
are. I'm pretty sure the danger on the Lower Gauley is considerably less
than climbing Mt. Everest or even the chance of dying in a car accident.
The
cool thing about whitewater is that it doesn't "seem" like you have any
control over your fate. It is powerful stuff. That is why it is
challenging
and fun.

Having said that, it sounds like either you didn't convey your anxiety
about
rafting to the company and guide very well or they didn't do a good job
responding to your anxiety. This could be typical for this company (ie bad
customer service) or it might just have been a busy day and they messed
up.
I know that most companies offer a very beginner trip (ie class 2 and 3)
and
I would suggest you try one of these trips. Also, spend some more time
talking with several companies in detail about what to expect on your
trip.
If they don't spend time on the phone talking about your expectations of
the
trip then you probably don't want to raft with them.

Also, many guides do joke about not knowing the river and such. Only
rarely
is that the case. I don't know what was true in this situation. Again, it
doesn't sound like your guide or the raft company knew how nervous you
where
or ignored that because the danger of the trip wasn't nearly as high as it
seemed to you.

Unfortunately, it is very common for people that have this reaction to
swimming to respond with "I didn't realize the danger I was putting myself
into!". That is why rafting companies have safety talks and liability
waivers. Unfortunately, many people think that it won't happen to them or
that the guide will always prevent anything from happening to them. This
is
an unfortunatel belief.

Hope you try it again on a gentler river trip and have fun this time.

pete


"Celia Oblinger" wrote in message
...
Believe it or not, I'm not actually bitching about it.

I knew going in of the possibility of having to swim - I just hadn't
done
my
homework on the dangers that I would be accepting, and experiencing.

Bitching, I am not. Perheps my trip is nothing particularly out of the
ordinary - and if that is the answer, then this is what I want to know.

I'm not bitching about having to swim - I just wonder if it could have
been
avoided. It was very dangerous in the areas into which we were thrown.
If
it
could have been avoided, then hopefully I could pass this information
along,
in a constructive manner - so it would be better for other people down
the
road.

My only "complaint" if you want to call it that - is that perhaps I
should
have been AMPLY warned of the dangers that I would be undertaking.

But, even that falls under my resposibility - I should have researched
further.

If what I had was a pretty typical rafting trip (as others have said to
me) - then I just can't understand why anyone would be willing to put
their
life on the line for the thrill of whitewater.

I DO take adventurous chances - including Mt. Everest.

But even with had, I had a great deal of control about my fate. With my
whitewater trip, I felt as if I had no control at all.

Thanks, though, for your comments!


"Jon C" wrote in message
.. .
Sounds like you had no business rafting big water to begin wi th.Or,
for that matter, in a raft at all.

Why on earth would you go whitewater rafting and then bitch about
swimming?