Rafting, Camping, Climbing...oh my!

I had a wonderful week! Sunday afternoon Nathan and I headed to Tennessee to meet up with his family to go whitewater rafting and camping. It was a nice trip, except for when we got to the Chattanooga area. We got got in a traffic jam that took us about two hours to get out of. It was horrible. We finally made it to Athens, TN around 9 p.m.

On Monday we all woke up bright and early and headed to McCaysville, TN to go rafting on the Ocoee. We used the Rolling Thunder River Company. When we got there we were given a some information on what to expect and what to do. We then got all our gear-a life jacket, a helmet and a paddle and then were given some more information. Everyone loaded up on the buses and then we were taken to where we were going to begin. We got separated into to rafts (there were 11 of us). I was on a raft with Nathan, his mom, and his nephew Jake and a friend of his. We were told some last minute things that we needed to know about and then we carried the raft to the beginning. The rafting was great! I really enjoyed the Ocoee. We went through some class III and IV rapids. I didn't get knocked out of the raft any-I did get knocked in a few times though! Here is a picture from the rafting:

After rafting we ate some Mexican food and headed out to our campsite. It was a nice and scenic route. Before we got there we stopped at Bald River Falls. It was beautiful! Here is a picture:


We camped close to Bald River Falls in a camp ground called Holly Shoals. I got a little nervous riding to the campsite because if you looked out the window there was nothing. We made it to the campsite and set up. We camped for two days with no running water and a gross bathroom. This was my first time camping outdoors in a tent. I shared a tent with three of Nathan's nieces-Erin, Sarah, and Caitlyn. Sleeping in a tent ended up being more comfortable than I thought it was going to be because Nathan's family brought blow up mattresses. I didn't freeze at night (I'm cold natured) thanks to Renee lending me a sleeping bag. Nathan and I brought out bikes, but unfortunately the first night we were there I twisted my knee and it hurt all weekend (it still hurts). I tried riding up and down the hill close to our campsite but the pressure would hurt my knee. Nathan's nieces and nephews enjoyed riding our bikes around the campsite. They all thought that my bike was cool. Nathan and I went walking with his dad, his sister Heidi and her husband. I collected a few rocks as little "souvenirs". It was a nice little walk.

On the 4th of July we took down camp and headed to Heidi's house. I couldn't wait to get there because I hadn't taken a bath in three days. We stopped at the fish hatchery at the bottom of the mountain we were on and saw some trout. We were then on the road again. When we finally made it to Heidi's, Nathan wanted to go climb the small mountain behind her house. I was reluctant about going. We made it about half way up and I was about to give up. I thought that I was going to pass out. We finally made it up to the top.

The mountain

The top of the mountain

After making it back down I finally was able to take my shower. I was so happy. Later that night we all went to see the 4th of July fireworks.

We made it home on Thursday night. I really enjoyed myself in this trip. I can't wait to go camping again!