Rafting the Lower New River

Brent and I celebrated our 6th anniversary on July 12th so we really wanted to do something fun to celebrate it this year. Both of us had always wanted to go whitewater rafting, so we decided this was the year. We arranged the trip so that we drove to Roanoke to visit Brent's sister and her husband for the day on Monday so they could watch Blake for us. That night we headed towards West Virginia, spent the night along the way and went rafting Tuesday on the Lower New River. It was AMAZING! I totally loved every minute of it. We rafted from Class III to Class V rapids, rock jumped and even swam a rapid. It was so much fun and I am so glad that we did it.

Probably my favorite part of the trip was the rock jumping. Before the trip, Brent and I talked about how if there were options to be adventurous or not we wanted to go for it. So when the guide asked if anyone wanted to jump off this 20ft rock into the river Brent and I looked at each other and said "yes." We got out of the raft and had to climb up to this peak. My adrenaline was rushing so I didn't even stop to think about what I was doing until I was standing at the top looking down. Suddenly I got very panicked and started having second thoughts. One of the guides suggested Brent and I jump together. Perfect! For a moment, our wedding day jumped in my mind and I even said to Brent, even though I don't think he heard me since he was pretty shaky too, "it's our anniversary, we been together 6 years, we can do this together." So we counted to 3 and jumped. As I was plunging to the river, it felt like I would never hit the water but I did and when I came up to the surface I looked over and saw my best friend right beside me. It was such an amazing, exhilarating feeling. We laughed hysterically as we thought about what we looked like jumping and what in the world possessed us (more conservative people) to jump but we are so glad we did. To me, it is so symbolic of those moments in marriage when you go through events whether big, small, easy, tough looking at each other not understanding how you got there but so grateful that you are doing it together. This was an unforgettable trip and I can't wait to face many more adventures with my best friend.

The Lower New River (if you expand you can see the yellow rafting boats below)

The rafting company we went with was awesome. They were so friendly and definitely had the most affordable prices. Highly recommend them :)

Getting ready to take off. I was in the second position on the left side of the raft. Brent was right beside me :)

All geared up and ready to go

Swimming a rapid! This particular rapid we were to go in between the two big rocks in the center of the river. We double checked with the guide that he really did say between the rocks. It was really neat yet scary to allow the current to drag you through!

Brent swimming a rapid with the New River Gorge Bridge behind him

Right before we jumped off the rock. You can't tell from the picture but it was estimated to be about a 20ft drop. Yikes! Still can't believe we did it :)

Enjoying the calm parts of the river with a swim

Our fun, colorful guide took this picture for us!

Us at the end of our adventure, what an awesome time!