On an early June morning in Benton, Tennessee, media members and officials from across the southeast convened at the Tennessee Valley Authority dam on the Ocoee River, for a day of fun, thrill-seeking and nature observing.
Extending an invite to media members of prominent officials alike, TVA showcased its famous whitewater rafting course by allowing those invited to attempt to tame the Ocoee River rapids.
The Franklin Free Press was fortunate to have been extended an invite to the media day and over nearly two and a half hours of rafting over class III rapids and ice cold water, the Ocoee River was tamed… for the most part at least.
Once you’ve strapped in to your helmet and life jacket and taken the instruction course from your guide, in which you’re informed that you will have to be able to move quickly down inside the raft, paddle forward and backwards and other commands, you’re then whisked away, carrying your raft that you will call home for the next two hours to the river put-in where your journey begins.
With four people loaded into our raft, including Franklin Free Press Publisher John Pilati and yours truly alongside Stacy Mandru and Hayden Zills, we were paired with Holly, our guide, who was sporting an American Flag unitard that was as bright as her personality.
Holly told us that she had once spent almost a month in the Grand Canyon rafting and hiking all on her own - comforting words to those of us who were a tad bit unsure of what we were getting ourselves into.
Immediately you’re greeted by rapid after rapid as the Ocoee twists and turns and does its best to turn the raft that you’re holding onto for dear life inside out.
But with Holly at the helm knowing each nook, rock and rapid from the starting point to the finish line, those initial uneasy feelings quickly dissipated.
The Ocoee has two different courses for those looking to dip their toes into the whitewater rafting experience with the middle part of the Ocoee serving as the primary course and the one we took. The other course, which one tour guide described as “like the middle part but on steroids”, served as the site of the whitewater rafting competition in the 1996 Olympic Games that were hosted by Atlanta and is not for the faint of heart.
While the upper part of the river is home to some of the higher-intense rapids that you’ll find around, the middle part of the Ocoee isn’t exactly a pushover.
Rapids with the names of ‘Hellhole’, ‘Table Saw’ and ‘Flipper’ are as intense as they sound and are an adrenaline junkies dream as the river drops nearly 260 feet over the course of your journey.
Of course the entire five-mile journey isn’t just rapids and adrenaline rushes. With plenty of calm straightaways and beautiful views, you’re able to take in the amazing scenery and peacefulness that makes the Ocoee and the surrounding area such a top-tier destination.
For first-timers like Mandru, whitewater rafting may certainly seem like a challenge, and don’t worry, you’ll get a workout in. But with an experienced and teaching tour guide and a great crew alongside you, the Ocoee is an experience that you won’t soon forget.
“Being able to go out on the water and getting that adrenaline rush that you get when you go down the rapids with the cold water splashing on you made the experience so much fun,” Mandru said. “I would advise people to trust their tour guide above all else. When I first got out there on the water I was afraid of falling out or something like that but just listening to Holly’s commands and instructions comforted me. She was the perfect tour guide for us to have for sure.”
Even for those afraid to take on the challenge, once the rapids come to an end and they begin looking back on their journey, there’s often one question stuck in their minds: when can I go back and do it again?
“I would love to go back. I’ve already started looking at when I might be able to make it back up there and hopefully do it again sometime soon,” Mandru said. “Next time, I'm hoping John won't fall on me five times.”
