White Water Rafting – What River Guides Do On Their Day Off

JonFelderman — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 12:15:00 +0000

Tip # 1 for planning your rafting trip:

- make sure the rafting company you choose has very experienced guides

It is a simple rule: your river guide will make, or break, any whitewater rafting trip. As guests, you will immediately notice if your raft guide lacks command of the river, struggles to bring the best out of the crew, or just lacks passion towards the river and the job. At Big Creek Expeditions not only do our guides love to raft, they are good at it. For them, it is much more than just a job… it's a lifestyle.

This video shows a few Big Creek guides on their day-off, traveling down to the Chattooga River on the border of South Carolina and Georgia. Section IV of the Chattooga, seen in this video, is filled with some of the steepest and most technical whitewater in the southeast. At the time, these guides were running 12-15 trips a week on the Pigeon River and then chose to drive 3 hours each way just to go rafting again. This says a lot… they sacrificed a rare chance at relaxation in a busy rafting season to enjoy themselves on a very challenging and beautiful river.

So the next time you think about rafting in the Smoky Mountains, remember Tip #1; make sure that the rafting company you choose has great guides with a lot of experience on other rivers.

Become a fan of white water rafting in Tennessee to get information about the area, and our company on the Big Creek facebook page.

To get early season discounts in these freezing cold winter days make your rafting reservations online, or call us toll free at 866.477.RAFT. Pigeon River rafting info is available year-round.

What do guides do on their day off?

JonFelderman — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 16:20:00 +0000

The question is commonly broached while floating down a river to a guide, "So, what do you do on your days off?" The answer is not as simple as it may seem. For Big Creek Expeditions, Inc. guides, the answer to a day off from rafting on the Pigeon River usually tends to find its solution while meandering country roads enroute, to float another river. The best answer is usually the simplest. We float another river…

In the Southeastern United States, particularly in the Smoky Mountains, there are endless options of river sections to chose from. The hardest decision to make is where our next voyage will take us. Recently, a trip to the Chattooga River on the border of Georgia and South Carolina was the destination. A group of four Big Creek guides and brave significant others set off on a journey through Section IV of the Chattooga River for a Sunday afternoon excursion. For most participants on the voyage, it would be our first sights to the magnificent, and heralded "Woodall Shoals" and the "Five Falls." Pictures and video were taken of the expedition to divulge the grandeur of a marvelous jewel of the southeast.

So, to accurately answer the question, "What does a river guide do on their day off," you just have to ask the guide the next time you are in their boat of where they just came from.