Whitewater Rafting Adventure

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• Whitewater Rafting Adventure
  
  Let's go whitewater rafting with Whitewater Rafting Adventures (WRA), the premier rafting outfitters in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania! WRA is a 40-year-old, family-owned business with consistent great reviews.  
  
  

When: Sunday, July 27, 11:30 a.m.

Be there at 10:30 a.m. 

Cost: $78.95 plus $6 for bus transport.

What: WRA's 7-hour Class II and III whitewater trip is the most popular with its wet and wild, 13-mile trek on the Lehigh River that runs through the breathtaking scenery of Lehigh Gorge State Park. This is a swift ride with many boulders to negotiate. If you've never been whitewater rafting, it is recommended that you do the E-Z whitewater rafting trip with a less intense water flow on other dates/times.

Transportation: This is a drive-yourself trip. Arrange carpooling with participants who sign up. Traveling on I-81 South is recommended. Meet at WRA in Nesquehoning at 10:30 a.m. for the 11:30 a.m. paddle. 

You'll paddle on your own with five or fewer other paddlers, depending on how many are signed up, in a six-person raft. You'll be briefed ahead of time about what to expect and led by a guide in the front raft. Bringing up the rear, left and right sides are guides to help those who may need assistance.

Read the trip specifications and considerations to see if you're able to participate.

Who: Participants must be members of the Triple Cities Ski Club. Guests are welcome but must become members prior to the paddle. 
Join TCSC: Dues are $25 per year.

Registration and cost: Sign up here first so we know who is going and so you know who is going to make carpool arrangements. Then go to the WRA rafting reservations site to sign up for the 11:30 a.m. session and pay for the trip on your own. This trip is open to the public and will fill quickly, so if you are interested sign up soon! Note: The rafting adventure takes place rain or shine.

Contact: Jill Darling, organizer, (email) or 607-239-1029 for more information.

Additional Information and Details

What to bring:

• Wear dry-fit clothing or a bathing suit.
• Closed-toe water shoes or light sneakers are recommended, and footwear must be secure. Flip-flops or open-backed shoes are not allowed on the trip.
• Bring a change of clothes that you'll leave in your car because everything inside the raft will get wet.
• Water, sandwiches, snacks and sunscreen. Three choices of sandwiches in a boxed lunch are available for purchase.
• Waterproof bags that can attach to the D-ring on the raft with a clip would be a good idea for your belongings.
• Your phone in a waterproof bag that can be worn around your neck (see photo). The outfitters provide you with a waterproof bucket that isn't attached to the raft but does float if it gets knocked out. Keeping things secure will avoid trying to retrieve loose items out of the rapids.
• A jacket for later in the evening.
  If you wear prescription glasses or sunglasses, buy a water-buoyant eyeglass retainer like the ones pictured.

Examples of waterproof bags and water-buoyant eyeglass retainers.

Plan on spending 6 hours at Whitewater Rafting Adventures with about 5 hours on the water. 

Once we arrive and check in, get suited up with the provided life vests, and have our briefing session, we'll be transported to the starting point.

Experienced paddlers who know how to steer (J-turn--very important) need to sit in the two rear seats of the six-person raft. The next best paddlers sit in the front while the least experienced ones are in the middle.

If people get stranded on a rock or have some other issue, the group waits up ahead along the bank until the others catch up. That's when you can get out and cool off in the water, eat a snack, take pictures, go find a tree to stand or squat behind. We'll also have a lunch break.

ATTENTION: Water Rafting Adventure Rule - no alcohol or drug use prior to or during the trip. I'm also going to add: no smoking or vaping during the paddle unless you're stopped for a break and out of the raft, which is just  common courtesy toward others.  

WRA photographers will be poised and ready to take pictures partway through the trip for purchase afterward. Only one photo per raft can be bought and taken and the rest are mailed out. Additional copies can be purchased and mailed to anyone else in the group who'd like photos.