Ecotraveler....

THE NANTAHALA OUTDOOR CENTER:

A SOUTHEAST OUTDOORS MECCA

If you thought your family had to head out west for whitewater rafting and other great outdoor adventures and instruction, think again. An outdoors mecca is situated right in the Southeast.

The Nantahala Outdoor Center in Bryson City, North Carolina is an ideal adventure destination for adventurers of all ages. Located just outside the stunning Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the center has become a national magnet for people interested in whitewater rafting, canoeing, kayaking, rock climbing, mountain biking, kayak touring, and other outdoor activities. Over the years, the NOC has become well-known for its unsurpassed whitewater rafting trips and outdoor instruction programs.

The center was started as a family venture in the summer of 1972. Horace Holden and Payson and Aurelia Kennedy of Atlanta opened a restaurant, a motel, and an outfitters store in the Nantahala Gorge. They recruited young people interested in the outdoors to work with them.

Their objective was to provide facilities, services, and instruction to help others enjoy the mountains, the Nantahala River, and other nearby rivers. Soon, they began offering guided rafting trips on the Nantahala and the Chattooga, as well as whitewater canoe and kayak lessons.

Today, the center employs more than 300 people during the height of each season and the company is considered a national leader in the whitewater recreation industry. Many NOC staff members are highly ranked as national and international paddlers.

Though its paddling school and whitewater rafing expeditions on five Southeastern rivers continue to be the NOC's focus, its programs have expanded considerably over the years. They now boast an extensive adventure travel division, rock climbing and backpacking courses, mountain biking, fly-fishing workshops, a corporate team building program, retreat and meeting facilities for groups, a booming mail-order business, a variety of accommodations options, three restaurants, and much more.

Their wide variety of river trips is ideal for families. Experience is not required on any of the NOC's rafting trips, but there are minimum age and weight requirements for all outings. Three trips are ideal for first-timers and families: the Nantahala, the French Broad, and "Section 3" of the Chattooga.

The typical Nantahala trip is 8 miles long and takes about 3 1/2 hours. It ends with an exciting run through Nantahala Falls. The French Broad River features a beautiful full- or half-day run down a broad river gorge in the Pisgah National Forest.

The Chattooga is familiar to most people as the location for the filming of the movie "Deliverance." Section 3 is popular with beginners, while Section 4 is one of the most exciting and difficult raft runs in the Southeast.

The NOC also runs trips down the Ocoee, site for whitewater racing events in the 1996 Olympic Games, and the Nolichucky. Once you try rafting on any NOC trip, you'll want to try other variations of whitewater paddling. The two most popular are canoeing and kayaking.

The NOC has built a reputation as the school of choice for beginners and experts. "We didn't start out to be a mecca, but the success of our students and instructors has made us a sort of institution," Payson Kennedy says.

The NOC's whitewater instruction schedule is extensive. In kayaking and canoeing, students can sign up for everything from weekend sessions to intensive seven-day camps. Skill levels range from beginners to experts and the student-to-teacher ratio is never more than five-to-one.

The course possibilities are almost endless. They offer river leader courses; a sampler course (one-day introductory courses to canoeing, kayaking, rock climbing, mountain biking, and kayak touring); kids' courses; week-long youth programs; women's courses; fast-track kayaker weeks; tentative kayaker courses; sea kayaking; mountain biking; rock climbing; worldwide adventure travel trips; and much more.

"Our business is outdoor recreation," says Payson Kennedy. "Our mission is to help our guests recreate--to find new freshness in life, to create themselves anew." For further information, contact the Nantahala Outdoor Center at U.S. 19 West, Box 41, Bryson City, NC 28713, 704-488-2175 or 800-232-7238.