Our reporter took on the Olympic-level course at Montgomery Whitewater
The raft inched up the conveyer belt with all the anticipation — albeit slower — of a roller coaster.
When we sloshed down into the water, the six of us plunged our paddles into the water at the urging of our raft guide. The guide directed us along, using his paddle as a rudder. My heart beat faster as we approached the rapids. I wasn't nervous so much as excited and desperately praying for to whatever gods would listen to keep me from flying off the boat. Yet I couldn't help but smile.
At the soon-to-open Montgomery Whitewater park there are two channels. The first is dubbed the adventure channel. Anyone 8 years old and up can test out their skills on these waters. With its light rapids, I would equate it to the bunny slopes at a ski resort.
The competition channel is for those looking for more of a bumpy ride. Someday the competition channel will host Olympic-level contests between experts, but today it offered me and my companions the thrill of that kind of whitewater experience without leaving Montgomery. Years ago, I went whitewater rafting in Colorado. It was amazing to have the same experience right in the city.
It was the competition channel that we edged toward Wednesday morning. We had already conquered the adventure channel twice and were itching for some excitement.
Our guide yelled out instructions "forward two," "down," backward three." I dutifully paddled the assigned number of paddles in each direction.
The goal was for the six of us to paddle in sync, and it seemed more attainable the longer we rafted. When we didn't achieve that synchronized paddling, we were sent spinning down the rapids sideways or even backward.
But it was all part of the fun. Throughout the four runs my group accomplished, no one ever fell out of the boat, and we managed to keep our raft right-side-up.
We were prepared for what to do if one of us did fall into the water.
One of our guides gave us a rundown of safety tips earlier. If we fell out, we were supposed to point our feet downriver and lie on our backs, allowing us to see the upcoming rapids.
If I were to fall out, my teammates were instructed to pull me back into the boat by my life jacket. If they could not, I was supposed to await instructions, swimming in the direction indicated by the raft guide or one of the crew members, who stood along the side of the channel.
That didn't happen. As we careened down the competition channel, I gasped at the twists and turns, and we eventually returned to calm water.
I stared off into the wooded area beyond the channels, imagining the river just behind the treeline. But here I was, rafting in the crystal clear waters of the whitewater park.
Alex Gladden is the Montgomery Advertiser's public safety reporter. She can be reached at agladden@gannett.com or on Twitter @gladlyalex.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Our reporter took on the Olympic-level course at Montgomery Whitewater
