My husband and I took our 4 daughters ages: 10, 12, 12, and 13 on the Upper Pigeon rafting trip with NOC on the first week of May 2021. As we had never been white water rafting before, I spent a lot of time researching reviews and comparing companies. We wanted a family vacation for our girls that was not full of artificial experiences, like rides or amusement parks. So even though I am no helicopter mama, I was very nervous (inwardly) for what I had signed us up for as I have grown very fond of these lovely people! I agonized over whether to do the Lower or Upper Pigeon trip. Even on the day of the trip, I was ready to walk away from it if the people at NOC did not give me the warm and fuzzies with the safety of my children. As we arrived, it was raining and we were concerned about the weather and I was so close to chickening out. What we were about to do with our kids seemed very surreal. The leader of the tour spoke with us and addressed my concerns as a nervous mother very sincerely. We decided to go for it and dressed in our splash guard shirts and watched a safety video under a tent with the other patrons. The video gave specific instructions on how to assume a floating position should you fall into the water. You must never try to stand up. Also, it explained how to be an active participant in your own rescue. While this was vital information, it did not ease my anxiety! Then we met our guides. Kent was a 16 year river rafting veteran and he came over and spoke with us. He probably noticed my crazed-mama-eyes and he was very calming and reassuring to us. On the bus ride over, he even came and spoke with my husband and me directly about our worries. We told him that if it was possible, we would prefer a cautious but fun first rafting experience with our girls over a wild one. He totally reassured us. To my surprise, my 2 daughters wanted to be in front of the raft. He taught us how to lock in our toes so as not to fall out and he continually vocalized what he was doing and why. He had to make so many decisions. It was astounding. Kent made our ride! He was so caring and thoughtful and capable. The ride was life-changing. It really takes a team effort to river raft and it was such an incredible moment for our family. We saw other tour companies along the way and I was so relieved that I chose NOC over the others. All our guides were so experienced. I can't recommend Nantahala Outdoor Center enough and I can never thank Kent enough for keeping us all safe. This ended up being the highlight of our trip to the Great Smoky Mountains! Kent, we hope to see you next year!
FYI: if you are driving to the Upper Pigeon outpost from Pigeon Forge, do NOT take the directions from Siri. We went through parts of Tennessee that I'd like to never see again. It was quite scary, tiny roads through the back hills. Scenic is not a word I would use. Stick to the highways!