Since her first year at the University, third-year College student Laura Bonner has been a part of the Outdoors Club, partaking in activities such as backpacking and whitewater canoeing. But it wasn't until she embarked on an Outdoors Club trip down West Virginia's Upper Gauley River last year that she discovered the thrill of whitewater rafting.
Recently, Bonner has been training to become a rafting guide, which certifies her to lead groups of rafters down the river. In order to become a guide, Bonner completed two weeks of intense training, comprised of two long trips down the Upper Gauley River each day.
At the end of her training, a final test determined whether or not Bonner was capable of the responsibility. During the test, she led a raft full of professional trainers who would test her by jumping out of the raft without notice, requiring her to perform a rescue while under the pressure of the churning rapids.
Once training was over, Bonner said she was well prepared to start leading novice rafters down the river. This past summer, she was a guide for the Boy Scouts of America, leading individuals between the ages of 13 and 21 down the Upper Gauley and New River Gorge. She said the experience was quite exciting, but guiding a bunch of teenagers through treacherous rapids was nothing short of a major responsibility.
While Bonner didn't disregard the serious risks involved in whitewater rafting, she didn't let them keep her away her from the sport's great excitement.
"It's an adrenaline rush," Bonner said of the rafting experience. "It's a thrill -- it's like a roller coaster. You get wet, you get splashed and it's a lot of fun, [but] there's an element of danger, too."
The two primary rafting dangers Bonner cites are sharp, under-cut rocks and "hydraulics," which occur between rocks where water constantly re-circulates. While certain hydraulics are small and easy to raft through, others can be large enough to trap paddlers. Bonner said it was vital for rafting guides to plan ahead by familiarizing themselves with their route and sticking strictly to the course in order to avoid these potentially lethal areas.
Since taking up rafting and guiding, most of Bonner's excursions led her to West Virginia's Upper Gauley River and the nearby New River Gorge. According to Bonner, West Virginia houses "some of the most respected whitewater out there."
Besides the common flip, the real humor of rafting is when a guide pulls a little stunt called a "dump truck."
"A dump truck is where you hit a big wave, raft goes up, [the guide] stay[s] in, all the kids come out, and all the guides cheer because you're the only one left in the boat," Bonner explained. "It's fun."
Since the guide knows the precise areas where waves will be encountered, she braces herself while her crew is ousted.
But rafting is not all fun and games: Bonner's number one concern is to guide her groups down the river safely.
Although Bonner said rafting has become second nature to her, "Several months before I start again I'm still nervous about it," she said.
Nevertheless, she'll be leading groups again this summer, and she urged any brave souls to join her.
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