Summer’s here! It’s almost a full month into summer, with the smell of sunscreen permeating the air, blackberries ripening on the bushes and screams, groans and applause echoing from the Big Top tent every day from 3 p.m. until 7 p.m.
Why, you ask? Because that’s where everybody goes to watch their rafting videos and hang with their whitewater rafting river guides.
It’s time for cookouts, bonfires and sparklers!
Yes, July 4th is around the corner, and here at ACE, we’re all amped up for a great weekend on the river. But, before the weekend arrives, I’d like to dedicate this blog as a giant “thank you” to all those who’ve served our country, making it possible for us to enjoy this weekend.
Most people find West Virginia and its wilderness to be foreign territory, and have loads of questions about the area and the river. Some are justifiably curious, with others I have a hard time keeping a straight face. Here are some of the most common questions a guide fields on a daily basis:
1) If someone falls out of the boat, do you just stop and pick them up?
Hanging around ACE, especially at the Lost Paddle or the Big Top Video Tent, there’s a secret language that permeates the air, incomprehensible to most.
It’s not Elvish or Klingon, but it’s still just as mysterious; it’s all the slang the guides throw around, describing their gear, the river and anything else rafting-related. Here’s a mini-glossary so the next time you go rafting, you too can sound like a rafting aficionado.
See the picture above? My grandfather is the second one back on the left-hand side, my mom’s the third one back on the right side of the picture and that’s Anna taking them down the river! Isn’t that awesome?
My grandfather is legally blind and 83 years young, but that didn’t stop him from taking on the Class I-III rapids of the Upper New River with ACE. Where am I in the photo? Oh, well, I was taking my dad and my older sister through the bigger stuff on the Lower New that day. Couldn’t be in two places at once, now could I?
Kids. They're loud and act like they've knocked back seven of those five-hour energy shots, but an upside to little ones is they let me maintain my dignity and credibility when we play Candy Land.
I'm actually older than I look, so I'm at that point in life when all of my friends are getting married and having kids. I keep telling them they need to come out on vacation to ACE to see me, but they don't want to leave little Owen or Tyler at home. Luckily, I've been able to convince some of my friends to start planning trips because of two beautiful words, Kids' Camp.
Every season, nearly 40,000 people come to ACE just to go rafting. Some are families, some are nonprofit groups, some come for fun, some come to work. Work? Yes, work! Many companies come to work on their communication skills, leadership skills, trust in the group and other such dynamics.
Team Building retreats and activities have progressed from the basic "Trust Fall" and silly conference room games to activities called "Mission: Possible" and "Weeble Wobble." ACE offers these activities and more! Here are five different ways to work on your group's team building, communication and trust skills.
