Rafting in the Berkshires

Many people think of whitewater rafting as a sport better sought elsewhere, like in Colorado or some other distant land, but it's good to remember that this kind of adventure can be found considerably closer to home.  Crab Apple, Mountains Unlimited, Moxie Outdoor and Zoar are all Berkshires-based rafting organizations that can get you out on the water here almost any day of the week.  Armed with this information and feeling in need of a little local adventure, I decided to give this popular activity a try by spending the day with the enthusiastic staff of Zoar. 

Rafting has always struck me as a team sport.  You know, a demanding process that involves peer pressure/support (depending on how you look at it).  There would be high fives and lots of opportunities to tease each other before and afterwards.  On the particular day I was going, I could find no company to take along, so I went with an open mind, curious to see who I would meet.

The great thing about being by yourself is that you can make friends with everybody. At the pre-trip briefing session, I sat down next to a group of women who called themselves the "Salty Sisters."  These ladies hailed from as far away as Michigan, and as we chatted about our previous rafting experiences (or, in my case, lack thereof) I felt reassured.  When the rafts were assigned, I was matched with four handsome young fellows who had come up from Connecticut.  We found a common bond in talking about the recent Transformers movie, and I was ready to become sound shipmates with them, but then, on the bus, my immediate crew switched again to a family of four from Ohio, spending the week in the Berkshires.  I couldn't have been introduced to a more diverse selection of rafters, and it all happened in the space of an hour. By the time we stopped for lunch on the river bank (a quickly set up station of chips and fresh salsa and hummus, followed closely by a tasty buffet line of sandwich options) I felt like quite the socialite.

So far I have only talked about the pleasant company of my fellow rafters, but really the staff were the ones who made everything work.  They were knowledgable, laid back, funny and focused on safety.  All four of these qualities put me at ease in different ways.  The instructors advised us on what to wear (not cotton socks, for example), they answered my questions about different classes of rapids and they teased each other as one raft occasionally bumped another ("Hey, be careful, I just got this thing waxed!").  Really what the staff did was offer us the opportunity to create the experience we wanted for ourselves.  If we wanted to be a boat that got into water fights with other boats, there were opportunities for that.  If we wanted to be a boat that stopped to swim, we could.  If we wanted to just cruise along and chat, we could do that, too.  

So whether you have a whole crew of folks to raft with, or you're just looking for some fun on your own, I highly recommend the whitewater rafting experience you'll find in the Berkshires.  Remarkably, though I brought no friends with me, I didn't feel alone for a moment while I was there, and while I think this is a testimony to the incredible chemistry and good energy of the Zoar staff, I also think that rafting is the type of experience that can pull people together.

About Cynthia Saunders
North Adams native Cynthia Saunders wrote her first poem, “The car went after/ the star” at age 5, and has been writing, and chasing stars in her car ever since. Currently, she teaches English at Wahconah Regional High School in Dalton and lives with her kitten, Thomasina.