There's nothing quite like sitting around a fire under the Maine sky, watching stars twinkle in and out, listening to Maine wildlife and having a beer with friends. There is a reason why Maine is dubbed "Vacationland." This is why I make it a point to visit Moosehead Lake Region at least once a year.
I would have to say my favorite memory of all my Maine visits would have to be the first time I ever went white water rafting. I was 18 years old at the time. Our rafting group my father, boyfriend, two friends and my friend's father.
When we first arrived at the rafting company, we signed a waiver that basically said, "We are not responsible if you die." While that was a bit daunting, we grabbed our rafting gear and got a rundown of safety precautions and proper paddling techniques. After everyone was up to speed on how to paddle down the river without impaling yourself on the rocks, we got on the bus that took us upriver.
Even the bus ride was fun. The guides made a little video that included us "paddling" the bus to our destination and getting bopped on the heads with paddles and falling down. It was complete with clips of us rafting down river and a music. To this day, whenever I hear "Blister in the Sun" and "People of the Sun" I think of that trip.
During the initial launch into the invigorating water, my nerves made my body tense up. This was it! The water was rushing past the inflatable raft and I already saw pointy rocks grinning evilly up at me from the bottom of the river. So I held my breath for a few seconds, and I was ready.
The first rapid we came to gave me a taste of what was to come. My body flailed around in the raft a little bit, but I maintained my composure and balance. After that, however, we definitely got the ride of our lives. On one of the more challenging rapids, the boat tilted to the left hand side, sending the opposite side of the raft to tumbling onto the rest of us. The troops sitting on the left side got launched into the water. I almost managed to stay in. Unfortunately, my short legs weren't long enough for my friend to haul the rest of me back in. At some point, the rest of me flopped out and all the remaining passengers could see of me was a bobbing helmet. I did eventually manage to make it back onto the raft after some hard swimming. Someone was kind enough to yank me by my life vest and pull me in.
I can't say falling out was all that bad, though. It was kind of fun just riding the rapids in my life preserver. It wasn't planned, unlike one section of the river where we were allowed to jump out and float along as we please, but I knew I wasn't in any real danger. Just keep those legs up and point them downstream!
Rafting was not only a grueling workout, but a learning experience as well. Need to promote teamwork? There is no better way than to get a raft full of people to synchronize their paddling to steady themselves down a river.
By the end of the trip we were exhausted. But it was well worth it. After we dried off, the staff sat us down for a mouthwatering full course meal. And the day was capped off with a showing of the video that was made. We all laughed at each group's mishaps and gasped at our maneuvering skills.
On the ride back to the cabin, everyone was out like a light. Except for the drivers, of course. But you can bet that once everyone was up and full of energy again, the rafting trip was all we talked about. Ever since that first time, rafting has been added to our yearly tradition. And with great reason. The only real difference now is that we have upgraded rivers and can enjoy that refreshing beer under the stars afterwards to help ease our aching muscles.
All this talk of Maine now has me pumped for my next trip. When are you going?