6/11/11 8 pm

So we woke up early, I mean really early, super early,  but anyway at 7:01 we left from Lowes and Embarked on an epic journey through time and space, and the south. It was a long drive, we slept, listened to music, and saw a pink elephant and more fireworks than you could shake a roman candle at. Then we arrived at camp, set er up, and went swimming. Lastly we had more spaghetti and we went to bed.

6/11/11 8:11 pm

 We woke up at six took down camp and ate breakfast. We then left at seven and
arrived at Yorktown and hopped on a fairy and went too Fort Sumpter. And James informed us of the Great Swedish War of 1907 that happened at Fort Sumpter. We went back to the Yorktown and took some of the tours around the ship after which we started playing man-hunt on the Yorktown and it was beast.

June 12, 2011

 - We woke up at Yorktown at 6 AM and packed. We went down stairs to morning assembly after which we ate breakfast and walked to the cars. After some time of shuffling bags around we where on our way. Mr. Dan and I towards Boone and Mr. Thompson towards Daytona. After a good few hours of driving through some amazing landscape we arrived at CDB. We then had to stand in a line for about 2 ½ hours in order to turn in each of our medical forms individually. After that we where taken on a quick guide of the camp by connor our troop guide for the week. Then went on our mile hike from base camp back to our camp where we unloaded everything and placed picked out a wooden shelter that fit all the boys and a tent for the leaders. We had dinner and flag then went to a great vespers service immediately after which was the opening camp fire. Then we walked way back to camp where we went to sleep.

June 13, 2011

• This morning we woke up and went to flag then to breakfast. After which we started our first day of merit badge classes. At lunch it seemed like everyone was having fun even though usually the first day is boring which was good. After lunch back out to classes. Followed by a few hours of free time where the scouts could go to any area they wanted. Then was dinner and flag.

Everyday till Wednesday was like this with everyone having a great time and wednesdy was the same till the afternoon when a huge storm came through and flooded the wooden shelter and through down pea size hail. All in all not a great night though we did start a fire after an hour of fighting with wet wood. We then went to sleep seeing no reason to stay up since it would be raining till 10 anyways.

June 16, 2011

We woke up bright and early to get to the dining hall first. We brought the cars from the parking lot, loaded lunch and gear into them, ate breakfast then where on our way. We got to Nantahala outdoors center at 9 and found out our trip would leave at 10:30 so we changed got ready and played in the water a little till it was time to go. After the safety lesson we loaded up on buses and went to the launching sight. We had a great time on the river with only two incidents. In the boat that had Mikey, Richy, J.D, Mr. Dan, and Patrick. Mikey lost his paddle in a fight with a branch and Mr. Dan kept getting stuck so they threw a guide on his boat. The other boat had already had a guide, Daniel, Michael, Gary, and myself. Once through with the river we had changed, had lunch, and we're back on our way to camp. Once back and unloaded we made our dinner at out campsite which was jambalaya (ingredients provided by camp)  after that we went on an amazing troop hike through some beautiful area. Crossing the stream by going across fallen logs or jumping from rock to rock. After which we had went to get a couple troop photos taken by some random people passing by. Then went back to camp for the night had some smore’s and hot chocolate and sat by the fire till 11 when we went to sleep.

June 16, 2011
Message from the campers indicate that they are whitewater rafting this afternoon. They are rafting the Nantahala River. Here's some info on where they are, and what our adventurers are doing. 

The Nantahala River is a river in western North Carolina in the United States, within the Nantahala National Forest, and near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The word "Nantahala" comes from the Cherokee language and means "Land of the Noonday Sun." The river runs through a narrow and steep gorge where in some areas the sun only reaches the ground when it is directly overhead during the middle of the day.

Here are some Natahala facts and statistics, as posted on an outfitter's website:  (Note that whitewater rapids are classified as a Class I to Class V.)  The Nantahala is mostly Class II and Class III rapids, but Mr. Paul can attest that this is is truly a thrilling ride.

Rapid Descriptions

Patton's Run: Class II+
Patton's Run is the first rapid on the Nantahala River and comes right after the put-in. It's characterized by medium sized waves in a current that will try and push boaters to left. However, blocking the left size is the notorious "Jaws" rock. Fortunately, Jaws is easy to avoid by staying on the right side to catch all the fun.

Pyramid Rock: Class II
Pyramid Rock is a big pyramid-shaped rock, hence it's name, on river left about 1.75 miles past the put-in. The current pushes boaters directly to the rock, which is okay, because it means the opportunity to try fun rock-spins!

Delebar's Rock: Class II
Just around the bend from Fereby beach, there is a big rock on river left at the top of the rapid and another big rock just downstream on the right side. Making technical maneuvers around these rocks is part of the fun of rafting and this rapid is a fun one to test a raft crew's skills.

Quarry: Class II
Just before the limestone quarry on river left, an island divides the river into two channels. The river constricts as it flows down the right side and creates some of the largest waves on the river. The big, breaking whitecap is the Quarry Wave, which is loads of fun and sure to splash all boaters with the Nantahala's famously cool water.

Whirlpool: Class II
This feature is one of the most fun spots on the entire river. The river makes a turn to the right and creates a giant eddy from the left bank to the center of the river. The current will push boaters right, but it's fun to charge left and crash the eddy, which often spin kayaks, duckies and rafts as the side tubes of the raft dip deep into the water.

The Ledges: Class II
Maybe not surprisingly, the river drops over a series of ledges at this rapid. The river can be shallow and rafts do get stuck from time to time. This is another great opportunity to test a raft crew's technical skills.

Surfing Rapid: Class II
Here, you're sure to find kayakers and canoeists lined up on river left, waiting for a chance to surf this easy-to-ride curling wave. It's a great place to see boaters practicing up on trick moves.

The Bump: Class II
Boaters can recognize this rapid by the yellow and orange highway signs hanging above the rock that say: "Bump." This rapid features a train of small waves on river right, which provide a bouncy ride, while avoiding the large ledge on river left, which tends to bump guides out of their seats.

Nantahala Falls: Class III
Nantahala Falls is the longest, swiftest and most fun rapid on the Nantahala River. There are a number of ways to run this rapid, some are a bit more thrilling than others. The approach features wavetrains that snake down the middle of the river as it narrows into a swift chanel. You'll just nip the edge of a hydraulics at the top of Nantahala Falls, then paddle over a swiftly moving slide to the bottom, finishing with a big splash.