I was the last one on board after some serious convincing and still I wonder how they persuaded me to go whitewater rafting when I didn’t even know what whitewater rafting was. But my friends’ energy, love, and excitement pushed me to a level of intrigue, trust, and adventure that I couldn’t have imagined.

Prior to that, I honestly didn’t have a desire or see a need to travel anywhere without my husband. Once I decided to go, I shared the news with him. He was actually all for it; so, in July 2009, we jumped into a truck and drove from Detroit to West Virginia for an escapade on the New and Gauley rivers.

The morning of the adventure I was excited and nervous. We prayed, we squealed with excitement, and we held moments of silence just to get our minds ready. For a city girl like me, even the drive-through town was a reminder that I was in unfamiliar territory.

Our hearts pumping, we prepared ourselves for our first rapid—a level 3! Our mission, to not fall out of the raft. When we conquered that rapid without losing passengers, confidence washed over us. Again, we took on this challenge a few more times and were simply thrilled with ourselves. There were high fives all around and a lot of exhaling.

Just when we thought things were settling down, a large wave swept our guide from the raft. Pure panic set in as we witnessed fear surge across our guide’s face. Thankfully, a few of us moved into action, holding out the end of the paddle as our guide instructed us in the beginning. Of course, that was in case one of us fell off, not her.

In just a few short hours, we shared moments of fear, excitement, and triumph. None of us fell out of the raft! We bonded and emerged victoriously!

Encouraging one another and sharing the adrenaline and excitement of the day felt great. While we were individuals with unique journeys, we came together to support and push one another to overcome any fears prior to our next adventure… Because there surely would be another adventure.

© Copyright DARE DIVAS 2016