Adventure Crew: Rafting Trip

Rain pounding down on our heads, the boats, the river.  Everybody stroking in time.

“Everywhere we go!  (echo)

People stop and ask us.

Who we are, and where do we come from.

So, we tell them!  UWC in Mostar!

MIGHTY MIGHTY MOSTAR!”  The chant rang out of the mouths of the twenty paddlers.

We are the ADVENTURE CREW!

Created this year to incorporate hiking, biking, rafting, and skiing, the adventure crew embarked upon a rafting trip on the upper Neretva, as the first official adventure of the year, although just living in Mostar is an adventure in of itself.  Plans for the rest of the year include hikes to classic favorites like Diva Grabavica, and Veliki Vran, as well as some new routes, and overnight camping. 

Faces were apprehensive as the group gathered in Spanish Square in the morning for the bus ride to Konjic, to transfer to another van to go to the house of our rafting guides.  The ominous dark rain clouds did not bode well for our expedition, or so we thought.  Upon arrival at “base camp”, we were graciously welcomed as guests, with a hospitality that was incredibly generous throughout the entire day.  The laughter began as we dressed in sexy wetsuits and booties, comparing our newly discovered muscles.       

The crew was divided into five boats, five people per boat, with one guide.  Our only instruction was, “don’t fall in love with the skipper.”  On the van ride to the head of the run the guy (what is his name)  told us some history and folklore of the region – about the Neretva river as a woman, and the mountain Prenj as the obstinate and unpredictable man.

Stalling for time, to wait for the rain to cease, we ate a freshly grilled fish meal and plums, which we gathered from the trees.  Finally, the expedition started, with no let-up of the torrential rain, but we carried the boats to the riverside, suited up in wetsuits, helmets, and goofy raincoats.  And we were off!

The landscape was incredible, as the boats took us down the Upper Neretva, surrounded by soaring canyon walls, cloaked with greenery, and the river dimpled by the raindrops.  Each boat crew quickly developed its own sense of pride, and competition for the cherished first spot.  Code words were created, like cevapi, for a surprise attack on another boat.  Cheering, laughing, and stroking with our whole bodies, we sailed downriver, straight into the heart of the storm.

We all survived the thunder and lightning, the drop-off rapids, the fierce competition, and the belly aching laughter – and were welcomed back to the “base camp” once again for a huge traditional meal, warm dry clothing, and swapping stories.  Simply put, it was an epic day for those who chose to come out and accept the challenge of adventure! 

G. K. Chesterton said, “An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered.”  I challenge you to look for the adventure.

Over an out, Hilary Johnson reporting live from Adventure Crew Central.