First Posted: 6/24/2013

Lately, things have been a little stressful, and I needed a break from the ordinary. With the weather finally getting nice, I decided to treat some of my readers to a great day out. I posted an invitation on my column’s Facebook page (facebook.com/GirlTalkWithMelissa) for a few lucky readers to join me on what I called the “Girl Talk Gone Wild” whitewater rafting trip.

I contacted my friends at Whitewater Challengers Inc., as they are a company I have rafted with several times before. The staff is amazing, the trips are always organized and safe, and it’s always a great group of people to escape on the water with.

I assembled a group of people – friends, family, and readers of all different ages and experience levels – to spend the day with me and escape the valley for a few hours. A few were apprehensive because they always heard horror stories about how intense and dangerous the rapids are, especially during a dam release. I assured them that these are guided trips with trained professionals. They know any hazards, all the best routes, and have dealt with every kind of mistake you could possibly imagine making. The rafts are safe, and if I could do it, they could too.

Our guides on this trip were Sharon, Mike, and the cute-as-a-button Jack. (If I wasn’t there professionally, I would have asked for his number, so go check him out ladies!) Sharon has been with the company for 13 seasons; she is a local girl from Warrior Run and an avid Weekender reader. We bonded quickly over some jokes and tales of the city. Mike is smart, funny, and has a fantastic beard, and Jack, well… Jack is cute.

At the end of our trip, my group had all been changed from weary naysayers to rafting lovers. After experiencing the thrill of the rapids, the fun of the water gun and bucket fights with their fellow rafters, getting stuck a time or two on the occasional rock, and spending five solid hours staring at the beauty of nature on the gorgeous Lehigh River, they were all asking me when we could get together and do it again!

The fun wasn’t over. After getting back to the adventure center, we looked at – and bought copies of – the pictures they took of us on the water. We then decided to hit up the zip line. My hands shook as I climbed the ladder to the launch pad. They say the hardest part is letting go, so I decided to take the plunge, and it was exhilarating. There is nothing as freeing as just letting go and flying. I think in my next life I’d like to come back as a bird.

There is so much to do here between camping, mountain biking, rafting, zip lines, and paintball that I will personally be returning a few more times this summer. I suggest you do the same! Check out their website at whitewaterchallengers.com and tell them Melissa sent you.