Ohio State U. students gather for a group portrait after a rafting trip with River Expeditions
Ohio State U. students gather for a group portrait after a rafting trip with River Expeditions.

Spring rafting trips perennially popular among college students

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Ohio State U. students gather for a group portrait after a rafting trip with River Expeditions
Ohio State U. students gather for a group portrait after a rafting trip on the New River in West Virginia.

While for some folks April and May might seem too cool for a whitewater-rafting trip, college students don’t mind at all and account for a large part of spring rafting enthusiasts, according to the owner of an outdoor-adventure resort on the New River in West Virginia.

Students blowing off steam before finals make up a perennially large part of the spring rafting audience, says Heather Johnson, vice president of Guests enjoy a soak at River Expeditions Guests soak at the River Expeditions basecamp[/caption]

“Many rafters who book with us in spring are students from universities looking for a way to relieve pressure before the end of the spring term,” Johnson said.

“Though we provide wetsuits that will keep anyone warm enough, students don’t seem to be deterred and if anything seem attracted by the idea of the challenge.”

Penn State, Lyndon State , Virginia Tech, Southwest Michigan College, and Louisburg College account for a large part of the resort’s out-of-state student rafters, she said, while WVU-Tech and Marshall University are regular in-state schools.

Johnson, whose family has been guiding on the Rafters at Red Dog River Saloon Rafters at Red Dog River Saloon[/caption]

River Expeditions offers annual weekend Rafters plunge into a West Virginia rapid Rafters plunge into a West Virginia rapid[/caption]

The basecamp center also includes a dining hall, outfitters shop, meeting facilities, and an outdoor pool and hot tub as well as the saloon and grill, and students are welcome to stay in their choice of campgrounds as well as dozens of basecamp rustic and deluxe cabins.

For more information on rafting packages for university students or for general information on River Expeditions, call 800-463-9873 or visit their website.

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David Sibray
Meet the Author

David Sibray

David Sibray is a West Virginia journalist, publisher, and historian who has spent more than four decades promoting the culture, communities and natural landscapes of Appalachia. He is the founder, publisher and editor-in-chief of West Virginia Explorer, a news and travel magazine devoted to the state’s history, tourism, outdoor recreation and economic development. Born in Wheeling and raised in Beckley, he attended West Virginia University and Wheeling Jesuit University. Since beginning his journalism career in the late 1980s, he has worked in publishing, public relations and destination marketing, including leadership roles with Theatre West Virginia and the Southern West Virginia Convention & Visitors Bureau. For more information, he may be reached at 304-575-7390.

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