Big Thrills

The thrill of whitewater paddling appeals to you, but you don't have the skills to do it safely in a canoe or kayak. Do you have to sit out this whitewater season? Nah, get your feet wet (literally) with a commercial whitewater rafting trip.

You get at least some of the thrills without a long learning curve -- and without much real danger. Whitewater rafting companies are very serious about safety. Serious accidents are extremely rare. Perceived danger is another matter entirely. Plunging into a whitewater maelstrom in a bouncing raft is a guaranteed adrenaline rush.

Late last fall, on the Kennebec River in Maine, I got to experience something I'd always wanted to try: big water rafting in a small raft. It's rafting taken to its extreme: Bigger waves, faster water, and a smaller boat that bounces around more. My guides were from the Windfall Outdoor Center.

You pay a little extra to be in the small raft. That's because you need one guide for each raft and the smaller raft has fewer people. "Big Water" release days (when the dams are opened fully to test the turbines) are also a premium charge. But if you've already tried rafting and are ready for a bigger thrill, but not yet ready to do it on your own in a kayak, this is the way to go.

The 2007 big water releases on the Kennebec are scheduled for June 16, July 9, September 8, and September 22.

Here a complete list of whitewater rafting opportunities in Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New York.