Olympic River Rafting in Tennessee

To Read more about trips like this or book your own trip, visit Hitz Adventures

http://www.hitzadventures.com/

It's Only When We Lose Everything That We Can Do Anything.

The above paraphrased quote is from "Fight Club", but it is also mentioned in this month's book of the month.

"Between A Rock and A Hard Place" is a story I am sure many are familiar with; boy goes climbing, boy gets arm trapped, and boy cuts off arm to escape.

What I wanted to talk briefly about is not the extreme spirit and determination this person possessed allowing him to overcome the life or death task in front of him, but the decisions he made before that day.

Our hero loved to climb and be outside. He was an educated man, with a great job at Intel, but gave it all up to live simply in Aspen, climbing, skiing and working at a mountaineering store. Even after losing his arm, he still climbs and lives an incredibly happy life.

Now, I am not standing on a soapbox telling everyone to quit their job and have fun all day or else I will have no more customers. Rather, remember, you are only here for a short while, and you can't take anything with you, so make sure you do something cool every once and a while. Whether that be climbing mountains, camping in the woods, traveling to Italy, or volunteering in your community.

This leads me to the quote I started this section with. As we separate ourselves from the cell phones, bluetooth, itunes, cars, mortgages...even for a weekend, getting as raw as possible, we see what is important and what we are truly capable of both physically and mentally.

And if we don't, the, "the things you own, will end up owning you." -Tyler Durden

All the best

Darren

___________________________________________________________________

Olympic River Rafting in Tennessee

This trip was a small group of 5, all of whom went to school together at LSU back in the day.

I decided to go in on Thursday to Chattanooga TN to check out some of the natural scenery. I drove up Lookout Mt, which is a famous Civil War landmark. After walking through gaps in boulders about 2 feet wide at the top of this mountain, I came to an open area with a spectacular view of the surrounding area. Reading a plaque along the railing, I came to find that you were actually able to see 7 states from this ledge. I had to take there word for it as none of the states were color-coded like they are on the map. (That was a joke)

Anyway, when I got back to town, I was hoping the minor league baseball team would be playing that weekend as the stadium was awesome, but it was not to be. Long gone are the days of plywood centerfield walls with outfielders running through them to catch a fly ball.

The guys got in Friday and we got some dinner and hit some bars. Chattanooga is by no means a bustling metropolis, but as I like say, it has enough spots to get into trouble for a weekend, but after that you probably will get a little bored.  We hit all the clubs and bars and toasted the group before it was back to the hotel for an early rise for rafting. 

No problems getting everyone in the shuttle and out to Benton TN for rafting on the Ocoee (pronounced O-KO-E). The views were great along the river and afforded plenty of opportunities to jump out and float the river. This river is actually the river that the Atlanta Olympic Games held the Kayaking events. Many of the world-class kayakers train here...but these guys were not ready for any Eskimo Rolls on this trip. 

After finishing the trip we hung out, grabbed some pictures and headed back to town. Although camping was an option, I think these guys had a deep appreciation for a warm bed and indoor plumbing, which was not a problem.

The group was really mellow and instantly made me feel as one of the gang. I enjoyed the weekend and hope to be back soon.

Until Next time.

[Watch the Video]

Darren Hitz
Hitz Adventures
p:248.910.8152
f :480.393.4077
darren@hitzadventures.com
www.hitzadventures.com

Comments

[spencer]

What a great way to share the experience!

I am a former (retired now) wedding and event coordinator... Bachelor parties and Bachelorette parties are a thing of mystery that often cause a lot of trouble in a marriage before it even gets started!

Thanks for sharing....

Spencer
http://www.shop5thavenue.com
Luxury Groomsmen & Bridal Gifts

[spencer]

What a great way to share the experience!

I am a former (retired now) wedding and event coordinator... Bachelor parties and Bachelorette parties are a thing of mystery that often cause a lot of trouble in a marriage before it even gets started!

Thanks for sharing....

Spencer
http://www.shop5thavenue.com
Luxury Groomsmen & Bridal Gifts

[Colorado Wedding Video]

Excellent info. Great blog! Sometimes I wish I could go back to my wedding time and redo some of this stuff.

http://www.coloradoweddingvideographer.com