Taking the plunge The scene staff soaks up summer

Though neither of us had rafted before, and both of us were more than a little nervous, the lure of roaring white water and breathtaking views of Mount Katahdin was too strong to resist, so we both eagerly volunteered to take a white-water expedition with New England Outdoor Center in Millinocket.

Based on the Rice Farm Road and founded by Matthew Polstein in 1982, NEOC runs rafting trips seven days a week from late spring to early fall on the West Branch of the Penobscot River. Saturday is the busiest day, and our group had the maximum 15 boats running. This is our account of a recent trip down what is arguably the most beautiful — and powerful — stretch of water in Maine.

Brett: I’m not exactly the “outdoors” type. Most people I know couldn’t believe that I was being adventurous enough to try white-water rafting. I could hardly believe it myself as I stood at the NEOC base at 7 a.m. on a Saturday, receiving my life jacket, paddle and helmet. I felt like we were at summer camp as we watched a guide give us instructions on how to paddle, and details of what was to happen during the day.

Kristen: For the record, I’m more outdoorsy than Brett is, but when it comes to big adventures, I’m a chicken. I also am far from a morning person. We arrived in Millinocket about 6:30 a.m., and the only thing on my mind was coffee. Fortunately, NEOC has a fabulous breakfast buffet. And when I signed my life away on the rafting disclaimer form, I was awake enough to get a little nervous. When the guide handed me my little blue crash helmet, the butterflies in my stomach were in full flight.

Brett: We mashed into a big, loud blue school bus and gazed in envy at the coach bus some of our fellow rafters had chartered for the day.

Kristen: NEOC is a posh operation. The base is luxurious — you definitely don’t feel like you’re roughing it. But the buses are another story. It’s a 45-minute ride through town and then paper company roads to the put-in site. It feels longer when 50 adults with life jackets, paddles and helmets are crammed into a bus fit for 7-year-olds.

Brett: I have to admit I began to get a little nervous as we prepared to put in our raft just before the 14-foot drop at Nesowadnehunk Falls. Kristen and I were rafting novices thrown in with some rowdy enthusiasts from Massachusetts and New Hampshire. When we launched the raft, we practiced paddling as our guide, NEOC owner Matt Polstein, shouted out commands. Here is where Matt may have taught us the most important skills of the day — tactics for sneak-attack water fights with enemy rafts and the all-important paddlers’ high five.

Kristen: Laurie McCollum of Pembroke, Mass., the other woman on the raft with us, said that everyone bonds fast while rafting, and she was right. Within five minutes, we were conspiring to soak other rafters, and by the end of the day, we all knew the condensed life story of everyone on the raft. We had great raft mates, and we knew from the first drop that we paddled well together.

Brett: As we prepared to go over the first set of falls, my heart rose into my throat. “Just don’t let us flip, don’t let me fall out of the boat,” I prayed. I think it was best that I never saw the boat that went before us and tossed all but two of its rafters. Ours made it down without incident, although I saw the necessity for helmets as I flew back and knocked heads with the man behind me.

Kristen: Shortly after the first falls, we took a detour to a natural rock water slide. The water flowed from Katahdin and was cool and clean — refreshing as the late-July sun heated up the morning. We “docked” and took turns sliding down the slick rocks, into a small falls (most of which made it into my nose).

Brett: The morning is the relatively peaceful leg of the trip. The weather was perfect the day we went (though we all ended a toasted pink at the end of the day). We paddled through stretches of dead water and took in the beauty of our surroundings as Matt told us some history of Baxter State Park and Mount Katahdin.

The paddling workout of the morning left us hungry for lunch — a big cookout on the banks of the river. NEOC gives you a choice of tasty steak, chicken, fish or vegetarian meals served up at long picnic tables in a clearing.

Kristen: I’m a foodie. The lunch was fantastic — as gourmet as a cookout gets. Brett had salmon with a dill sauce. I had marinated chicken. This is not a hot-dogs-and-burgers operation. At least not the day we went.

Brett: After lunch, our energy was replenished as we prepared to face our biggest challenge of the day — Ripogenus Gorge. The afternoon took on a decidedly different tone. The shining sun went behind the clouds and our guide was all business as he gave us new commands on shifting our weight in case the boat was in serious danger of going over.

Kristen: I saw the gorge and heard the rush of water and thought for sure I would be tossed out of the raft. I was scared and excited at the same time. The guys from Massachusetts had never made it this far and they were psyched about the big water. I wasn’t sure what to make of it, but I hopped in and REALLY listened as Matt explained what was to come.

Brett: The rapids are that frightening kind of fun. They provide a rush of adrenaline like no roller coaster or man-made attraction could because they are a real battle against nature. My heart was pounding as we came out of the rapids in relief that we had made it through in one piece — well, almost. Laurie’s father, Jay Richard of New Durham, N.H., lost part of his front tooth when he hit the helmet of the man in front of him. He was very good-natured about the whole incident as we fruitlessly searched the raft for the missing piece.

Kristen: As we floated into the “Exterminator” section of the gorge, the thrill was amazing. We dug into the water with our paddles, held on as the raft bucked back almost vertical and followed Matt’s lead as the sound of the water almost drowned out his instructions. Then we were done — with that set of rapids. No one fell out. Nothing was sucked in — except the tooth.

Brett: We pulled off to the banks of the river to watch our fellow rafters go down. Most made it without incident, though a couple lost some rafters and one even lost a guide, Huey, who was quickly pulled back in minus a shoe. Each raft is equipped with a rescue line to throw to people overboard, and the other rafts lining the river ensure everyone is rescued safely.

Immediately after the gorge, we entered a longer series of rapids called the cribworks. I thought these were the best rapids of the day and Matt guided us expertly through what he called a perfect run.

Kristen: The best part of all, especially if you aren’t the most coordinated person (like me?) is that the guides make you feel like you know what you’re doing. And if you have a great set of raft mates, like we did, you work in sync, so the newly learned techniques feel almost natural.

Brett: The rest of the afternoon we continued through more rapids and stretches of water where we could jump out and float alongside the raft. At the last rapid right before we pulled out, we were able to guide our raft and surf into the white water. This was fun, although it filled the boat with water and frightened Laurie, who was sitting in the front.

Kristen: Then it was over. Although my arms ached and my body was tired, I wanted to do it all again. If I could, I would go back once a week throughout the summer. I swear the white water washes away stress.

Brett: You could see the exhaustion on everyone’s face as we piled back into the bus. A good number of people were sleeping by the time we hit the road back to the base camp, where we awaited a slide and video show of our day. The center also has hot tubs and a full-service restaurant and bar for tired rafters, as well as camping and guest cabins.

When you raft, you can expect to work hard, and to be tired. But you can also expect to meet some great people and have one of the most exciting experiences of your life.

Newly christened “River Rats” Kristen Andresen and Brett Cough normally are found editing stories and designing pages for the scene and the NEWS.