Personal Narrative: The Nantahala River

Water rushing, pushing, and pulling our raft down the river. The crystal clear liquid leaves nothing to the imagination as I eagerly peer over the edge of the boat, frantically searching the round stones for the mysterious Giant Salamander said to be native to these waters. I had recently watched a documentary show on these Giant Salamanders, and the researchers were overturning rocks and searching in crevices waist deep in these very waters. The Nantahala River, located near Bryson City North Carolina, is home to many aquatic creatures, including this elusive Giant Salamander.

As a child living in the mountains, I had access to hundreds of acres of land to find as many creatures as I could. I would dig in the dirt looking for worms, overturn

We were a crowd of trouble, or maybe it was just me who was trouble. My Aunt did nickname me Hurricane Haley when I was younger since I was a bundle of energy no one could stop…and it was my first time rafting. Great, what could go wrong?

I grew up around here. The Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) was a second home and I was well known and well looked after by all the NOC workers since both my parents were expert guides there: my mother, a raft/kayak instructor, my father, one of the top canoe instructors in the country. This was where they met, fell in love, and later raised me—their wild child.

Even before I was born, I had a little taste of nature. My mother was rafting, with my father and some of their friends when she lost her balance on an easy rapid. She was falling toward the water, and I went right along with her since she was 8 months pregnant with me at the time. My father, having insane fast reflexes, caught my mother right as her head skimmed the water before she could fall into the river completely. This was how I was named, you see. My name Haley came from part of the river’s name: the Nantahala (Nanta-hala). I don’t know if this is where they really got my name, but it’s a cool story, and it’s nice to know I have some roots in the place my parents’ thought was so