Can't say enough good things about Wildwood Outfitters! We were in Helen, GA for Memorial Day…read moreweekend. Cool River was not renting tubes because of the dangerous water conditions. I appreciated their honesty because I'd had a terrible experience tubing previously. They recommended Wildwood Outfitters as an option to do something else, farther down the river where it's deeper and potentially more calm. It's crazy how much the water conditions can change from day to day!
Chris greeted us at Wildwood Outfitters. He was so nice and knowledgeable. He discouraged us from kayaking - none of us were familiar with this river, although we had been kayaking before, and most of the sections where they take folks are Class 3+ rapids. Again, due to my past trauma, I thought it was best to take his advice, even though we were disappointed. Just as we were about to leave, he ran back out, and asked if we might be interested in rafting instead. He explained how it would work for the three of us and which section of the river would be best (Section 2, mostly flat or Class 1 rapids with only one area of Class 2 rapids), so we decided to take a chance. It cost about $100, so about $30 pp, with no particular time restrictions.
Before we left, Chris took the time to explain how to navigate the rapids, what to expect every step of the way, and what to do if you fall out of the raft. We got helmets and life jackets, as well as a bag to keep our things dry. Although largely unsupervised, we were able to leave our keys in the outpost. They dropped us off and helped us carry the raft down to the embarkation point. I would have been terrified no matter what, but I felt well prepared.
The river conditions were exactly as described and Chris's advice was spot on. He'd told us where to call from the raft when we were ready to be picked up, and we were so happy to see his smiling face (and his adorable dog) at the shore. Apparently the rafts hadn't been used in some time, and although they were properly inflated and maintained, there had been a small leak causing the raft to deflate and take on a lot of water. Thankfully they'd given us a bucket to bail the water out, but I basically spent the entire time bailing (giving me a good excuse not to have to paddle, though!). Chris felt terrible. He immediately offered us our money back, or anything else he could do to compensate us. We still had a great time and everyone was safe and dry at the end so we didn't feel that a refund was necessary. We ended up grabbing a couple of cold drinks and some t-shirts and called it even.
The outpost was well-equipped with a portopotty, a changing area, and a shower. If you have your own kayak/raft you can hire them just to take you to your selected section. The prices are very reasonable. I would 100% recommend this business and will even think about doing it again!
