If you raft:What: White-water rafting on the Black RiverWhere: College Place bus stop, or meet the group at Adirondack River Outfitters in Watertown, N.Y.When: Sept. 29 and 30, 10:30 a.m.How much: $27 for undergrad students, $65 for graduates and faculty

We’ve been riding on the river for more than two hours when we reach what our guide calls the ‘best run of the day.’

‘Square Rock’ lies dead ahead, and the current grabs our boat, pulling us toward a steep drop on the right side of the river.

‘Right side (paddle) hard forward’ Hallie Schroeder, our guide, shouts from the back of the raft. She’s supposed to be our rudder, but the current is too much for just her.

The raft escapes the current, and we pass the eroded cube on its left. The rapids batter the raft but fail to do any serious damage.

We’re in the midst of the white-water rafting trip that Syracuse University Recreational Services has offered since 2003, a three-mile jaunt on the Black River in Watertown, N.Y. The trip is offered every weekend in September.

Before we can catch our breaths, it’s time to deal with ‘Shave and a Haircut,’ where we need to dig our paddles in and push as far right as we can to escape ‘Decapitation Rock.’

I instantly understand how the ledge earned its name. A thin, solid sheet of rock sticks out like a cleaver from the left bank.

Schroeder brings me back with a kick to the back. I dig my paddle into the water, matching the rhythm of the person in front of me.

I steal a glance to my left. ‘Decapitation Rock’ is getting closer.

That’s when a confusing command comes from the back of the raft: ‘Easy forward.’

It’s a smart idea to trust the guide. I slow my paddling to the desired speed and notice ‘Decapitation Rock’ passing harmlessly a few feet overhead.

I turn to the back of the boat to look at Schroeder, who smiles the same way she did when she told us we would be eating albino pigeons for lunch.

Schroeder, a California native, has worked as a Black River tour guide since she and her husband moved to Upstate New York two years ago.

‘When I moved from California to here, I tried to find something outdoorsy that I could do,’ she said. ‘And this was fun, and I’m an adrenaline junkie.’

Scott Catucci, the assistant director of outdoor education programs at SU’s Recreation Services, supervises the trips and has been down the Black River rapids more than 20 times.

‘I think (the guides) are pretty positive; I think they like to have fun,’ Catucci said. ‘They like to keep it positive, and they like to keep things serious when they need to be and light when they don’t.’

The guides certainly like to joke. During the safety lecture, Chris ‘The General’ Kole asked us to make sure we had the right amount of right- or left-handed paddles.

We picked up the paddles, looked them over – and realized they were all the same.

The Adirondack River Outfitters run the trip, which includes all of the necessary equipment – plus a peanut butter and honey burrito at lunch and a chicken barbecue for dinner.

The relaxed, yet careful attitude of the guides helped Sze-Won Wong, a freshman general management major, to enjoy her first white-water rafting experience.

‘It was really fun,’ Wong said. ‘I was a little worried at first because it was my first time. And I don’t know how to swim, but I heard it was really safe because all the guides are trained.’

After the lecture, Kole served as our safety kayaker, helping out at the bottom of the more dangerous rapids. He also showed off a little, kayaking down a steep waterfall. Everyone else had to carry their boats over the fall.

The boats interacted with one another down the river. One guide piloted his raft near ours, demanding we give him our opinions on ice cream cake. After answering, Schroeder instructed our raft to splash him with our paddles.

Larry Lee LaFaver Jr. has gone on the rafting trip for five years – the last three as a guide. He spent the first two years as a ‘bum,’ said the tattooed LaFaver, speaking through the gaps in his teeth.

‘(The river is) lower-class; it’s definitely stuff for people who are beginning to get into it,’ said LaFaver. ‘There are different water levels, so you can get a little more than what you saw today. It’s not as big as other rivers like the Moose, or the Hudson in the spring.’

Case Wayne, an undeclared freshman in the Martin J. Whitman School of Management, has gone kayaking and canoeing. This was his first time white-water rafting.

‘It was something my friends and I were talking about doing,’ Wayne said. ‘So we decided to take the trip.’

The changing water levels can affect the experience on the rapids.

‘When we went last weekend,’ Catucci said, ‘the water was up to 1,500, or 2,000 cubic feet per second, which was a good water level, so we had a really good trip. This weekend, the water level was down a little bit, so it was still an exciting trip, but some of the waves weren’t as big.’

Schroeder believes that each level offers a unique experience, and there is value in a lower water level.When we risked our necks on ‘Shave and a Haircut,’ we faced no real danger of returning a head shorter, but at higher water levels, it can become a serious risk.

‘Obviously, with bigger waters, bigger is more fun,’ Schroeder said. ‘But there’s still a lot of rapids that get better at lower water levels, rather than at higher water levels, like ‘Shave and a Haircut.”

‘I think it was great because we were really allowed to escape the urban experience of college, and Syracuse University in particular,’ said Justin Cole, a freshman political science major. ‘It let us really explore the rural activities that Upstate New York has to offer.’

After we finish the last rapid, we take the opportunity to jump out of the boat and float in the water. The current keeps us near the raft. I lie on my back and look up at the sky, completely relaxed.

As we climb back onto the boat, Schroeder emphasizes the importance of taking time out of our lives to do things like this.

‘When you guys graduate, and you’re all working in your little offices, remember this,’ said Schroeder, as she gestured at the river and the sun above. ‘This is my office.’

Published on September 25, 2007 at 12:00 pm