As you know, in Guatemala we became accustomed to an adventure at least every other weekend.  To help smooth the transition back to the States, I was fortunate enough to join 10 of my friends and family members for an unforgettable weekend adventure in the form of my bachelor party.  Here's a look at the roster:

From Illinois:
1.  Todd Jacob, the best man and trip leader; childhood/college friend/roommate
2.  Todd Reffett, groomsman; college friend
3.  Jeff Perzee, college roommate
4.  Drew Banas, college friend
5.  Glen O'Connor, father

6.  Jack Prall, Wisconsin; former roommate
7.  Chet Miller, Indiana; Sarah's dad
8.  Paul Rothgery, Colorado; Sarah's bro-in-law
9.  Jason Brown, Oklahoma; groomsman, ND MBA classmate
10.  Matt Reichert, Kentucky; college roommate
11.  The Bachelor

The most notable MIA member was my cousin, groomsman Daren Kuntz, who had a decent reason to skip out.

It all started on Thursday, June 21, as Action Jackson joined the Illinois crew for a night of catching up at the Jacob family compound in Champaign, Illinois.  We were in the rented party wagon by 8am on Friday - first stop:  Indianapolis, where Chet met us and joined the trek.  By late afternoon we picked up Paul and Jason at the Charleston, West Virginia Airport, and caught the last few innings of a Cubs defeat of the WSox.  Matt met us in our final destination, Beckley, WV, just in time to watch us finish off our huge steaks.

On Saturday we found our Appalachian Wildwaters outpost and geared up for a full day of rafting.  The rafts only fit 8 plus the guide, so my dad, Chet, and Paul took one for the team and joined another crew.  The rest of us had Ray, the quintessential river guide, who was actually from Joliet!  Ray was an accounting major at Texas Tech and has spent his life as an adventure guide from Idaho and the Grand Canyon to West Virginia and North Carolina.  Yes, Ray slept in his car last night... and loved it.  Ray was fired up, to say the least, about having a crew of 8 young dudes ready to tear up the New River Gorge.


Clockwise from upper left:  Paul, Glen, Jason, Ryan, Todd J, Matt, Jack,
Chet, Jeff, Drew, and Todd R. (who does Jason think he is with 5 letters in his name?)

We spent the day dominating several class 3, 4, and 5 rapids.  We also enjoyed some flat water with some peaceful floats down the river and a few wrestling matches - pushing each other out of the raft like a bunch of 12-year-old boys.  Beautiful.  We found a rock to make a small jump from, which Jeff made more exciting with some crazy flips.  Before exiting the river, we got an amazing look at the 876 ft. New River Gorge Bridge, the second longest steel arch bridge.  Here's a look at the action:





After the bus greeted us with a keg of beer, we ended up spending a fine evening hanging out at the lodge.  A fantastic folk/bluegrass band called Option 22 entertained on the deck.  During the intermission, our very own Downtown Jason Brown stole the show with a few songs and gained a couple more female fans. 

My bachelor party was, in a word, perfect.  As I told the guys, the time in the van catching up and joking around was just as fun as the rafting.  My abs and cheeks felt the effects of a weekend of constant laughter.  I know it took a lot of time, effort, and money to pull off a big trip like this, and I can't thank them enough.  I'm glad Perzee has agreed to pretend to get married every summer to give us a good excuse for more adventures.

I'll close with an excerpt from CS Lewis as a tribute to "River's 11":

In a perfect Friendship this Appreciative love is, I think, often so great and so firmly based that each member of the circle feels, in his secret heart, humbled before all the rest.  Sometimes he wonders what he is doing among his betters.  He is lucky beyond desert to be in such company.  Especially when the whole group is together, each bringing out all that is best, wisest, or funniest in all the others.  Those are the golden sessions; when four or five [or eleven] of us after a hard day's walking have come to our inn; when our slippers are on, our feet spread out towards the blaze and our drinks at our elbows; when the whole world, and something beyond the world, opens itself to our minds as we talk; and no one has any claim on or any responsibility for another, but all are freemen and equals as if we had first met an hour ago, while at the same time an Affection mellowed by the years enfolds us.  Life - natural life - has no better gift to give.  Who could have deserved it?