Getting To The NOC
Who will check on us when we are sad, down, and out? I hope it’s people like Gil.
We all need someone to lift us when we are down or when we are full-fledged in a midlife crisis? We need a nice guy or gal in our corner.
This place is nestled in the Smokies’ foothills on the North Carolina side. The road in, from Tennessee, is 28 to 19, a no-cell-phone signal-for- 90 minutes- windy-twisty narrow 2 lane mountain road with over 318 turns, according to the large billboard.
This mountain road is for regular drivers, even ones with kayaks on top of their SUVs, but doubles as Tail of the Dragon Race Track for motorcycle riders and small-low-to-the-ground-sounds-like-a- lawn-mower car drivers. Essentially you’re driving in a race you didn’t agree to be in with small very loud cars and motorcycles.
I arrived early on Saturday morning, not late like I normally do, to Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC).
Meet Gil
I made my way among the buildings, cars, and people to the Paddling School to check-in.
There I was greeted by a tall, soft-spoken, older man with glasses. His once light brown hair was replaced with salt and pepper neatly cut strands. He stood there with a name tag that read, GIL, attached to his NOC t-shirt tucked into blue jeans shorts with a belt, and white new balance sneakers.
I immediately thought he looks like a nice guy.
I finished up my paperwork and was assigned my instructor for the day. My instructor and I went about kayak learning lessons first on the lake. After finishing, he said he would see if Gil could drive us to the drop-off and take our car to the pickup location then walk the short distance to NOC.
Be The Nice Guy
Then he said, “You will never meet a nicer guy than Gil.”
He went on to share how he teases Gil and often plays little tricks on him and how Gil then tries to do it back but fails. Once, my instructor left a company car with the wipers on and the radio turned up loud for Gil. He laughed a, I love that guy, kind of laugh as he recounted how he watched a startled Gil try to turn it all off when he started the car. Then Gil got him back the same way but my instructor ended up in the car before Gil had planned, startled he turned everything off and left only to return when Gil urged him. Then left Gil wondering why he wasn’t freaked out when he started the car.
My instructor went on to say he loved how Gil would take his jokes and try to turn them around but he wasn’t good at it which made it even more adorable.
Yeah, Gil is a nice guy.
Flipped My Kayak
Gil did drop us off. I lasted 10 minutes, flipped my kayak, lost my paddle and boat. The rapids were rough, when I managed to get to the river’s edge I had to make a choice, swim to a small clearing across the river, swim downstream to my boat, or walk-up where I was.
The river shoreline only pointed straight up with thick bushes.
My instructor, frustrated with my indecision on which option, knowing my boat and paddle were downstream kept urging me to swim across and wait.
But, I couldn’t. I just froze, sitting on a rock, watching the fast-moving water sweep rafts filled full of adventurers by at a fast clip. I thought about one of those out-of-control rafts rolling over me, and I thought about how stupid I am for thinking I even remotely have what it takes to do this.
Finally, after what seemed like 2 hours but, was only 5 or 6 minutes, I told my instructor I’m climbing up the embankment and there was no way I was going to swim straight across.
The Walk Of Shame
Irritated, with his own worries of dragging his boat, paddle, and self up the hill, he reluctantly agreed. As we came up with our plan, a fellow kayaker fetched my paddle and brought it to us.
Dragging my paddle I navigated through the weeds, brush, thorns, and surely poison ivy to the road.
We started to walk back down the mountain road in silence to our drop-off. From there, once I was deemed ‘safe’, he would fetch my boat which we were told was on river left down from my flip location.
As luck would have it, the manager of the NOC, rolled up in a huge 4 door truck to give us a ride to the pick up location.
I rode in silence, lost in my thoughts.
Are You Okay?
When we pulled up, there was Gil. He was there doing the same thing but for a different instructor car. He walked up and looked at me, the instructor, 2 paddles and one boat in the back of the truck and said “Are you okay?”
Gil, a nice guy.
I wanted to say….
“No, Gil. I’m not okay! I drove 8 hours, 90 minutes of which I was in a race I didn’t agree to be in, only to get here and fail within 10 minutes. My stupid boat is down the river. I’m standing here with my instructor, who is pretty unhappy, because he had to drag his boat up a side of the hill where he was smacked with thorns. My hand is bleeding. I’m pretty sure I am having a mid-life crisis. And ……Now, my instructor is sorting through how he is going to find my boat and what we do next because he flat out said “I am not taking you back on this river, you are not ready.” So, no Gil, I’m not okay!”
But, Gil is a nice guy and I could tell he was genuinely worried about me.
I responded, “I’m okay, Gil.”
I actually felt so much better because I could sense he was truly concerned.
We need more nice guys.
Who Will Check On You?
I learned a lot from this experience. It’s all part of navigating a midlife crisis. I’m exploring new hobbies, trying to overcome my fears and anxieties. However, in the moment I appreciated someone, a virtual stranger, asking me if I was okay. I wasn’t okay but I began okay. We all need someone to check on us. To be in our corner and ask about us. We also need to ask if others are okay too. Life is hard, we need to be the nice guy (or gal).
Well, I’m in week 1 of my 52-week journey, and I’m already wondering the big question, will a midlife crisis pass? What if it doesn’t pass? How long will I stay in limbo? Will I ever figure our my purpose in life? I’m embarking on a journey, also known as, Project Maptastrophe: A Woman’s Guide To Navigating A Midlife Crisis Like Athena. If you’re new to this series, go check out my first article where I explain with all the gory details.
Lauralee Hites is a full-time management consultant who owns Stratavize Consulting Inc. a boutique consulting firm. She’s a part-time writer and blogger who is navigating midlife. When Lauralee is not speaking or working with clients, she is traveling, writing, or kayaking with her dog, Bear.
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