By STEPHANIE TRACY
Anderson Independent-Mail
May 11, 2005

Having found it tough to tame the wilds of the South Carolina General Assembly, Republican Governor Mark Sanford will travel to the Upstate Saturday to try his hand at taming the rapids of the Chattooga River and encourage South Carolinians to get moving.

The governor and his family will join a group of 20 other people about 9 a.m. for a four-hour whitewater rafting trip down Section III of the Chattooga River and through the Bull Sluice rapid before taking out at the U.S. 76 bridge.

Gov. Sanford — who worked as a guide along the same section of river during his college days — proposed the trip to northern Oconee County in January during his State of the State address as one in a series of activities highlighting his Family Fitness Challenge. This year’s challenge events have already taken the governor on a kayak tour of Sparkleberry Swamp in Sumter County two weeks ago.

"Whether it’s our bike ride (across the state in 2004), our recent walk in Orangeburg, our kayak trip through Sparkleberry Swamp, or this rafting trip — the point is to get out there and have fun," Gov. Sanford said in a news release.

The Family Fitness Challenge was initiated by the Governor’s Office to encourage state residents to get more exercise and eat better. Recent statistics have ranked South Carolina near the bottom in measures of healthy lifestyle factors.

The section of the Chattooga River the governor will ride through was used as a filming location for the adventure film "Deliverance," based on the novel by James Dickey. The river, which forms a natural border between South Carolina and Georgia, was also named a wild and scenic river by Congress 31 years ago Saturday.

Stephanie Tracy can be reached at (800) 859-6397, Ext. 342 or by e-mail at tracysk@IndependentMail.com.

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