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Three Atlantans with a passion for whitewater also had impeccable timing.
Horace Holden, who was staging paddling races on the Nantahala River in 1972, advanced a gas station owner $1,000 to buy his 40-acre business, nestled on a curve along gorgeous Nantahala River whitewater. He then convinced fellow Emory grads Aurelia and Payson Kennedy to quit their Atlanta jobs, cash in their retirement, move to Bryson, N.C., and launch Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC).
Later that year, whitewater paddling debuted in the Munich Olympics and the movie Deliverance, depicting canoeists on Georgia’s gorgeous Chattooga River, premiered, drawing millions of whitewater enthusiasts.