HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. — “They call me ‘Fat Man,’ ” says William Stubbs, a 26-year-old river guide at BTI Whitewater.
But the skinny waterman couldn’t weigh 160 pounds soaking wet. “I was fat when I was young and the nickname just stuck,” says the West Virginia native.
Mr. Stubbs is one of BTI’s 20 river rafting guides who provide tours down the Shenandoah River.
He lounges in a wooden rocking chair and taps his foot to the reggae music playing from the office. Life is slower on the banks of the Shenandoah, and Mr. Stubbs likes it that way.
Nestled among the foothills of Jefferson County, W.Va., BTI Whitewater has been offering a calm respite from the crowds and congestion of city life for more than 15 years.
“I love the freedom of being out on the river,” says Mr. Stubbs. “Out here you are your own boss.”
Mr. Stubbs has been a river guide since 2005. He works from April to October when he moves on to his other seasonal job as a member of the Whitetail ski patrol in Mercersburg, Pa.
“My friends are very jealous,” says Mr. Stubbs. “A lot of them are working office jobs right now and they say they would do anything to be out on the river.”
After graduating from high school in his hometown of Martinsburg, W.Va., Mr. Stubbs decided that he wanted to pursue a life outdoors.
“There was no way I could work in an office,” he says.
After working for the ski patrol and working odd jobs in the area, Mr. Stubbs saw an advertisement for river guides and jumped at the opportunity.
The seasonal job has been a popular position for young thrill seekers who prefer the outdoors to cramped cubicles in the city.
Mr. Stubbs concedes that his motivation comes from the river.
“I love the adrenaline rush of riding down the Shenandoah, it makes me feel alive,” he says.
BTI Whitewater in Purcellville, Va., offers three-hour rafting tours for $50 and inflatable tube rentals for $15.
The company has 50 to 100 rafters during an average weekend, and on its busiest days can see in excess of 1,500 tubers per day.
The six-mile tour starts on the bank on the Shenandoah River in Harpers Ferry and crosses through Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia. Along the way, Mr. Stubbs tells jokes and points out historical landmarks on the shore.
“Sometimes I ask myself whether this is a job or whether people are just paying me to have fun,” he says.
Mr. Stubbs gives two tours a day, one at 10 a.m. and another at 2 p.m.
“It’s slower during the weekdays, but as soon as schools let out for the summer business really starts to pick up.”
Mr. Stubbs said that river guides are paid $45 per trip and usually receive $20 to $50 in tips.
“Fat Man is very cool,” says Cara Smith, a sophomore at Washington College who decided to go rafting with her sister Genevieve and a friend, Kiersten Harbom.
“When I heard his name I got kind of confused, because he is totally not fat,” says Miss Harbom.
On this day, the trio is celebrating the end of their spring semester by going on a spontaneous rafting trip.
“We were debating whether we should go to the beach or the river and we decided to skip the crowds and head to the woods,” says Miss Smith.
The three sit on a picnic table and listen to Mr. Stubb’s safety demonstration.
All 20 river guides at BTI Whitewater are certified by the Division of Natural Resources.
They are required to participate in an extensive training program, and one final checkoff trip with a certified guide ,” says Mr. Stubbs.
Then they must become certified in First Aid and Professional Rescuer CPR by the American Red Cross.
Although some riders do occasionally fall overboard, Mr. Stubbs says that the Shenandoah is a forgiving river.
The river is only 2 to 6 feet deep with a few sections no deeper than 10 feet. “It’s a beginner river, and the difficulty of the rapids are ranked below Class 3,” says Mr. Stubbs. The highest difficulty rank for rapids is Class 7.
Mr. Stubbs says that the only time the river poses a real challenge to the average rider is during or after a flood.
“Once we had a big group of sailors from the Naval Academy try to raft the river after a big storm.”
“As experienced as they were, I still had about five rescues that day,” says Mr. Stubbs.
“I plan on doing this for another five to seven years — or as long as my body will allow it.”
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