Whitewater rafters with differing politics aim to bridge the partisan divide on Nantahala River trip
On the western edge of the battleground state of North Carolina cuts the Nantahala River and an unlikely spot for an experiment in reconciliation.
About 30 Americans went there to navigate the Nantahala on rafts while probing the limits of political estrangement. They are liberals and conservatives, independents and libertarians — sure to oppose one another on all manner of ideas and issues.
But they're also willing to talk and paddle together toward something deeper.
Ken Powley, an experienced rafter who worries deeply about American alienation, organized the trip as part of R.A.F.T. for America, a movement that brings people who have different perspectives together on rafting trips. Its parent organization, Team Democracy, was co-founded by Powley with the aim of countering political polarization and encouraging civility.
"As Americans we really are in the same boat together," Powley said. "I'm the guy that always thought of democracy like the air you breathe. It's always gonna be there."
Powley set about this work the day after the Capitol insurrection, when he decided to devote his retirement years to binding our political wounds — or at least trying to.
The essence of the experiment?
"Bringing people together with different points of view has become difficult. What we're finding is what unites us is a lot more powerful than what separates us," Powley said.
The Rev. Rodney Sadler, a self-described liberal from Charlotte who's "not fond of Trump at all," came along for the ride. He landed in the same boat as conservative Lance Moseley, a traveling public relations professional who lives out of an RV.
"I don't understand why everybody's so afraid of Trump. He's better for the country. That's my view," Moseley said.
Lance and Sadler found things chilly at first, and so did everyone on their boat.
The rafts made their way down the rapids of the Nantahala with teamwork and enthusiasm. Along the way, attitudes found new ways around the rocks and turbulence, both real and metaphorical.
"Everybody's closer to each other than we think," Moseley said.
Sadler responded, "No matter who we might vote for or anything else, I think this is a great first step."
Near the end, choppy waters tossed one rafter harmlessly overboard. A day on the river ended up bringing Sadler and Moseley closer together.
"I think we are so divided that we don't get to spend the time to get to know people as human beings," Sadler said.
"By the end of the trip we were finally talking deeper politics," Moseley said.
Perhaps cynics will find this all a bit too tidy, but Powley says, "This is not about unity."
"This is not about changing people's positions, trying to get them to agree. It's about managing those differences in a reasonably responsible way," Powley said. "This isn't really about rafting. The point of it is when we play together, it allows us to form relationships we would otherwise never even consider."
For Powley, a river runs through that noble pursuit.
"It does touch me, because it's so crystal clear that we are so much better than what we're showing," he said.