Payson Kennedy at 39 was a career academic, and with his wife Aurelia had four kids, a house, and two cars in Atlanta.  After working on the stunt team for the film Deliverance in 1971 and a summer running a raft company, he and his wife decided to leave it all behind and with a good friend, started the Nantahala Outdoor Center.  Today, 50 years later, the Nantahala Outdoor Center is one of the most important and successful river guide operations and instruction schools in the river world.  SPONSORSDenver Area Nissan DealersInstagramOver it Raft CoversInstagramPromocode for free shipping:  riverradius GUESTSPayson KennedyInt'l Whitewater Hall of FameBooksNantahala Outdoor Center, NOCInstagramWikipediaHistory of NOC LINKSDeliveranceThe Flow StateZen and the Art of Motorcycle MaintenanceMihaly Csikszentmihalyi