On June 9th, Nathan Raymer, 24, drowned on the Watauga River near a swimming hole known as the Snake Pit. This spot is about 14 miles west of Boone, NC . His group of 8 was paddling what the Salisbury (NC) Post described as “individual rafts", except for three people who shared a larger raft. No PFD's were worn. The river was high. One of the boats pinned on rocks and several others flipped. According to his mother, Mr. Raymer hit his head on a rock and was knocked unconscious. His body was apparently held in an eddy for nearly 1 1/2 hours. A college student who saw his body float by jumped in to pull him ashore.
