It's no secret that I’m addicted to water adventures.

(Anytime there’s an opportunity to do something on or in the water—I dive in.)

Our latest excursion involved whitewater rafting down the French Broad River in North Carolina.

A few terms were added to my vocabulary during the trip, including “splooshing” and “woo factor.”

Our raft guide described each rapid—before we went through them—with a “splooshing factor” and a...