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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.