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Life is Grand

Floating Through the Grand Canyon

by Dave Shultz

Forget the phones!  All phones!  Forget pagers, computers, television, answering machines, and anything else that has to be plugged in.  In fact, forget your watch.  You won’t need it while you’re floating down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.  What you will need is a sense of adventure and the desire to come face to face with nature and all the emotions is can invoke.  A trip down the Colorado with Wilderness River Adventures covers a wide range of emotions and you’ll experience all of them during an eight-day trip. 

For some people, the trip is a profound revelation of truth.  Careers change, romances are started, romances are ended, and life can take on a whole different perspective.  For workaholics, there is an immediate withdrawal from e-mail and cell phones at the beginning of the trip; all they can think about is getting back to civilization and the routine of their lives.  Eight days later, they are talking about selling the condo and moving to Alaska to run a trap line in the wilderness.  The river can have a strange affect on people.  Ideas about what’s really important in life can change dramatically in a very short time. 

The Grand Canyon is a very impressive site standing on the North Rim looking down but when you’re in the bottom, looking up, you are just beginning to realize how truly massive and majestic it really is.  You also start to realize just how insignificant your daily routine is compared to the millions of years of flowing water that created the monolithic rock walls surrounding you.  You may not have a life changing experience but you won’t come away the same person you were before.  Everyone gains something from the adventure.  What you gain will not be the same as your fellow passengers.  Each of you comes from a different place and each departs the river with a different sense of who you are and who you want to be.  That’s the true secret of the river.

The Native Americans that inhabited this valley thousands of years ago probably settled there because of abundant water for growing crops along the silt beds of the canyon floor but I think they stayed there because of the feeling the canyon gives you.  It’s timeless and filled with the spirits of the sun and wind and water.  You’ll experience those same feelings today as you float along in the swift current, following the twists of the river in the constantly changing light of every turn.

The trip starts at Wahweap Lodge on beautiful Lake Powell in Page, Arizona.  An orientation meeting of the crew and all the guests follows an excellent group dinner at the lodge.    During this meeting, you'll find out what is expected of you during the trip followed by the mandatory safety lectures.  You'll also learn how to pack your wet bag with only the necessary items.  Pay close attention to this because for the next 8 days, you'll be hauling that wet bag on and off the boat twice a day.  Less is more!  Everyone over packs and one of the topics of conversation around the evening fire is what people brought that should have been left at home.  It's surprising how little you really need to be comfortable and what some people consider necessities.

After a night at the lodge, you board a bus for the 46 mile trip to Lees Ferry where the boats and crew are waiting for you.  Your trip ends at the Bar Ten Ranch, 188 miles from where you put in at Lees Ferry.  Actually, the trip ends at Whitmore Wash where you and your gear are flow by helicopter to the Bar Ten.  After a quick meal and shower, you board a commuter plane for the 45 minute trip back to Page, Arizona and the Wahweap Lodge.

Wilderness River Adventures pilots and crew are among the most experienced on the river.  They’ve floated the Colorado enough times to circumnavigate the world three times.  Two of their pilots that often travel together are Karen and Mike Reyes.  Their story is about a great love of the river and each other.  They each run their own boats with the help of a swamper but travel as a team as much as possible.  They recently celebrated their first anniversary together and they celebrated it on the river.  That’s where their true love is, on the water, with each other.

The rafts are 37 feet long and seem monstrous until you reach some of the class 10 rapids.  Then they get significantly smaller as the 20-foot waves wash over the front of the boat.  You’ll see people in very small one-person rafts and even kayaks running these same rapids and you’ll really appreciate the size of the raft and the skill of your pilot.

The rafts carry everything you’ll need during your excursion.  You tent and sleeping bag are stowed in a wet-bag along with your clothing and most of your personal gear.  You are assigned an ammo can for things you’ll need during the day like sunscreen, camera extra film.  The rafts seem to have a magical ability to store unbelievable amounts of food and kitchen gear.  When you stop for the evening, everyone forms a line to shuttle all the gear from the boats to shore.  The kitchen takes priority here and long before your tent is set up, a delicious hot meal is under way.  It’s a constant source of amazement at the variety and quality of meals served.  It hardly seems like camping when you’re served a full hot breakfast of eggs, pancakes, bacon, fresh fruit, bagels, steaming coffee and juice as well as soup, steak, grilled chicken, Mexican food, spaghetti and other dishes for dinner.  The magical rafts are well stocked.  Nobody goes hungry on the river.

Camp routine is always the same, the rafts are unloaded and dinner is started while everyone sets up tents and makes camp.  Dinner is served and before bed, there is always some kind of activity that could include the crew reading poetry and stories about the river or games that help you get acquainted with your river mates.  The first day when everyone is gearing up to get started, the group is mainly individuals and couples but long before the trip ends, you’ll have made dozens of new friends and everyone works together as a team.  Some of these friendships will last a lifetime and some you might never see again but you won’t forget anyone after the experiences you share together on the river.

One of the details about setting up camp that was very important to everyone is the placement of Oscar.  Oscars is the name given to the portable toilet that is set up every evening somewhere near the main camp.  The entire group always noted its placement with interest since they knew they would probably have to find it in the dark before the night was over.  It was also the last thing to be loaded as camp breaks up in the morning.  The shout of “Last call for Oscar” always creates a last minute flurry of activity.  Everyone knows Oscar won’t be available again until camp was set up once more that night.

Every day, there are hikes to mystical places up narrow slot canyons so be prepared to do more than just sit and watch the canyon walls slide by.  Some of the hikes are what the crew referred to as aerobic hikes.  For those, be prepared to work up a sweat and an appetite.  Also be prepared for their standard answer when you enquire about the hike.  The reply is always the same, “It’s a level hike, and not very far.”  It’s never level and seldom short.  You will be told to bring Teva sandals for the day hikes but be aware that Teva’s are grossly inadequate for aerobic hiking unless you do it all the time.  After the second day, everyone had blisters that were expertly attended to by one of the swampers that doubled for medic.  Tevas are called for because a lot of the hiking in slot canyons is in water, some chest deep.  This would be pretty hard on good hiking boots but there has to be a compromise in foot wear that won’t leave you limping at the end of the day.  Plan accordingly. 

You will be given a list of what to bring on the trip.  Some if it will be unnecessary.  For instance, no one needed the small mirror that was listed.  Makeup for women is discouraged and after the first day, nobody will want to see themselves anyway.   After a day of being soaked by huge waves, baked in the sun and blown by the wind, everyone looks pretty much the same.  Everything you own will end up slightly damp and full of sand, especially if it rains during your trip.  Nights can be very cool or pleasantly warm depending on the time of year and weather.  You’ll have to be prepared for just about anything. 

The only bathing facility is the Colorado River.  The water is a constant 47 to 50 degrees and wouldn’t be described as clean by anyone.  You wade out as far as you can without being caught in the current, take a deep breath and dip down to get wet.  Then the soap and shampoo are used and finally, another dip to rinse off.  You won’t get entirely clean but it does make you feel better at the end of the day.  The dry season leaves the river only slightly dirty but after the seasonal monsoon rains, the river is the color of coffee with cream.  Some of the slot canyons have beautiful turquoise water colored by copper sulphate but no soap or shampoo is allowed there.  Everyone can still rinse off under the waterfalls and that helps after a day in muddy water.

One thing you can be sure of.  The scenery is always spectacular and the rapids are thrilling.  There are plenty of both available during your trip.  This isn’t a luxury cruise.  You will find challenges every day, both physical and mental.  You will also find a part of yourself long forgotten; the adventurer and thrill seeker; the philosopher and muse; and the poet and storyteller.  No matter what your expectations when you depart on your journey, the river will show you more than you ever dreamed.  It will reveal it’s secrets and you will reveal yours and you will go home different than when you arrived.  Wiser, humbler and much more satisfied that all the mysteries in life don’t have to be solved today.

Contact Information:

Wahweap Lodge and Marinas
100 Lakeshore Dr. / P.O. Box 1597
Page, Arizona 86040
(520) 645-2433
(800) 528-6154
http://www.visitlakepowell.com

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