Grand Canyon National Park,
Arizona,
United States
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Well, this was the GRAND-Daddy of them all. A nine day rafting trip on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. I could write a novel about this one. It was nine days of pure fun, beginning with the hike down the Bright Angel Trail and continuing with water fights in the boats during the day, running some wicked rapids in a paddle boat, hiking into tiny canyons off the river, taking naps on the beach, avoiding rattlesnakes, and jumping off of rocks into crystal clear ponds. And that's not even the half of it. We had four oar boats and one paddle boat. In the oar boats, the boatman drove while the passengers rode. The front was usually wet and exciting. The paddle boat required all passengers to paddle in addition to the paddle captain. It was a little more exciting, and as a result, I tried to make my way into it most of the time. We managed to navigate the entire trip without flipping a boat, a feat not accomplished by some other groups on the river. The highlight of the trip was probably the hike into Havasu Creek and Beaver Falls. This is a beautiful area of waterfalls and crystal clear pools. Who would have thought such things existed down in the Grand Canyon? Havasu is also the area that recently flooded if you were following the news. We missed that flood by only a few days. Again, I'm the scourge of the national park system.
And the all important question: how was the food? Well, it was unbelievable and even included "steak night." A far cry from my expectations of freeze-dried dinners.
This is a must-do trip for any lover of the outdoors. Our group was also fantastic. Everyone gelled well, and I felt like I got a chance to get to know each person in our group of nineteen. I was the only person rolling solo. Thanks to everyone on the trip for making me feel at home and incorporating me into the group. It was a great week, one that will not soon be forgotten.
Again, this one's hard to write about without rambling. Just look at the pics
