Last time, Chance and I trekked across the country to join up with the rest our crew and set off on an epic 21 day private trip down Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon is unlike anyplace we had ever been before: wild, pristine, and unforgiving. We shoved off in our raft with no idea of what lay ahead, but one thing was for certain: there was no turning back now!
This is our crew, and these are our rigs! The rafts we used were a whopping 18 feet long with a built in metal rigging system that helped organize all the gear, and even included a refrigerator size cooler on each boat. If you are wondering… yes, we ate VERY well (show photo). Needless to say, these things were behemoths and not easy to maneuver yet, with only 2 people per boat, one person manned the oars while one was the navigator.
After a quick game of rock paper scissors, it was decided that Chance was taking on our first rapid ever. We were both quite tense as we only had an hour or so of practice on the oars.
I had a number of experience friends on the trip, so….. naturally….. Chance and I chose to be in a boat alone - with a total combined experience of Zero. This should go well.
The oaring systems have a significant learning curve, and are extremely demanding to operate. Not only are the individual oars very heavy, but to steer you push them against the current, which, at times can be so powerful that it rips the oars right out of your hands. Well, that, or you hang on and it rips you right out of your seat.
White water rapids aren’t the only attraction while on the river, ya know. Hikes up side canyons are a welcome break from the long miles of flat paddling and can take you to some of the most breathtaking and unique scenery in the canyon. This often times comes with a price, however, as the side hikes can be through extremely challenging terrain that requires a healthy mix of both athleticism and team work.
One such hike was North Canyon. I remember this hike very well as it began with a particularly steep and slick rock face that we had to climb up to access the hike. The hardest part about it was that you had to start in a pool of water which meant every failed attempt up the wall made it more slippery than before! Luck for us, Ty here is a ninja and got up his first try. Unlucky for us, Ty left the entire wall very, very slippery. A few tries and a throw rope later, and we had made it.
All of the struggle was worth it as when we made it to the top, it was as if we had been transported to an alien world, one in which no one but us had ever stepped foot. We were absolutely astonished. I like to call this the heart of the Canyon, although it’s referred to as the reflective pool.
Although we had reached our destination, we continued up the side canyon hopping from pool to pool, still curious of what lay around the next bend. The temperature dropped so much as we continued deeper that we tried to keep our hands and faces dry from the water as we doggy paddled.
Days spent in the Grand Canyon are some of the most memorable of my life. Each day is it’s own, and each moment within spent deliberately. With no cell connection, no wifi or laptops, no schedule and no clocks, our life was simple and pure for 21 days. That’s not to say everything was easy - each day we faced new challenges, new rapids, new rugged landscapes to explore, and new campsites to set, but we always the same, great friends to share it with, and no matter what came, we knew that we would do it together.
Music: Bara Suara
Song: Bahas Bahasa
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