River Guides Extraordinaire
Kyle,John,Steve,Teresa,Whalen,Teresa's helper Wes,
and Travis down in front
There aren't enough complimentary adjectives in the world to adequately describe these river guides. They have answered the call of the canyon and do so repeatedly in order to share it with those fortunate enough to fall into their company.
To do this, they must unload, pump up, and prepare for launch hugely unwieldy rubber rafts. They must instruct and assist passengers who have no river experience and little to no idea of the demanding journey ahead. They must have the physical stamina to man the oars for long hours at a time, and the skill to guide their craft safely through turbulent rapids. They must unload tons of stuff at each camp and then load it up again in the morning. They must cook unbelievably gourmet meals in these rustic camps and then wait until everyone else has eaten to serve themselves. They must police the camps and make sure no waste of any kind is left behind. At the end of the journey, they must break down the rafts, load them onto waiting trucks, and head back to Lee's Ferry to start all over.
River guides are also knowledgeable amateur environmentalists, botanists,ornithologists,geologists, and psychologists. They are incredibly kind, funny and fun, and they can drink a lot of beer.
Oh, did I happen to mention that they're gourmet cooks as well?
Taking the whitewater plunge..
Sometimes you're up....
Here, E. kindly demonstrates the sensation of going down after you've been up...
you really need to click this one...
Sometimes, you're just..all under..
On September 11, 2001, E. was in the boat of Steve, our lead guide. I was in another, Kyle's I think. A motored craft stopped to tell Steve of the terrorist attacks on the twin towers and the Pentagon. There was no way to verify the truth of this, so our guides decided to wait for confirmation at Phantom Ranch before alarming the rest of the party.E., of course, told me. That night, as we lay in the utter blackness of the vast, silent canyon, looking up into the star bright sky, I reached across the gap that separated our cots.
"Do you think it's true?" I whispered.
He took my icy hand into his warm one. "We just have to wait and see."
Eventually, we slept.
11 comments:
That's a wonderful pic of E. What a trip of a lifetime, despite the bad news you picked up along the way.
gj, it was an adventure for sure..
I admire your courage, i don't think I'dwant to do that!
My wife once told me she would like to do this and she doesn't like to fly because of the unsuspecting ups and downs. LOL Me, I would have 1. Heart Attack, 2. Stroke, 3. Faint.
It does look like it would be mostly fun, a constant "rush" of exciting events, coupled with a constant fear of being swept overboard and drowning.
I loved your photography and your description and the ending. Very special words.
sue-I was on the trembling on the verge of backing out until the moment that raft pushed off..
al-thanks so much for your commernt!
For me, the entire rafting experience was great-the camping was quite another story!
It looks like a fabulous trip despite the sad association - I don't think I could do it though. But I admire you for having the courage - a chip off the old block obviously:) It sounds just like something your mum would have taken in her stride.
rowan, For sure! Mom did hike down into the canyon to Havasu Falls when she was in her fifties.
Sheesh. I wish I wasn't so scared of water... What a fantastic trip!
This 'adventure' and the scenery looks absolutely breathtaking. Lucky, lucky you!
wiz, it helped to know that I float like a cork!
akash, yes-that time, in that place, and in that company..I was lucky.
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