Grand Canyon, continued …

Another entry from my Grand Canyon journal:

Monday breakfast consisted of banana pancakes and bacon. We ate greedily in the cold morning light and then struggled to get our tent down and packed up with our gear. Michael had warned us to dress warmly, so we triple layered with long underwear under our rain gear. The first rapid was amazing, so tough we were required to wear helmets. It was thrilling and soaking, so we were relieved to have dressed properly (thank you Michael, for insisting on that last minute Walmart trip!). The stretch we followed next is called the Roaring 20’s because of the frequency of the rapids (and because the mile markers are all in the 20’s, go figure). We alternated between thrilling speed and lazy floating. I was riding with Morgan again, and he kept us entertained with stories and teased us when we made silly requests – such as when we asked to stop to visit a lonely goat who, we were convinced, needed some human companionship.

We hiked a side canyon before lunch and it was quite a challenge – a few tricky spots scrambling over rocks. We ended at a miraculous reflecting pool, serene and lovely.

A beautiful spot, hidden along the Canyon walls

A beautiful spot, hidden along the Canyon walls

After a 2-hour hike, we ravenously descended on egg salad sandwiches for lunch and continued on our way. The rapids got more intense, but we had faith in our guides and laughed our way through the big waves. We were giggling so uproariously that we actually missed Morgan calling a “high side” (a safety move designed to correct a boat’s position when it hits a rock or large wave). I don’t think we were ever really in danger, but Morgan made the story much more dramatic when he told it at dinner.

We set up camp for night 2, still struggling to erect our tent (seriously, it took us 2 nights to figure out that the poles are color-coded – how many college degrees between us?!). When we had finally gotten organized, Michael surprised us by announcing another hike promising it was “short, but worth it.”

It was short, but challenging – and so worth it. We hiked up the side of the Canyon to  and ancient Hopi dwelling alongside a huge boulder covered with carvings. Michael explained the religious and cultural significance of the site. It was beautiful and meaningful and we listened to his stories as the light in the canon dimmed and the moon rose in the darkening sky.

Moonrise over the canyon

Moonrise over the canyon

We returned to camp and enjoyed grilled salmon and asparagus with a special hot-from-the-fire brownie dessert to celebrate Paula’s 60th birthday. We sat and talked and drank wine until I was so tired I couldn’t even pull my sleeping bag out of the tent and ended up sleeping in there all night. No worries, I could still see the stars through the mesh and they kept me company all night long.

Paula celebrates her 60th on the river.
Paula celebrates her 60th on the river.

…to be continued … the river gets crowded and we ask, “Who are these people?”

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