12 years ago, I went on a canoe trip on the White River. I loved the ease of floating through the desert on a river and camping in places only accessible by boat. I immediately knew that I wanted to get into rafting and the ultimate goal had to be the Grand Canyon. Over the intervening years, I’ve floated many rivers all over the western United States, but, the Grand kept eluding me.
To do a private Grand Canyon trip, you need to enter a weighted lottery run by the Park Service and I applied dozens of times. I thought about trying to hop on some other trips with some folks I didn’t know, but, I really wanted to do it with some friends. Finally, my friend Scott scored a cancellation trip and we had 2 months to put the trip together, typically you get a year. The decision was made to use an outfitter to supply boats, group gear, and the meals necessary for 3 weeks.
This video is the culmination of those years of rafting. I’ve been lucky enough to shared my time on the river with family and friends. I’ve made more friendships through rafting than almost anything else over the last decade. The Grand Canyon is visually overwhelming. From frothing white water, layers and layers of rock stacked every which way, to water falls plunging out of the desert, the canyon is a feast for the eyes. I hope you enjoy this video half as much as I did making it.
So, what’s next? Maybe the Zhambezi?