Our Grand Canyon Adventure

It was the adventure two years in the planning - 2021 was the year we were going to raft Grand Canyon! Steve has wanted to go down the Grand for basically forever, and the minimum age requirement was 12. So two years ago we plunked down our deposit for 6 days on the Colorado River and waited patiently for WanYing's 12th birthday and the passing of Covid. 

And, finally, it was May 5th and time to suit up and head down the Colorado! The drysuits were purchased, the neoprene booties and gloves were packed, the eco shampoo was in our bags, and it was go-time!

We had an astounding trip and I would recommend it to anybody looking for an exceptional adventure. It wasn't for the faint of heart - the rapids were big and the potties were outdoors - and man oh man did we have a good time.

Here's my highlight and lowlight reel:

Highlight: Outings

The coolest thing about spending multiple days down in Grand Canyon is that you get to stop and explore slot canyons, side rivers, and all sorts of little nooks and crannies that you can't get to any other way than being one of the few hundred people on the river. It's hard to pick out a favorite hike/excursion, since they were all so cool, but the Little Colorado River was definitely one of the best. 

The Little Colorado is mineral-rich, which gives it such a distinctive color. It's beautiful, and also a darn lot of fun to float down.

Here are some favorite excursion photos:

 

Highlight: Camping under the stars

We were blessed with incredible weather during our Grand Canyon adventure. Evening temperatures in the 60s, daytime temperatures in the mid-to-high 90s (this is downright balmy, the floor of Grand Canyon easily gets to 115 in the summer), and no rain at all! It was the perfect weather for sleeping out under the stars - we never even considered setting up a tent! Going to sleep under the stars, waking up to the Milky Way in full glory, it was amazing.

My favorite night was when Sam and WanYing decided that they wanted to sleep out on a rock shelf. So they toted their cots and clothes up on the rocks and had arguably the greatest bedroom view of all time!

Lowlight: Waking up at 4:45

Of course, the downside of sleeping out under the stars was that we were also up as soon as dawn's light broke. While waking up at or before 5 am will always rank as a lowlight for me under any circumstance, there was an ease that came with aligning to the sun's rhythms. We were in bed by nightfall and up at dawn and it was actually a-ok. Well, I think it was a-ok, the teenagers thought otherwise.

 

Highlight: Rapids! 

The big draw for rafting the Colorado (well, beyond getting to unplug and get away from it all and hang out with your very favorite people and having the staff feed you) is the rapids! A big canyon means big whitewater - Grand Canyon even has its own rapids rating system!

The hits were big and fun and we all went home having consumed no small quantity of the Colorado River as we laughed and shrieked down the rapids.

Highlight: A space for every style

The best thing about going with Western River Expeditions is that you get to go on a rig called a "J Rig."

 J Rigs are giant pontoons lashed together front to back, which means that if you want to sit in the front you get a full rapids experience, but the farther back you sit the more sedate the trip becomes.

We all migrated from the front to the back to the front again, and we really appreciated having the choice of how extreme we wanted each rapid to be, including solid napping options.

 

Lowlight: Dry skin

I live in Utah, the land of incredibly dry skin. Our average humidity level, according to some random website I just Googled, is 0%, peaking to an average of about 10% in the summer months. Compare this to an average year-round humidity level of 67% in Westminster, Maryland (where we grew up), and that gives you a picture of how dry is the air that we're used to. 

However, we were not prepared for what Grand Canyon would do to our skin. 

Between the constant wet-dry cycles, the dry air, the sun, and the high salinity of the Colorado River after Lake Powell's evaporation, man did Grand Canyon do a number on our skin! Our knuckles were cracked, the corners of our eyes never stopped stinging, and we gratefully used up every drop of the 4 types of lotion I brought. Lip balm was more precious than gold. Our skin was seriously dry!

Highlight: Everything about the staff

Our trip staff was simply amazing. They really loved what they did, they took amazing care of us, they fed us, they set up our potties, they took us on hikes, and every morning they were ready to do it all again. 

Highlight: The helicopter ride

Because we "only" signed up for a 183-mile, 6 day trip, we got flown out of the canyon by helicopter! This was a first for our family and we loved it!

 

Lowlight: The plane ride

After the helicopter ride and a shower (AMAZING!), we boarded a ~15 seat sightseeing plane for a 45-minute ride back to Lee's Ferry, where we put into the river and where our car was parked. It was, bar none, the most nauseating flight of my life. This was in no way the fault of the pilot or plane, they were both fine, it apparently is just how little flights go around Grand Canyon area. It was a beautiful, unspeakably awful flight.

 

The Best Highlight: Being together :)

The very best part of our Grand Canyon Adventure was just being together. No distractions, no to do lists, just us and the river and being fed food we didn't have to cook for ourselves and enjoying the simplicity of nature and the joy of being together. I really like these people.

 

 

So, add a Grand Canyon rafting trip to your list of must-do adventures, and invite us when you go, we'd love to do it again!