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8 days and 226 miles of wet, cold, hot, muddy, sandy whitewater rafting and camping through the majestic red rock of Arizona’s Grand Canyon with my daughter and son. Two years ago when I rafted the Grand Canyon with Jake, my daughter Caprial aka Cap could not make the trip so this year we returned to the Canyon to share the experience with Cap.  Again, we chose Grand Canyon White Water to outfit and guide our trip and we joined 25 other adventurous strangers. 

Our fearless leader was Cora, a veteran of the river having made the trip about 70 times.  She was joined by 21-year-old Kendrick and Cora’s 21-year-old sister Ruby. Cora’s father Bill captained our second raft.  At age 60, Bill was making his last guide trip down the river before retirement   It was a bittersweet trip for Bill as his life has been tied to the Canyon since his first trip in 1989.  He met his wife in the Canyon and was now sharing his final trip with their two daughters.

On June 1^st Jake left his dog Toph in Kelly’s capable hands and the three of us headed for Flagstaff.  We took the scenic route to Flagstaff traveling through Sedona and up Highway 89A, giving Cap the full desert southwest tour.  In Flagstaff we enjoyed a few of the local breweries, a good night’s sleep in a real bed and our last hot shower for a week.  We met our bus driver Larry at 6 AM the following day for the 2-hour ride to Lee’s Ferry where we loaded our gear onto a 35-foot raft and set out on the mighty Colorado River.

Weather proved to be the biggest difference from our first trip.  Thunder showers and cloudy skies filled our first few days.  With temps still reaching into the 80s it wasn’t really cold but running rapids with 55-degree water, wet clothes, light winds and cloudy skies made for some cold and wet days with us wishing for some sun to warm us up and dry out.  In the Canyon, be careful what you wish for as temps climbed well over 100 for our last 3 days on the river.  A tale of two trips, cloudy rainy days followed by hot sunny days.

Rafting the river is not a luxury vacation but when compared to other backcountry camping, our cots, tents and hot meals seemed pretty luxurious.  Even with threatening thunderstorms Jake and I slept out under the stars every night but one.  It helped that Cap chose to have a tent for the first few days, Kippy’s Casa (which she named her tent) proved to be a great refuge when the skies opened up at 4 AM and began drenching my sleeping bag. 

Her Casa also provided a fine dining establishment on the day the rain and wind forced everyone to find shelter for dinner.  After a long, wet day on the river a plate of hot homemade Lasagna and salad while huddled in Kippy’s Casa was just what we needed.  As we listened to the rain coming down I reminded Cap and Jake that this would be a day we would remember forever.  

The high heat of our final days made rafting much more comfortable.  On the river, the combination of a light breeze and splashing cold water made 104 seem almost pleasant.  But when we came ashore in the afternoon to set up camp we tossed our gear at our campsite and waited until after sundown to set up camp.

After selecting our campsite, we retreated back to the river, cold beverage in hand we would set up chairs in the water along the shore and wait for the sun to drop below the edge of the canyon when shade over the campsite made it bearable again.  At the bottom of the canyon the sun drops below the rim long before actual sundown so we had plenty of time to set up camp and enjoy dinner before darkness fell.

On the 8^th day we pulled ashore at Diamond Creek where we left the rafts to meet the dreaded school bus from hell for the hour long ride out of the Canyon on a dirt road that resembles a washed-out creek bed.  You may remember how everyone on our last trip agreed that the worst part of the trip was the bus ride out in a hot school bus over incredibly bumpy roads. While we dreaded this bus ride all week we didn’t think it could get worse, but it did.

Shortly after starting on the hour-long drive we noticed the bus getting slower and slower.  On hills it would slow to a crawl until it would not go at all.  The driver had no idea what was wrong, he tried shutting it off and starting again, but re-booting was not the answer.  Next  he reduced weight by having all us passengers climb out and walk up the hill on foot while he slowly drove the bus to the top where we climbed back aboard.

Finally, after about an hour and a half it gave out completely.  The driver called for help but thought we might be able to hike out the rest of the way.  I asked how far and he said we had 10 more miles!  I shook my head, there was no way this group of mostly retirees, with 25 lbs of luggage and almost no water was going to hike 10 miles uphill in 100-degree heat.   I know enough about desert hiking to know someone could easily die attempting that hike.

Luckily the tribal police came to our rescue.  We were on Hualapai tribal land and the police were able to pull together two pick ups and a small flat bed to haul us and our gear the remaining 10 miles out, and no one had to die.  We joined Larry in our air-conditioned coach for the remaining trip back to Flagstaff. 

An exciting and memorable family adventure.  With the cold wet days and the physical challenges of the trip we all agreed, Kelly made the right choice not to  join us.  She would have been miserable and will be very happy to join us on our next family adventure into the wilds of Maui, sipping cool beverages at the pool or on the beach just steps away from a King-sized bed and a hot shower.  Kelly knows her limitations.