A guest sent us this poem after her weeklong trip through the canyon and we loved it so much we had to share! It’s difficult to capture the experience of a river trip in words or pictures, but this comes close.
Twenty-nine strangers met at Lee’s Ferry
On a hot day in August, just a little wary
Of the journey ahead and the river unknown
Mother Nature, we’d learn, has a mind of her own
A father and son, a son and a mother
Air force buddies as well and, wait, there are others
Parents and children, husbands and wives, all brought together for the time of our lives
Four guides, Patrick, Evan, Kenny and Zach
Completed our group and taught us to pack
Day One we road rapids, slept under the stars
We viewed meteors, the Milky Way and what we thought might be Mars
Marble Canyon is where our journey began
We’re all excited to get to the Grand
That night there’s a sighting of a ring-tail cat
Ask Brandon if you want to see a picture of that
Day Two we awake with the sun and a yell
“COFFFEEE!” is the rise and shine tell
We pack up our bags and climb ‘board our rafts
And head down the river, share lots of laughs
The mountains surround and tell us a story
Of when the Earth was formed, in all her glory
The ancients before us carved messages in stone
For us to interpret…true meaning unknown
A waterfall at Saddle Canyon brings us delight
As a reward for a tenuous hike
The day ends with a sandstorm, causing a fright
Was anyone else nervous that night?
Day Three we awake in much the same way
We rise with the sun and start out our day
The crew cooks us breakfast while we break down our things
Excited and curious to see what this day brings
By now we all know one another’s names and strangers we’re not
Kim, Jeff, Parker, Brandon, Darlene
Brennan, Lee, Adam, Candace, Dave, Griffin, Sabene,
Amy, Stuart, Eli, Gideon, Paul, Tom, Terry, David, Lynne, Tom, Sharon and Scott
Our daily routines have brought us together
Making those bags seem light as a feather
Not true my friends, though our biceps got tighter
Next time PLEASE learn to pack a bit lighter!
Day Four is the day we’ve all waited for.
Class tens, grand rapids, excitement galore
Candace grabs Adam as Hermit attacks
When it’s powerful wave pushes him back
Not to worry my friends, he stayed in the boat
We’ve yet to hit rapids that cause anyone to float
Crystal turns Zach around in a powerful eddy
Hang on everyone, be rapid ready!
She turns us around, testing his skill
The momentary spin enhances the thrill
We pull into camp, a storm looms above
Rain falls from the sky, dinner still prepared with love
With raincoats on we all grab our plate
Zach passes out brownies – they were just GREAT
Day Five begins in the usual way
But the River is redder, foretelling an interesting day
Flash flooding downstream caused the water to change from a clear river blue
To a warm earthy, milk chocolaty hue
Deer Creek Falls surprised with her hot cocoa spew
A rare site we’re told, her power anew
Mother Earth shows her beauty in a fabulous way
But she forced us to cancel our hike for the day
The River is filled with sticks and debris
Making our trip tricky indeed
Zach’s motor gave out, a prop needs replacing
No need to hurry, no need for racing
Relax and sit back
All is just fine when you’re rafting with Zach
Day Six we awake with a stretch and a yawn
We pack up our gear at the breaking of dawn
Breakfast is served ‘neath the slow rising sun
And it’s sad to think that our trip’s almost done
The bags are all packed and we set up our boats
Slowly and gently we set out to float
The River turns wild and we hit a few rapids
It’s always fun to see what happens
It doesn’t take long ‘til we’re all soaking wet
Thanks to Kenny and Evan’s favorite, Upset
A pie plate is wedged on a rock up about forty
And we all tip our caps and nod to old Shorty
At lunch some of us dove off a cliff
Then take a mud bath, Paul, Dave, Eli, Gideon and Griff
We hit Lave Falls, it’s the Grand Rapid Finale
Then reach the beach and set up the galley
Night falls, day will break, let’s call in the mover
Who else is ready to say goodbye to the Groover?
Tomorrow as our trip comes to an end
Twenty-nine strangers will leave as good friends…
by Sharon Stark