11 – JUST ONE WORD -- “Grand Canyon Rafting – A Dozen Little Stories”

After dinner on our final night of camping in the Grand Canyon, Boatman Art gathered all thirty-two of us with our chairs in a circle on the beach. Our “campfire” was an overturned white five-gallon bucket with a lantern inside giving it a friendly glow.

Earlier in the evening, Art had asked us to come up with just one word to describe the Canyon and our experience. It seems you don't need a thousand words, after all, to equal the worth of a picture.

"Magnificent" (Tyler)

"Perspective" (Steve)



"Serene" (John)



"Surreal" (Joel - with John on left)

"Spiritual" (Marilyn)

"Beauty" (Wayne)

"Grounding" (Eva)

"Love" (Rafter Ray)

"Love" (Ann)

"Sockety" (Art)

"Craggy" (Mary)

"Buckets"* (Paul)

"Humbling" (Tom)



"Mystical" (Ruth)



"Friendship" (Tammy)

"Reality" (Rachel)

"Awesome" (Bernard)

"Sacred" (Al)



"Proof"** (Cindy - with Terry)



"Cosmos" (Gary)

(Credit: Dell)

"Fulfilling" (Dell)

"Phenomenal" (Debbie - with Steve)



"Family" (Steve - with Stephanie & Debbie)

(Credit: Dell)



"Inner peace" (Stephanie)



"Grateful" (Ann-Marie)

"New experiences" (Den)

(Credit: Dell)



"Life changing" (Duffy - with Tyler & Dell)



"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" (Jeanne)

"Art" (Fred)




"Religious" (Arlene)

(Credit: Dell)



"Ever changing" (Larry - with Al)

(Credit: Dell)

*Referring to Paul’s unexpected mid-river plunge from the raft as he tried to rescue an errant bucket floating in the current.

**“Proof that the universe is larger than us. 80 proof liquor. Proof that 28 people can get along for a week. Proof that I could get over that ledge to the falls.”



Doing It

A postscript about our rafting trip for anyone thinking seriously about doing it. Here's my advice: do it.

And do it with Grand Canyon Expeditions. They make it easy. They were professional from start to finish. The best thing I can add to my earlier kudos for this company and its staff is this: Throughout our eight-day raft trip, we briefly encountered a dozen or two other groups. I confess that each time I felt a bit superior. Ours had a better raft setup, better group, better guides, better vibe. I couldn't have asked for anything more.

 Next: 12 – Aftermath

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