by: Walker D. Mackay
As the snow continues to fall in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, and the Wind River Mountains of Wyoming my mind drifts toward the upcoming summer in the Colorado Plateau of Utah and Arizona. Not because I am chilled by the weather outside, but instead I am thrilled about the thought of water in the mighty Colorado River and in its largest tributary the Green River. I have traveled to Costa Rica and ridden the zip lines through the rainforest, I have seen the incredible animals of the Galapagos Islands, and walked on the glaciers of Alaska; but no place on Earth has captured my mind, body, and soul as the Grand Canyon has. There is no vacation on earth better than a Grand Canyon Rafting Trip.
A Grand Canyon Rafting trip is great for families, groups, or individuals. People are allowed to escape from the ordinary on a multi-day rafting trip. Their worries change from cell phones and business to adapting to the natural world. Trips to the movies are traded for hikes to waterfalls. Crowded swimming pools in the city are traded for natural quiet swimming holes. The bedroom ceiling is traded for the dark star filled night sky. A sense of the natural world is put back into those who have been on a rafting trip.
I feel sorry for those who never see the Grand Canyon, or only peer into its depths from the popular South Rim. As a river guide for Colorado River and Trail Expeditions (http://www.crateinc.com) for the past 13 years I have seen many people's lives change on the Colorado River. It is truly amazing how many people tell me that their trip through Grand Canyon is the greatest thing they have ever done. Many of them are very worldly travelers having been to places I have only seen in magazines, or read about in books. I think that a rafting trip fills people with a sense of accomplishment. After all you usually sleep outside, deal with changing weather, surive rapids, and get sand blasting facials. A huge amount of people come back year after year with Colorado River & Trail Expeditions. Take Wilma for example who had never been camping until she came on a rafting trip alone at age 58. Since that time she has been back twelve times. She always says "Why would I do anything else when I like this so much?". I think the canyon makes you selfish. I always feel offended when it comes up #2 or #3 in a magazine's greatest vacation list or 100 things to do before you die.
The Grand Canyon can only be seen from the bottom to really get the praise it deserves. Pictures don't give the Grand Canyon the justice it deserves. The bottom of the Grand Canyon is unbelievable if you have not seen it. There are waterfalls, steams, pinnacles, rapids, buttes, caves, caverns, animals, grottos, rapids, wildflowers, vertical walls, metamorphic rocks, sedimentry rocks, igneous rocks, trees, and open space.
If you are thinking about doing a rafting trip next summer here are some suggestions. Take enough time to see the Grand Canyon. If you want to do a Grand Canyon Trip do the whole 280 miles, don't do a partial trip. If the eight days are too long then try a shorter trip on the Colorado River in Canyonlands National Park. Colorado River and Trail Expeditions offers motor, row, and paddle rafting trips in both locations. Grand Canyon trips usually originate and end in Las Vegas. Plan on a day of rest and spa treatments after your trip, it will give you some time to start thinking about your next river adventure.
About The Author
Walker Mackay and his wife Mindy are Grand Canyon river guides for Colorado River & Trail Expeditions (http://www.crateinc.com). They live in Fredonia, AZ in the summer and Salt Lake City, UT in the Winter.
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