The Log Dog Blog: Four Buckles and White Knuckles

Let's not mince words...C and I are indoor cats. Always have been. We know this about ourselves, but welcome opportunities that force us to be more "outdoorsy" than usual, and this eight-day trip through the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River certainly did exactly that!

so happy!

We originally had a different summer planned, but due to some unanticipated house repairs back in February, we ended up postponing that trip until next summer. My mom had gifted us this river trip for Christmas a few years ago, but due to the pandemic, we hadn't taken it yet. Back in March, we thought about going this summer, but we knew that the trips get booked up very early. However, we were thrilled to find that when we checked, there were two spots available! We were very lucky there was availability and so grateful for such a generous gift from my mom!

You might remember that I'd done this exact trip before, back in 2001. That trip was actually supposed to be for my parents and two brothers, but B1 was not able to go, so I got to go in his place! It was a great trip and B2 and I made so many amazing memories together; to this day, we still talk about the trip all the time! C has listened to these stories for two decades and we'd always talked about going so he could experience the Grand Canyon in a way most people never have the chance to!

The company's name is Grand Canyon Expeditions and I was in awe of them in 2001 and I continue to be in awe of them now. I'm beyond impressed with how they handle the logistics of the trip, their overall level of organization, and how they think of every little detail to make the trip wonderful!

The hotel night prior to the trip and the night we returned from the trip were included, meaning all of the guests were at the same Residence Inn. On July 27, there was an orientation meeting at 8:00 pm where we received not only instructions, but supplies as well (day bag, ammo can, boxed breakfast for the next morning). After the meeting, we returned to our room and packed our things into the day bags and ammo cans, and packed up our "non-river" suitcases that would be stored at the hotel while we were gone. After too few hours of sleep, we got up at 3:30 am to meet the group in the lobby, eat breakfast, load the charter bus, and depart at 5:00 am.

Our ride from Las Vegas to Lees Ferry took almost seven hours when it should have taken about five hours - this was mostly due to an accident, and the resulting detour and traffic slow downs. We also made two quick stops - one at Walmart for last minute supplies and Jacob Lake for snacks. When we arrived at Lees Ferry, the boats were waiting for us and we met our river guides. We were issued life jackets and had a safety briefing before loading the boat and setting off down the Colorado River!

There were 26 guests and four crew members (two per boat); within that 26, there was a group of 14 who were on the trip, so they stayed together on one boat, while the remaining 12 of us went on the other boat. It stayed that way for all eight days and C and I sat in the back of our boat every day, which allowed us to chat with our guide, Dustin, and our swamper, Matteo throughout the week. A swamper is the assistant and second-in-command on the boat, but Matteo is a ski instructor and outdoorsman and river guide in his own right on several other rivers around the country and is now mastering the Colorado. Dustin was a wealth of knowledge about the canyon and the river and life in general and we absolutely loved being on the boat with both of them! Two of the best people we've ever met! It didn't hurt that Matteo reminded me so much of B2 because I missed him terribly on this trip!

In terms of the weather, it is monsoon season at this time of the year, so we did have rain and storms on several nights, which brings me to the first experience we will not soon forget. It was our first night, and the guides suggested not taking out any tents, but rather that everyone sleep out under the stars. That was an excellent suggestion until it started absolutely pouring in the middle of the night. We were out on our cots, now in soaking wet pajamas, and we were freezing - the bone chilling kind of freezing. We dug our rain gear out of our bags and tried to cover up, which was unsuccessful, so we pulled out a tarp and tried to sleep under that. Given that we were already drenched and that the tarp didn't really cover both of us completely, we continued to get wet. At some point, the guides constructed a bunch of tents and distributed them, but I guess we were huddled under the tarp and appeared to be sleeping (which may have been the case, although it was certainly not restful!), so we did not get a tent because they didn't want to disturb us. We were not in the best of moods the next morning; everything was wet and sandy and muddy and we were wet and cold and miserable after a long and uncomfortable night. All we were thinking was, "We've got six more nights of THIS?!?" Also, we noticed in the morning light that our tarp had a large hole it. Not great!

Luckily, all of the subsequent nights were great because we put a tent up every night, sleeping in the tent for four of the nights, and sleeping outside of the tent on the cots on the last two nights. The only time the heat was really an issue was the final night, when it was so hot and stifling that sleep was elusive.

There was a similar routine each day. At about 5:15 am, there was a call for coffee/tea/hot chocolate, and breakfast was usually ready around 6:00 am. After eating, packing up, and loading the boat, we left camp by 8:00 am. We spent the morning on the river, with a stop mid-morning for a walk or hike, more time on the river, followed by a stop for lunch, more time on the river, a mid-afternoon stop, more time on the river, and finally a stop to camp for the night, typically around 4:00 pm. We would then unload the boats, set up our campsite while the crew had a break before dinner, and usually eat around 6:00 pm. Most nights we were in bed by 8:30 pm!

In terms of the food, it was so so so so so so good! The crew cooked breakfast (pancakes, eggs, fresh fruit, english muffins, french toast, etc.) and dinner (spaghetti, burritos, garden burgers, tofu, Chinese food, etc.) for us each day. They were amazingly accommodating every single meal, always making sure we had enough to eat and willing to make extra/different vegetarian items for us. Lunch was typically sandwiches, wraps, and salads accompanied by snacks. We were so spoiled the entire trip!

There were a lot of items to manage in the mornings and evenings: two sleep kits, two day bags, two ammo cans, two life jackets, two backpacks, two camp chairs, two cots, and one tent. Depending on where we camped each night, there were hills to traverse with all of this stuff! Hauling everything from the boat, setting up cots and our tent, unpacking the sleep kits, getting clothes and toiletry items organized daily, and hanging items out to dry from that day's river adventures was quite a bit of work each day, but we grew more and more efficient as the days went on! One of the other guests, Phil, took us under his wing; every day he picked a campsite for us and on the first two nights, he helped us get set up because we had no idea what we were doing! When we successfully set everything up ourselves on the third night, I was embarrassingly proud to show him we'd done it all on our own!

One of the items I tried to dry each night was my sandcloud towel. Despite coating every inch of exposed skin in sunblock before we launched, I got a bad sunburn on my legs on the first day (I burn so easily). I wore a long sleeve swim shirt and shorts every day, so after that first day, I covered my legs with the sandcloud towel every second I was in the sun. It was the most useful item I brought with me, but it was soaking wet every day and on the rainy nights, it did not dry out. It did keep me cool in the sun and protected me from any further sunburns, so I was very grateful to have it!

The rapids were phenomenal and even though we stayed in the back of the boat, we got doused many, many times! Some of the more extreme rapids really jostled us around and tossed us up in the air, and when one of those was coming up, Dustin would call out, "Four buckles and white knuckles!" referring to the four buckles on our life jackets and the need to grab two good handholds. As you can see, I loved that rhyme so much that I've borrowed it for the title of this post!

Much of the trip was similar to what I'd experienced 21 years ago, but two unusual things did occur! One was a mid-river boat rescue! As we were traveling down the river, we happened upon another tour - one that is a small group of boats that row down the river over about two weeks' time (our boats were motorized!). Their boat that carried all of their cargo had gotten stuck on a gravel bar in a rapid and was unable to move. Their other boats had gone downstream a bit and they were on their own, so Ben, the river guide on our other boat, pulled over, jumped out, and made his way through the rapids to assist them! A real life superhero! Our boat had pulled over to the opposite side of the river to wait, and I was unable to get any photos, but it was nothing short of incredible! The other event was a helicopter evacuation! Another group in a neighboring camp had a lady slip and break her leg. Their satellite phone was not working, so the crew came over to our camp to talk to Ben, who pretty much took charge of the situation. Our group had already set up camp, so we had to move tents and cots and bags and everything else off the beach, and then the landing area had to be watered down to minimize the sand that would be kicked up by the helicopter. This was a major ordeal and I was so impressed with absolutely everyone involved! I got a few pics (below, on Day 5) as well as videos of the helicopter arriving and departing (the few videos I have are at the very end of this post).

My favorite excursion was to Deer Creek Falls, a gorgeous waterfall where we spent the better part of an afternoon. Long after many details of this trip grow fuzzy, that afternoon will remain a lifetime memory. We also saw bighorn sheep throughout the trip and were able to indulge our space-lover sides with outstanding stargazing and the spotting of many shooting stars! There are only two things we would change about the trip. First of all, we'd take a lot less stuff. A LOT LESS. That Day 2 morning when we dealing with being wet and cold and miserable, we were so annoyed with ourselves for how much stuff we brought! We wised up and reorganized things on Day 3, and that made things much better, but we definitely had too much stuff with us! Secondly, we'd love to go with some people we know! We met some awesome folks on the trip and enjoyed our time with them, but it would be great to do such a phenomenal adventure with friends and family! So if you're reading this and you're thinking this sounds like the type of trip you'd enjoy, consider this your invitation to join us because we will definitely be going again in a few years!

On the morning of Day 8, we left camp at about 7:00 am in order to meet a jet boat at mile 240 that would take us across Lake Mead and to Pierce Ferry and the end of our time in the Grand Canyon. From there, we boarded a charter bus for the drive back to Vegas and arrived at our hotel at 3:00 pm. We picked up our luggage that we had stored at the hotel and after having what felt like the greatest showers of our lives, sorted everything into piles for laundry and trash (some items had served their purpose and were not going to be returning home with us - I'm looking at you, damp and filthy camp pillows). I should have taken a picture of our hotel room Thursday night because it was a complete disaster and there was stuff everywhere (did I mention we had too much stuff?). However, we eventually got it all together and loved sleeping in a real bed that night!

I really couldn't figure out the best way to organize the pictures, so I decided to post them by day and the videos are at the end. If there's something noteworthy or a pic that need clarification, there's a caption, but most of them are just attempts to capture the natural beauty that surrounded us for eight days. No cell service, no wifi, no modern conveniences or technology...just eight days of silence and peace and happiness. Were we cold and wet and hot and dehydrated and muddy and dirty and sweaty? Yes. Did we relish all of it as part of a big adventure? Also yes!

The final story I will share is about jumping off a cliff. On the last full day, there's a spot on the river where you can climb up to a cliff and jump off into the river. If you know me, I'm sure you're thinking that this does not sound at all like something I would do. And you wouldn't be wrong.

Back in 2001, B2 and I climbed up and I knew without a doubt he was going to do it because it's right up his alley. I had planned to back out and climb back down to the boat once he jumped, but he wouldn't go first because of course he knew this is exactly what I was going to do. Instead, he encouraged me and told me he'd help me climb back up the very steep and slippery rocks after the jump. So I did it. I was terrified, but extremely proud of myself afterwards, and it's one of the things we talk about to this day.

All week, I knew that jump was approaching and obviously C had heard this story about B2 and me countless times over the past two decades. So on our last day, I climbed up with C, with absolutely no intention of jumping off that cliff again. I was taking the attitude of "been there, done that," while also reminding myself that I'd been much younger the first time and I had nothing to prove. While others took turns jumping, I told C to go ahead but that I wasn't going to jump off this time. He kept telling me, "You only live once!" but I insisted he jump to experience it for himself, even if I didn't go. After some negotiating, I told him to go first and that I'd follow, so he jumped, and I thought I'd just wait for him to climb back up the rocks and we'd walk down to the boat and that would be the end of it. Well I waited and waited and waited and he did not come back up and then I realized he was waiting for me in the river. The other guests cheered me on even though I was shaking and one of my favorite people, Marsha, offered to jump with me. She took the higher cliff and counted down and I did it. Again. When I'd been telling myself all week there was no way I was going to jump off that cliff. It actually isn't the jump that takes your breath away, but rather the shock from the freezing temperature of the water. Thankfully, both C and Matteo were waiting for me and they helped me get up those steep and slippery rocks and Phil was waiting to help me at the top of the climb. Once again, I was so proud of myself for doing it; even though it's super easy for some people, conquering my fear once again was a major accomplishment for me. In fact, when we were on the bus back to Vegas and we finally had some cell service, the very first text I sent was to B2 to tell him I'd jumped off the cliff again.

Well, that wraps up this adventure! Despite visiting the Grand Canyon previously, hiking their with my dad, and doing this same trip in 2001, I was been completely enchanted over these eight days. Every time you looked up, the light had changed, the shadows had changed, the rocks had changed...and every second of it was mesmerizing.

C and I have done a lot of very cool things over the years, but this past week is up there among the very best trips we've ever taken! Please enjoy the photos and again, consider doing this trip with us next time! You'll love it!