Return to the River
On June 8th 2009, at approximately 10:36 am, the seed was planted. After 17 days and 225 miles of rafting down the Grand Canyon, we finally reached the end of what was probably the greatest adventure of my life thus far. On a morning that seemed like all the rest, in a place that is anything but ordinary, the end of our journey awaited just downstream. 5 miles of flat water, a final hoorah. We methodically broke down camp, loaded the boats, and pushed off into the current. Soon enough we pull our boats to the calm shores of Diamond Creek. This time, it is for good. After that long on a river, it is incredibly difficult to leave. Alas we strip down the rafts, pack all our gear into a trailer and before long we are out of the canyon; and back to reality. I was not ready to leave. I don’t think any of us were.
There is something about a river that brings out either the best or worst of people. The amount of money in your bank account or how many friends you have means nothing down there. Priorities are usually learned by the first day, a routine is established by the second. You either sink or swim. That is the beauty of river life; things are simpler, time is fairly meaningless and the days get longer. It usually takes months to build a strong relationship with someone, but on the river it tends to happen in a couple of days.
I met my friend Matt not too long before we launched; a calm demeanor, radiating confidence, smoking his cigarettes and smiling all the while. I knew almost immediately we would get along just fine. We had only a few things in common at the time: the river, two oars and big waves. By day 16 Matt and I were great friends. A couple weeks after the trip, we soon found ourselves on a river together once again. A theme that will likely continue for a long while.
We both had some unfinished business to take care of, stemming from that early morning over 6 months ago. Taking out at Diamond Creek seemed so unfair at the time to me. Matt felt the same way. So we decided to return to the Canyon and finish where we left off. Matt pulled permits, rented the gear, we discussed logistics and slowly got a crew together. Before we knew it, the group was 16 strong. And soon enough, we were at the calm waters of Diamond Creek and the Colorado River rigging boats just like before, heading downstream just like we should have.
Thank you to Angie for lighting the fire, Jess for being who you are and Matt for just about everything else. Until next time…