He runs most anything from Crystal on down.
One day he changed my life, made me his raftin' wife.
Hot Dog! I love my raftin' man!
It's no secret that we are a raftin' family. That is a BIG reason we built a home on "the most rafted river in America." (You can quote me on that.) Here is Paul playin' around in "Trouble Maker" - it is literally in our back yard.
The American River may be one of the most rafted in the US, but one of the most beautiful rivers in the world to raft is the Colorado River, 280 river miles through Grand Canyon National Park.
Paul just got home from a two week white water rafting trip on that very river.
He first rafted the Grand Canyon in 1985 with his rafting mentor, Blaine. Then he decided to apply for a permit to take his whole family down...the permit came up in 1993, 8 years later! When he finished that trip he applied for another permit...this one comes up next year - July 2011! That's right - it has taken 18 years for this permit to come up!!! Traffic on the Grand Canyon is highly regulated in an effort to minimize the environmental impact. Only a certain number of permits are allowed each year & commercial companies are allowed a lot more trips down than "private" trips (like ours).
The waiting list had gotten so long that they've finally gone to a lottery system! Being an experienced boatman, Paul has had several other opportunities to raft the Grand; specifically in 1994, 1996, & most recently - these past two weeks of June 2010. Of course there are no pictures of his recent trip. I'm the picture taker & since I didn't go with him this time, there are no pictures to post...but wait a minute...I DO happen to have some from previous trips! (Hey, it's my blog so I will post what I want to!)
In 1993 Paul & I took our oldest seven children (along with some dear friends) on an incredible 16 day adventure. We drove to Lee’s Ferry, 6 miles below Lake Powell’s Glenn Canyon Dam coming down from the north rim where we “put in” four rafts full of equipment, food, & 16 very excited people.
During the long drive to the put in, I braided all the girls’ long hair (Bo Derek style) for easy maintenance during the trip.
The Grand Canyon is a highly spiritual experience as you recognize the awesome power of this planet & all of God’s creations. The quiet serenity & calmness of the canyons contrasted by the power & veracity of the rapids allows you to witness both extremes of His artistry. From above the rim you see a beautiful desert & a most picturesque view of the magnificent canyons, but within the canyons themselves (at river level) those canyon walls tower above you in regal splendor and contain hidden surprises at every turn. We would stop & enjoy scenic hikes & breath-taking spectacles of nature at its best…
the aquamarine waters of the little Colorado & the turquoise travertine pools Havasu,
the fern & ivy covered water falls of Deer Creek, Vasey’s, Silver Grotto, Elve’s Chasm –
the vast expanse of Red Wall Cavern where the girls & I held an impromptu concert of some of our favorites (the acoustics where amazing!),
the wind & water swept labarynths & catacombs of Deer Creek & Matkatamiba,
the water slides of Shinamu & Travertine Canyon,
the 1000 yr old Anasazi Graineries of Nankoweap, including prehistoric imprints of million year old nautaloids & early Native American petroglyphs.
True story: After this trip, Leah’s first week of 5th Grade, her teacher passed out their Social Studies book & on the first page was a picture of the Anasazi Graineries. Leah blurted out, “Hey! I’ve been there!”
Teacher, “Oh no, you must be mistaken, you can only get there from the bottom of the Grand Canyon.”
Leah, “I know, I hiked up there & we were sitting right there.”
Teacher, “That’s just not possible, I’m sure you are mistaken.”
Leah came home so upset that her teacher didn’t believe her. So I sent her back to school with this picture in hand to prove to all the nay-sayers that she in fact, has been in the Anasazi Graineries.
The Colorado River is rated on an international scale of one to ten, ten being the most difficult rapid to run. There are several nines & several eights like Granite, Hermit, Horn Creek, & Upset, but the BIG two class 10s that are most widely known are Crystal & Lava. Most boatmen get out & “scout” the big rapids to discuss & develop a plan for the best way to “avoid the dangers” in the big water. Paul & the other boatmen are getting expert advice from his mentor & rafting guru, Blaine.
For all the adrenaline junkies…nothing beats the excitement of the roaring class 10 rapids of Crystal & Lava…now you see us…
Now you don’t!
16 Days with your family in the wilderness gives you lots of time to bond without the distractions of today’s modern world. It was good wholesome, clean fun…well, except for that mud fight the day they were mud wrestling.
I have a "raftin' man," He has a raftin' tan.
He runs most anything from Crystal on down.
One day he changed my life, made me his raftin' wife.
Hot Dog! I love my raftin' man!
Looking forward to another Grand Canyon wilderness adventure in 2011!
11 comments:
This is fabulous!!!!!! It looks like such a fun trip and I am sure everyone is excited to do it again! I remember when you guys took us at girls camp!
Good memories! Ummm.... how HOT was Darren Robbins? Bahahahahaha!!! Probably one of the hilights for me that trip was spending 16 days staring at him! Yes, ALL of God's creations are beautiful, including Darren!
Jill looks like a thug in the braided hair picture. Scary.
If Leah's teacher was Mrs. Vickers then I believe you!
16 days is a long time for a 7 or 8 year old. I thought you guys were never coming back!
Cindi, what the heck? I was so in love with him too. I look at these pictures of myself and have a really hard time understanding why he wasn't smitten.
But in his defense, I do kind of resemble a 12-year old boy going through puberty.
fun pics... to bad Kyle doesn't want me to join you all on the next run. I still don't get why???
I still want you to come Amy. I have great memories of this and can't wait to go with one of my babies next year!
How AWESOME!! I just loved looking at all the beautiful pictures. The poem was the best:) You two are so cute together.
This is a great post. I love your family! And I forgot what Paul looked like with a mustache!
Wow, that just looks so amazing. The kids are so cute. What beautiful country. Alas, I will never be able to go. My hair isn't long enough to braid. :)
Rafting will always make me think of your family and so many FABULOUS memories!
What a cool post. I remember so much of that trip. My neck was so sore from getting my hair braided :) the best idea though! One of my favorite songs although we dedicated it to The Hopper Man originally. Ha ha. So many funny memories. Thanks mom & dad!
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