Taking a priceless journey in one of the world’s natural wonders

CATHARINE COOPER

I’m sitting on the fat yellow tube of an oar boat deep in the heart

of the Grand Canyon, caught in the middle of a pouring rainstorm.

Thunder echoes up and down the ancient walls and hard rain pelts the

surface of the still green river. Droplets dance and the air fills

the magical scents released from too dry land, which begs for the

gift of moisture.

My traveling companions are busy setting up tents and creating

strategies for preparing dinner in the deluge. This is a training

trip for Canyon Explorations, a Grand Canyon rafting company, in

which both seasoned guides and trainees review safety and rescue

guidelines, expand their interpretive skills and develop a greater

understanding of resource protection. I’ve been invited to photograph

the journey of six oar boats, a paddle boat, two inflatable kayaks

and two hard-shell kayaks.

The guides and their trainers come from all parts of the country

and various backgrounds. Julie, of Sierra Rescue, is an

internationally acclaimed whitewater professional. She teaches

swiftwater rescue and wilderness first responder to guides, firemen,

Coast Guard personnel, and paramedics in all parts of the west. For

days, she has been putting the crew through scenario trainings and

rescue drills, all the while expanding her students confidence and

depth of knowledge. She has the magical gift of teaching critical

skills in an atmosphere of team building and camaraderie.

Krista, from the Grand Canyon Field Institute and herself a

20-year guide with Canyon Explorations, holds a Master’s degree in

Earth Sciences from Northern Arizona University. She’s a walking

encyclopedia of the canyon geology, spouting dates and rock layer

information in the way a cook might describe a recipe. There is not

rock that Krista doesn’t love, and her infectious communication

skills impart complicated information in fascinating and accessible

fashion. She combines earth dating events with physical evidence of

oceans, sands and mud flows that settle easily with my beach-perched

mind.

Nicole is our traveling biologist, and carries with her an

on-going project on mapping snake distribution within the riparian

corridor of the Colorado River. She teaches me to identify Lucy’s

Warbler, Bell’s Viero and Thayer’s Phoebe by their early morning

sounds. We identify spring flowers, riverside vegetation and discuss

the rehabilitation of the California Condor population on the

Canyon’s rim.

Cameron, the trip leader and one of the company owners, brings a

life long river experience to our journey. His grandfather, Norm

Nevills, is credited with running the first commercial trip down the

canyon in 1938. Cam has been on the river since he was fourteen and

is one of the most respected guides in the rafting community. He’s

recently added a new son, Sam, to his family, with wife and co-owner,

Laurie Lee. He steers the trip with an even and loving hand, finding

the perfect blend of serious learning with the power of laughter and

playful joy.

The storm pounds the beach and red muddy water begins to flash

from side canyons. A rainbow spreads from rim to river’s edge and we

are all bound with the silence of reverie. Conversation drifts to the

miracle of the canyon, and the fact that it continues to bear the

test of humans.

The “dreaded” Glenn Canyon Dam altered the Colorado River through

the Grand Canyon and the life that inhabits the corridor. Native fish

and plant life have struggled to maintain a foothold in a water

corridor that used to hit the 80s in the summer months, and now

hovers in the high 40s year round.

What Glen Canyon Dam has provided is year-round river access to a

variety of water craft, from motor pontoons to sleek river kayaks.

Commercial outfitters, such as Canyon Explorations, work diligently

to protect the resource. “Leave no trace” camping policies insure

that each visitor finds each campground as pristine as possible. Fire

pans are used to prevent sand scorching and ash laden beaches. Tarps

are placed under food preparation and cooking tables to prevent

residual waste from entering the sandy environment. Hand-wash

systems, waste management and recycling programs are further steps

taken to safeguard the environment.

As I hike the long trail out of the bottom of the gorge, I have

hours to reflect on the priceless ness of each journey in this

ancient canyon. I find myself thinking of our local trails and

beaches, and wonder if we could apply the same level of personal

protection to our own resource. If each one of us conscientiously

applied a loving touch to the trails that we hike, the beaches upon

which we play, and the ocean in which we swim, the entire eco-system

would rejoice.

* CATHARINE COOPER likes wild places. She can be reached at

ccooper@cooperdesign.net or (949) 497 5081.