Another World: Grand Canyon Rafting On The Colorado

This was a trip I had booked two years in advance (booked in 2019 for 2021), but one that I had been looking forward to for more than a decade– since I first heard the recounted river tales that my parents told me about their magical trip down the Colorado about 15 years ago. I had vowed that I would take my son when he was old enough, and so when he turned twelve (the age that most of the river rafting outfitters require a child to be at minimum), we were going!!!

This is the type of trip though that gets booked at least one year and usually two in advance, so if you have certain dates you’d like to go, you should plan & book this particular trip well ahead of time. We wanted to go in July, when the kids were off from school, and when the weather would be very warm, so as to offset the extremely cold temperatures (40 degrees) of the Colorado River.

The aspect I was probably most excited about, other than seeing unbelievably exquisite landscapes, was being completely and utterly off the grid for a whole week! Cisco and I wanted this so much too, for our kids, whom like most kids out there, are constantly absorbed by a barrage of mobile device and screentime over-stimulation on a daily basis. Having us all be blissfully unplugged for a whole week seemed like a dream, and a dream come true of connecting with nature and each other in a wonderfully adventurous way.

I researched companies, and ultimately decided to go with Western River Expeditions. A friend of mine had worked for them for 17 years, and raved about their company history, ethics, safety protocol, and guides. I couldn’t imagine that anyone would willingly work for a company for that long if they didn’t love it, so upon further research and many reviews read, I decided they were the ones I wanted to book with. And I am so glad we did!!!

Everything was meticulously organized, the guides were wonderful, funny, clever, and terrific with our kids, and we couldn’t have felt more safe, riding on Western River’s sturdy, motor-powered rafts. Plus, they are the only River Outfitter with the five fingers at the front of the rafts, which allow all the rafters to ride the rapids like the bull-riding cowboys we all secretly wish to be for a hot second in our lives.

One thing to note: Before you leave for this trip, make sure you set up your auto out-of-office email replies and voicemails, because once you enter the Canyon, you will be entirely off the grid for the duration of your rafting trip. That meant no cell service or wifi for us for a week. I mentioned before that it was blissful, which it was! But you should set yourself up prior ahead of time, so you won’t be stressing about any make-or-break business deal phone calls that you won’t be able to take for a while.

And while we had no cell service, Wi-Fi, or devices, I still had my cameras!

And along with some pretty epic shots, we also had plenty of stories to share…

• 188: total miles we rafted in the Grand Canyon
• 88: number of rapids we rode/braved
• 6: amount of nights under the stars
• 4: pit stops to splash in waterfalls
• 1: the number of scorpions that stung me

We had the privilege of seeing the Grand Canyon from a vantage point that very few people in the world get to see. The almost 2 billion year old geology was utterly amazing. And our crew at Western River Expeditions navigated us through it flawlessly….

They cooked every delicious meal for us, entertained us day and night, and taught us the fascinating history of the Canyon and all those who explored it before us— some successfully, some not.

They also took us to some pretty epic off-the-beaten-path spots. The many waterfalls we got to visit, were my favorite.

Every evening we set up camp in a new beautiful spot. We slept under a blanket of millions of stars, shooting stars, and even saw satellites moving slowly through the sky. And we only had a brief storm twice, which cooled off the 90+ degree Canyon to comfortable temps. Western River provides all the tents, cots, and sleeping gear, like sleeping bags and sheets, so even though it was raining, we stayed dry and comfortable, and enjoyed the sound of the rain beating down outside. But most nights, we set up our cots outside, so that we could enjoy the night sky above us.

We saw Big Horned sheep, a tiny kangaroo mouse, hawks, and I wish I had seen the scorpion I stepped on. !!! (I should not have been walking in the sand barefoot, as I had been warned not to for this specific reason.)

Havasu Canyon, with its gorgeous aqua water, was the most special place. We ‘docked’ there for several hours, hiking through the canyon, jumping off of mini waterfalls, poking through rock tunnels, and soaking up the warmer degree and bluer waters.

While Havasu Canyon was a clear aqua oasis, the rest of the river looked like chocolate milk from all the silt due to the flash floods recently throughout the canyon, but it also meant more raging rapids. Adrenaline was high, the rapids were sometimes higher, and we all bonded over stories of the day and past adventures too. Our kids made fast friends with the other kids on the trip, and before long they were their own little gang.

We ended the trip with the most bad-ass rapid of them all— Lava Falls, a 10 on the Grand Canyon 1-10 rapid scale. It was a crazy bumpy, but crazy fun, wild ride, and we didn’t lose a single person! Although it was a close call!

And yes, that is actually Cisco, front and center, riding these crazy overhead waves like a champ. ’Suck rubber’ (if you ever happen to hear it on a rafting trip and start wondering), is what the crew calls out when the front raft riders have to fold forward because otherwise the rapids will most definitely knock them off.

It was an exciting adventure and one that the five of us will be talking about forever.

After our last night of grilled steak and chilled shrimp and waking up to a beautiful sunrise, we got airlifted out of the floor of the Canyon by helicopter….

Which didn’t suck. Lol.

I don’t think the kids have any idea the extent of the specialness of this trip. Maybe one day, it will hit them…. like a cold rapid, to the face.

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