Something to Look Forward To

I already know what I'll be doing the last week of August 2006. Last night, I reserved spots for Jeff and I on a six day rafting trip through the upper portion of the Grand Canyon with an outfitter called Moki Mac. Ever since I was twelve and stood on the edge of the Grand Canyon, peering down at the tiny stream that the mightly Colorado appears as from that height, I've known I've wanted to go down into the Canyon. A few years later, I watched a program on the different ways to explore the Canyon - hiking, riding donkeys, and rafting - and I knew that rafting was what I wanted to do. It's always been on the to-do list but more as a vague one-of-these-days type of activities. The relocation of my friends Megan and Bryan to Arizona made a visit to Arizona more realistic, and as Jeff and I explored the options, one-of-these-days became next August. It's going to be a great adventure.

The trip starts out at Lee's Ferry and over the course of six days, we progress 89 miles in an oar powered raft to Phantom Ranch, deep in the middle of the Canyon. Each day, we'll spend a few hours on the water and a few hours on hikes to waterfalls, Anasazi ruins, and stunning vistas. Each evening we'll set up camp and spend the night under the stars. It will be somewhat primitive, with the river for washing and makeshift toilets, but we get three meals cooked for us a day and from what I've read, they're pretty good meals. When we reach Phantom Ranch, we'll have to hike up, up, up and out of the Canyon, which takes people anywhere from 6-9 hours. I'm so excited.

The trip runs from Friday to Wednesday, so we'll have a few days at the end of our trip to do other things, especially considering that next Monday is Labor Day (and Jeff's birthday). I'm not sure what else we'll do. Maybe we'll try to hit up some of the other sites like the Painted Desert or Petrified Forest. Maybe we'll visit the Navajo nation or relax in Sedona. We'll definitely see Megan and Bryan. It will be a great trip, especially since Jeff has never been to any of these places, and I've only visited some of them briefly, and that will have been 13 years ago by then. I can hardly wait...But really, I'm glad we're not going until the end of the summer, because we're going to need some time to break in our boots and backpacks. Six to nine hours uphill is a long way!