50th Birthday on Speed!
A little over a year ago, my wife asked me what I wanted to do for my 50th birthday and I came back with rafting the Grand Canyon. My wife contacted an old college friend who is a guide and outdoor photographer in Colorado and asked who we should go with for this trip. The quick and emphatic answer was Western River. We booked the trip and began the process of getting ready. Western River's website provides all the info you need to know regarding packing, what to expect on the river and even a quick guide to using the unique bathroom facilities while on the trip. Communication from Western is regular up to your trip date and, if you have any questions at all, a call or an email to them will be answered quickly.
Once you arrive at the riverbank on your departure day, the guides get you ready to go with instructions on how to get your dry bags and day bags packed as well as specialty directions regarding safety, seating, rope grips and the all important "suck rubber" command. At this point, the real fun begins and you get underway. The guides on our trip - Johnny, Mac, Lat and Sammy - were combination historian, geologist, naturalist, chef and entertainer. They were awesome and totally made the trip. The rapids were exciting and the scenery was gorgeous. Sleeping under the stars rather than in the tent is highly recommended - picking out planets and actually seeing the Milky Way was a real treat for this East coast guy. And let's not forget the food - have you ever had fresh Apple Cobbler with ice cream while camping? I did......on night 4. My favorite moment each day was waking up before everyone else and smelling the coffee brewing.
I honestly can't say enough great things about this trip and the folks at Western River. It was worth every penny and more.
