Great River, Side Trips, Camps, Food, Companions and Guides. Went By Too Fast!
The Grand Canyon is a fantastic place. It's hot and the river is cold. The walls of the canyon soar up majestically. The layers in the walls change a lot over the 7 days.
I especially have to say something nice about our guides: Joe, Scott, Lindsey, and Shad. They were all over safety in the rapids while keeping it challenging and fun, made great food, found the best side trips, explained what we were looking at, amused the kids and were all around great fun to be with. The concert (guitar, harmonica, mandolin, and saw) during a side canyon hike is a great memory.
At the end of the day we pull up to a beach, deposited in old pre-dam floods. After a short break, we form a fire line, shifting bags, cots, tents (don't bother with the tents), and cooking gear up from the beach. We found a site near the river for our cots to keep us a bit cooler. The river is your friend in the heat. Wade in and dunk your head under. Instant cool off! While we unpacked and fooled around in the water and on the beach with a soccer ball, they were making a great dinner which we had with good conversations.
The side trips were a highlight I didn't expect.They ranged from a walk up the Little Colorado River - beautiful blue waters with calcium deposits on the sides, to an aggressive hike high up the canyon wall to see ancient Indian grain storage hidden in the walls of the canyon.
My whole family loved the trip!
