173 Days To Go - Forster

 TL Report: Great video via helicopter of the Canyon and some of it's rapids by Aerial Filmworks above. Thanks Mike, Jim, and Eve for help with setting the menu for the trip over the holidays. I've posted it on a page link to the right. Here Ye! This is a tentative menu, there may or may not be changes.   If you want to see the menu in a larger format you can click the full screen icon above the text.

Tentative Hester Trip Menu

Navajo goats, check out the brown one. It's easy to miss!

What the Grand Canyon forums are chatting about this week: Navajo Sheep in the canyon. This exotic species (it seems there are only a few of these goats in the canyon) are feral goats that have wandered down from the reservation on river left around Redwall Cavern. Guides and river runners have apparently been seeing them for years.

Mileage This Week: River Mile 122-124.  At river mile 123.3 we will run class 5 (out of 10) Forster Rapid. This 7 ft drop is a read and run rapid.

Equipment/Camp/Info Check:
Herrreeeessss, Bill Hester, our guest blogger! :-) Here's Bill's take on Group Dynamics. Thanks!

Five  Ways to Make Your Grand Canyon Trip

One of the Best Experiences of Your Life

1. Get and Keep the Right Attitude

Bill sledding with the kids last week.

Adventure travel is all about your travel attitude. That's why it’s called adventure travel, right? We aren’t tourists with a set plan, we’re adventurers! We won't always know what to expect, so it’s best to just expect anything and everything - then accept whatever comes our way. A lot will go as we expect it, but there’s always an element of the unexpected in any adventure. I can guarantee everything won't always go right. I can also guarantee that at times during this trip we will be uncomfortable, cranky, impatient, tired, hungry, hot, thirsty, sore, burnt... basically, you name it. But, we will also be exhilarated, delighted, excited, astonished and overwhelmed. The positive experiences are easy to handle, but the less than perfect ones can be more difficult.

We have a couple of choices for handling these challenging situations - we can accept that these experiences are expected and ephemeral – they will pass and it’s best to put on a cheerful attitude and get on with things, or, we can get angry and aggravated and take it out on ourselves and the rest of the trip. Personally, I want everyone to enjoy this adventure, so let’s all make a pact to keep things positive and relish the adventure aspect of this trip. (Besides, the things that seem to be the worst at the time always make the best stories later on!)

2. Prepare Your Body
For some of us, 18 days of hard work, hard play and even harder conditions will be the most difficult thing we've ever done. It’s a challenge when our bodies can’t/won’t keep up with what we want to do, especially when we are on the trip of a lifetime. With the New Year upon us, let’s start now and get our bodies in shape to enjoy whatever adventure comes our way.


Pre-trip conditioning should prepare us to...

1. Walk long distances while marveling at the awesome scenery.
2. Climb steep trails to ogle at amazing historical relics.
3. Swim small creeks and pools to revel in the one-of-a-kind splendor that is Grand Canyon.
4. Endure long days of playing until we drop from exhaustion.
5. Be able to eat all you can, sleep like the dead, and get up before the sun to do it all again.

 3. Accept others in all their glory (and their pettiness).

This may be hard to for some to believe, but everyone doesn't believe the same things you do. Everyone also won't understand your obvious logic and wisdom of wanting to use the last remaining sugar for your coffee and not the dessert planned for that night. Unbelievably, they might not appreciate the obvious benefits of Obama's health care plan. They won't even appreciate the fact that you didn't share the last column of cookies with them simply because they weren't around when you found them hidden in the bottom of the food box. Eighteen days of Kumbaya-togetherness is difficult, if not impossible to achieve, no matter how Zen-like you are. We have a diverse group of people with a plethora of backgrounds and ideals. Heck, isn't diversity what makes life interesting? Bottom line is to help make your trip and others a little more enjoyable we need to get along. I suggest the following if you find your patience running low.

• Try to be aware and accept others ideas on religion, politics and food desires. If you can't discuss things without trying to convince everyone how and why you’re right, and then discuss the Braves playoff hopes, or how awesome the new album by Yanni is.
• If you find you’re not enjoying the conversation, take a break, take a walk, or even go ponder the innate beauty of the view from the groover. At least you'll be alone to collect your thoughts.
• Take care of your body needs....eat, drink and shade. We (me) often get cranky when we need to eat, drink, or cool down.
• Go jump in the river and have a mud fight. Nothing says "fun" more than a good frolic, and that is why we are here after all.

 4. Follow the Leader

Our fearless trip leader has the final say on all things. She is a benevolent trip leader and will take your considerations to heart when making any decisions. In the end though, it’s her butt on the line and the success/safety of the trip is her responsibility. It’s all our responsibility to follow safety rules and limit the stupid stuff that might endanger trip members, including ourselves. Remember, this is a wilderness trip and we will be on our own out there.

Secondly, listen to your boatmen. They are an exacting bunch and expect gear to be unloaded, loaded and stacked in very specific ways. You may not realize the importance of this, but if your raft has unexpected excitement, you will be glad that straps were tight and your things secured. Never, never, never unbuckle, or move anything on a raft without first asking the boatman. We really would hate to see you complete your trip with only the clothes on your back and a tube of Chapstick due to unsecured gear.

  5. It's Not All About the Rapids

 Well, at times it will be all about the rapids, but it’s also so much more. We are on one of the greatest adventures of our lives. For some, this is the first time on a trip of this magnitude, and they are apprehensive. However, the very essence of adventure is not knowing what comes next and anticipating, even relishing, the unexpected! Don't let your focus be only about the whitewater. Being away from your day-to-day life is a gift! No phones, no email, no computer - and no pressure other than your day-to-day life in the Canyon. Take time to enjoy everything and be open to anything. Take advantage of the time and this extraordinary place to explore hiking, photography, nature, people, history, geology, art, reading and whatever else floats your boat. Yes, the rapids are big fun and sometimes intimidating, but don't forget to enjoy the rest of it, too.

There's a ton of ways to have fun and a ton of ways to wallow in misery. The blabbering above is an attempt to impart some wisdom, experience and, perhaps, some humor into your trip preparations. I am psyched to have each and every one of you on the trip. The gift of having family and friends on a trip of this type is a life-dream for both Susan and me. We are really looking forward to sharing this adventure with you!

Next Deadline: Final trip balance is due February 15th.