Canyons, Cactus, and Casinos, Oh My!
March 10, 2010, by Connie Stetson
Connie and Lee tackle their first rapid
Connie Stetson discovers a brave new world with adventure around every curve
As I write, it’s been a little over a week since Lee and I completed a month-long, nearly 300 mile journey through the sands of time. Literally. I am still rinsing the freaking sands of time out my gear.
My husband, with the Greenwood Expedition, party of 11, began a river trip at Lee’s Ferry near Glen Canyon Dam on Jan. 27th to raft the upper Grand Canyon. I left Fresno on Feb. 4th, flew to Flagstaff, took a shuttle bus to the South Rim, checked in at the Bright Angel Lodge, and at 8:30 am on Feb. 5th, I began my journey down, down, down, through snow and ice, mud and streams, more than ten miles, seven oceans, and millions of years of geologic time, (sorry, fundamentalists…that would be more than 6,000) — to meet them near Phantom Ranch on the mighty, muddy Colorado River. The next day, in a driving rainstorm, two walked out; and then we were ten, in four rafts, launching off into the rapids of the Grand Canyon.
How was it, you ask? It was exhausting, thrilling, challenging, beautiful, vexing, uncomfortable, cold, painful, quiet, noisy, scary, soothing, hard, transcendent, and nourishing. My body was bruised and torn, my skin became raw and chapped, my muscles strained and ached, I have never been so stinky filthy in my life, and I’ve lost four toenails—so far. I climbed a 3 0ft. boulder on rope ladder, and then bare-assed it down with two other wild women to swim the frigid blue pool at the bottom. We all gaped into the screaming maw of a rapid so fierce, loud, and scary my mouth went dry and my brain went numb, and all of us came out rejoicing on the other side. It was an experience I will never forget as long as I live, and I am humbled and awed by that place.
I am also grateful. For my darling Lee for encouraging and enabling my going, for Tracy and David Greenwood who organized the trip, the food, (barbequed ribs, no less), the boats, the gear, and accepted the serious responsibility for our safety and well-being, for the knowledge and skill of our boatmen, and to our fellow rafters for their hard work, support, and good humor. Grateful too, to be able to let go and embrace what cannot be controlled, to be able to say, “oh, fuck it”, to laugh loud and hard at myself, to still have the ability let each day uncover its mysteries, and to revel in it.
A brave new world lives within us all; we are the discoverers of mighty canyons, of plunging, icy, white waters, of unknown terrains, but that world is not just physical, it lies in our hearts, our imaginations, and in our willingness to engage. I am deeply grateful to be reminded of that.
Would I do it again? Hmmm—good question. I’m not sure about the Colorado River, but I would be up for another incredible river wilderness experience. Could we please find one cleaner than the Colorado? Also, I’m pretty sure I’ll never hike the Great Wall of China again nor climb Mt. Whitney one more time, but I’ve been nudged to keep going out there and to seek adventure as long as I’m able.
The one error in judgment I made was to book a room in Las Vegas the day we came off the river. Seemed like a good idea at the time, but I was wrong, wrong, wrong. It felt like one of the circles of hell from Dante’s Inferno, in fact, I think that was the name of the casino we stayed in. It was ugly, loud, jarring, creepy, sad, and just plain weird. Too much to take in after being alone with ten people in a wild place, and I’m pretty sure I never want to go to Vegas again. Ever.
I was happy to get home from the river and see my dogs and cats, but when I walked in the door and looked around our home after schlepping gear on and off our boats for weeks, I said to Lee, aghast, “Whatever are we going to do with all this shit? We’ll never fit it on the raft.”
March 10th, 2010 at 7:56 am
Connie, you’ve got guts. If you’re willing to go back, one great hike is to Havasu Falls and then, there is the day hike (and I mean all day…bring moleskin) that takes you from there to the Colorado River. No river rafting involved. I did that hike in high school and it was transformative, albeit not nearly as rigorous as your adventure. By the way, there is a great B&B in Flagstaff…Thanks so much for sharing!
March 10th, 2010 at 8:12 am
Oh the places you will go! I salute your brave spirit and your appetite for adventure. You and Lee make lifelong learning exciting. I’m sure that Mrs. Stetson’s Wild Ride could be an amusement park E ticket. Whoo hoo! Aging with spunk, I say. So, since I am coming to visit this weekend (lucky me!), I am looking forward to our snowshoe adventure and hearing about your super special vacay. But Connie, please, please do not show me your missing toenails!
March 10th, 2010 at 8:25 am
You really captured your experience in words, Connie! I love the mental snapshot of you “bare-assing” down some rocks into a pool of ice-cold water! Baptism by Mother Nature!
Totally agree w/ you (and rosemary) about Vegas! If ever we’re invaded by space aliens who want to take over our planet, we’ll just show them Las Vegas and tell them that all of earth is like this. They’ll go back where they came from right quick!
March 10th, 2010 at 9:51 am
Rosemary,
We spent an entire day a Havasu, hiking and marveling at that turquoise water. I gave myself a facial with that incredible soft gray mud, and one of our “boat studs” kayaked down. A very special place.
March 10th, 2010 at 10:15 am
I did that trip,in my 20’s starting at Lee’s Ferry in boats the size of yours (judging from the picture)in a party about the size of yours and yes it was a month. There were places in the canyon where the hot winds blew up the canyon with such fierceness we had to row downstream. It is a life altering experience and I can imagine the rough re-entry of Las Vegas. There were days when the only sound of
modern life might be a lone plane. I recommend it to everyone.
Thanks for the memories. I would like to do it again.
March 10th, 2010 at 11:03 am
Isn’t Havasu awesome? I remember we got there at night and had to hike in about two miles. Woke up in the morning to those red canyon rocks and a Havasu Native American on horseback. I loved hanging out with the children at the elementary school on the reservation. I can’t wait to go back with my daughter.
March 10th, 2010 at 12:25 pm
Your trip makes my month-long trip to Africa sound tame. During that month, we went to Mali and for 10 days, hiked through Dogon country, navigated the Niger River in a large dugout canoe, landed in Timbuktu then headed for the Sahara desert where the annual Tuareg music festival took place. Sleeping under the stars, in tents and wearing the same clothes for ten days, stinking, never combing my hair, using African public toilets or no toilets, just sand…rough and fantastic! You’re a lot braver than me, though!
March 10th, 2010 at 1:32 pm
Correction: Havasupai Indian (not Havasu Native American). The Havasupai are the natives who make Havasu their home.
March 10th, 2010 at 2:45 pm
Well gals, back in the day it was the State of Oregon for my hi
hikes, trips, camping, etc. We also conquered British
Columbia. Hats off 2u, Mrs. Stetson!!! Can you at least do
this adventure in a nicer season and take some of the
challenges of Mother Nature away?
March 10th, 2010 at 7:31 pm
quoting a friend of mine (but it sums it up right good!)
“Trying new things and stretching out of your comfort zones are the building blocks that enrich the tapestry of life”
good on ya connie! i would love to do this trip sometime – or something like it, but just not in freaking february!
March 12th, 2010 at 6:31 am
Holy Wow. You are one brave person!!
March 14th, 2010 at 7:27 am
Great images Connie, I only wish I was there to watch you. I rafted the Tuolome (SP?) in California once, it was almost as exhilerating as giving birth (ex the long term commitment) I remember closing my eyes and listening only to our expert, Dean Ferrendini, yell paddle instructions. I seemed to be paddling air. I was not wrong, we were on a rooster tail before plunging headfirst into the next rapid. You and Lee are such cool cats!
March 16th, 2010 at 8:56 am
Connie, another masterpiece of passion, wit and openness – is there any other way to live, you remind us? I agree ten thousand percent about Las Vegas. It’s getting exponentially more repulsive by the day, and I can’t imagine what a desecration it must have felt like to set foot there after the beauty and power of the Grand Canyon. {{{OVATION}}} for you, intrepid sister!
April 1st, 2010 at 11:41 am
Did you hear Brighty?