Imagine waking up early, it’s yet to sunrise, and you can see millions and billions of stars over your head with the streak of the Milky way vividly visible.
A bat comes and flies by you swiftly because it found its prey in the coal dark night; you miss it by ducking your head into your sleeping bag until you feel the fierce flying again.
This is something you can expect while you’re on the Grand Canyon Rafting Trips in the southwest. Such a one-in-a-million rafting adventure that you can cherish for a lifetime!
You can checkout offers suitable to you here through a rafting company.
As the sun starts rising slowly, it comes out of its bed; the stars start going away, wrapping up the darkness with them. Now the camps are all visible. You can see the people moving, walking up, some brewing their coffee or tea.
On the next day of your Grand Canyon Rafting Trips, you’ll be on the Colorado River. You might not be able to see the sun here as you are several thousand feet down the canyon walls.
Grand Canyon Rafting Trips
The first thing you will do here goes onto the river or do your morning routines by the campsite. Urine and all the liquids go into the river, and other stuff is thrown out.
This part can be a bit uncomfortable for you if you’ve never been without toilets and bathrooms, but hey! You have a whole sky as a roof (just kidding, you’ll get used to it after a couple of days)
And to make sure you get comfortable as soon as possible, the rafting guides set the location of toilets in such a place that you see only beautiful, natural views through your camp toilet. Funny but you might go even if you don’t need it to see the scenery and relax when you have nothing to do.
And of course, it looks and sounds so fun and adventurous but, at times, it can really suck to do all your work in a remote place with the least facilities, you can’t always have everything, right? But guides and everyone out there makes it easy by splitting up the tasks.
Morning Coffee + Breakfast at the Colorado River
Generally, the Grand Canyon Rafting Trips groups are big, and the place is something you can’t have your handy machines and tools, so some preparations are done since the evening of the last day.
The next day you wake up, roll up your sleeping bag, keep your things packed, freshen up, sanitize your hands, and get into the queue for breakfast.
You’ll be surprised to hear about the menu; it’s magical and super tasty. Eggs Benedict comes out from skillets, a fresh blueberry cake baked in a dutch oven, and trust me, the smell is so tempting; the taste is even more!
Sometimes you may get served pork chops as well. And as you’re doing a lot of physical activity, living in the fresh air, you end up eating more than usual which is completely okay because the food is tasty!
The system for washing dishes is pretty hygienic; it’s divided into four stages or washes. First, the dishes go for cold water scrub, then into hot water scrub after it, they’re rinsed with nice hot water and finally given a sterilizing rinse. After they dry up, they’re kept back in the plastic bags for reuse at the evening meal.
Rafting the Colorado River
Here begin the actual fun and adventure after two nights of camping and bonfire.
Preparations
You have to pack your bags, and they should weigh less than 20 pounds. Take only as much stuff you’ll need for a day and necessary things like medicines, camera, your mobile, gears, and all the dry things. Always keep your eyes on this bag!
You’ll also have to refill your water bottles, take them according to your need and wear a life jacket. (Now know that these jackets are so tight that they can pull you back in case you get thrown out of the boat) and with these all arrangements, the raft is loaded.
Then you get onto your pontoons, fasten your bags and bottles to the ropes and get a seat for the morning run.
Some four-five pontoons would be attached, which will raft aloof; they tie just so that all the rafting boats are together.
Talking about sitting while the Grand Canyon river rafting, nine people can easily sit in the front pontoon, six on the food containers, and four on a flat place on the rear side of the draft.
At the start, you might get irritated like, “oh, what is this? Why is this so cold and wet?” But! There would be no dry place you can find in the raft, only a variety of wetness, at some places it would be wetter than others and as you raft, any way you’ll get entirely wet (you’ll enjoy a lot trust me even if you don’t like getting wet here!)
Mostly the river is pretty much quiet throughout the rafting. You can see the stunning walls of the Grand Canyon while sailing your pontoons/boats in Grand Canyon Rafting. The moving attractions of ecological variety and the plants sticking onto the rock cracks.
You won’t notice full-fledged wildlife, at least in the daytime. However, you can experience the occasional appearance of mule deer and big horned sheep.
Tiny, green-violet hummingbirds sliding through the water are the most common and enjoy sight to eyes. Don’t get afraid of the turkey vultures encircling around you!
Mornings here get heated pretty soon, so the timely small splashes of cool water feel so good. The Grand Canyon Rafting Trips guides will tell you stories and information about the river and rafting. They stand on pontoons generally and have great balance.
The raft driver will tell you if there are some hard up-downs so that you adjust yourself, cling up to your belongings, and find a firm hold.
You shouldn’t panic, rather be comfortable, look at the front or wherever you feel comfortable. Looking at the beautiful river is always better.
These big rapids start with a really smooth dip. Then the raft gently slips inside the rapid and lifts a little with the wave. But after this, the river gets violent, and you face the waves coming from all directions.
It’s fun when one side of your raft submerges inside the gushing cold waters. And then, the water swirls, twisting your boat, and you see your fellow rafters in the air, you have to hold yourself firmly here.
At last, you enter into a wall of water (around 10 to 15 foot)
Then you get a halt, dry up your rain gears and take off your tight life jacket. You stay for hikes and potty, lunch.
It’s Not Only About Rafting!
At the Grand Canyon Rafting Trips, it’s not just rafting every day; you’ll have a lot of hikes. Sometimes just a walk and sometimes a hard trek with great heights and mobility concerns.
Generally, these treks are optional, but it’s better to trek rather than spending your time on a raft because anyway, it’s in the water!
You can follow the streams leading to the beautiful turquoise waters where you can swim, lounge, and play with the water. You can also climb onto the prehistoric ruins or waterfalls.
Lunch
After good Grand Canyon Rafting Trips, you get a delicious lunch. There’s nowhere trash or dump except one on the Grand Canyon. Even the guides will tell you not to litter anywhere or in the river.
The afternoons are not too different from the mornings, gentle, calm waters and strong whirlwinds.
Of course, by this time, you’ll be all tired of the Grand Canyon Rafting Trips. So the guide will take you to camps.
You’ll pitch your tent, assemble the cots and get your gears off the coast. It’ll be around 3-4 PM, and the weather will be too hot; you’ll be sweating a lot.
Don’t worry, though; you can take a dip in the river and cool yourself down. If you’re lazy, you can take a sponge bath as well but freshen up; you’ll be refreshed and charged.
Beware of Sand!
While on Grand Canyon Rafting Trips, you’ll face a problem – Sand! Yes, the river’s borders have dry sand all around, and when the wind swirls from the Canyon, the wind flows with it everywhere, in your tents, bags, hair, ears. Sadly, nothing can be done, so you have to be with it.
Before dinner, you can enjoy a can of beer or some wine at the Grand Canyon Rafting Trips. And at dinner, you’ll get tasty, sumptuous food.
Probably some Mexican or steak and asparagus, baked potatoes, and rainbow trout, and something like this. Post dinner, gather around the bonfire, dance, and have fun.
The Grand Canyon Rafting Trips unite tiny groups and form a big family. It’s amusing to socialize with strangers and make new friends without news, television or the internet, and modern amenities.
The intensity of wilderness enhances your senses. You tend to talk about your life and forget that you had a job or studies or anything that holds you back.
The Grand Canyon Rafting Trips is something of an experience, similar to what a child might get when he steps out of the house for the first time.
When you wake up in the morning, you’ll see many footprints. Those are of lizards. You’ll see different species of lizards here.
Post dinner and dance, chats by the bonfire, you’ll go to bed in your tent under the sky full of stars.
Grand Canyon Rafting Trips are great opportunities for the opulent voyage at best. You get to travel with western river expeditions. The Grand Canyon Rafting Trips aren’t tours or your relaxing holidays, and it’s an expedition. Grand Canyon Rafting Trips are something you must experience in a lifetime. Full of adventure, close to nature, personal development, and a lot of memories to cherish.
Also, read about the best of Durango, Colorado here.
Last Updated on by jayeeta.saha
