Grand Canyon 2008

Pre-Trip

Aaron got the permit in the fall of 2007, so he got ahold of me and we put together the crew. We had wanted all of the folks to commit by the end of the year and that worked out pretty well, but there were a few changes early in 2008. Or biggest dilema was, once we got the 4 raft owners/pilots on board we had a cerw of 5 already. The permit was for a small group (8) and we were torn between inviting some buddies who were good kayakers for safety or - since all 5 already on barod were men - some women to keep our testosterone in check. We opted to balance the party by inviting some adventurous women to come along.

With the crew in place and our boats settle upon, I got down to the business of planning the trip. We would rent a sat phone and our toilet system from Canyon REO, who I'd had good experience with the past. They would also handle our shuttle.

I would deal with everything else.

Putting together a Grand trip is loads of work. So much to do... especially food. My absence from home essentially started after our annual Memorial Day float down the Chama River. Creating a menu, getting the food, packing the coolers, freezing the coolers (thanks once again to Seattle Fish Company for the use of their freezers).