28 February 2010

THE GRAND (and some memories of N. Az)

Four Sundays from now, we will be shoving off at Lee's Ferry for 20 blissful (and terrifying) days on the Colorado River through Grand Canyon National Park (affectionately known to those of us who've worked in and for the NPS as GRCA and to my river crew as "Little Dorky"). I've long wanted to float the Grand - but never thought it would be a reality until I got caught up with a bunch of river geeks a few years ago. I can't wait to float underneath the bridges and say hasta luego to my world for a while. Especially with the grupo we've got put together. In addition to the normal utarded crew, my bestest friend, Lex, and her boyfriend Joel will be joining us for the first week of the trip.

Probable antics (minus the bottles, add some cans) on the river.
Lex and I, Gila National Forest 2004.
I think the Ecua-skirt might need to come on the Grand with me

We've got a lot to do yet before we head south. Jeremy's been hard at work on the boat (yes, we're taking the dory), adding a Kevlar shoe, installing some footman loops for the hatches, and most importantly, repainting. I know it is important and all to have the dory ready for all possible rock interactions and to have our gear safely stowed in the hatches, but between you and me, alls I want to make sure is that whatever boat I'll be gracing my presence with is going to look DAMN FINE floatin' down the river. I think Jer's done a kick ass job - what do you think?

New artwork on the boat

I have to admit that I'm more than excited to be returning to Northern Arizona. I've spent a lot of time wandering that desert (usually hunched over, identifying and clipping plants, but also while looking windswept and interesting). I lived for many months a year on the Navajo Reservation working as a research biologist, sleeping in the dorms of boarding schools, getting made fun of by friendly navajo ranchers and becoming a gas station coffee connoisseur. Despite whatever was going on in my outside world, I found that the solitude of the high desert and landscapes were good for my soul. Flag was close by when we needed a shower, Pay and Take or some Thai, but my best days started with a cup of coffee from the Chevron and a breakfast burrito comprised of roast mutton and jalapenos wrapped in a homemade tortilla. Those days usually ended with a can of Campbell's chunky and a clandestine beer while the real botanists in our group keyed out our unknown finds. In between sunrise and sundown, we walked the desert, with the sun and wind in our face, always within sight of the sacred San Francisco mountains. I miss it.

Jeremy will be quick to tell you that he's never seen the Grand from either Rim, but has been on two river trips through the park, which is a fairly awesome claim for a river runner. But I'd have to argue that he's missing out. At least when it comes to the North Rim. The summer before Duke, I worked for NAU doing point counts in NPS units around the Four Corners. A beautiful summer to send me out east (and more than enough to make me wonder why in the hell I was moving to North Carolina). The North Rim was amazing - at a thousand feet higher than the South Rim, it is home to Mixed Conifer forests, and at three hours farther from Flag, a hell of a lot less crowded. Most mornings, I was deep in the forest, surrounded by angry house wrens and chickadees, and would be hard pressed to believe that 2 miles away and 5,000 feet down, it was hotter than hades.

View into the Grand Canyon from North Rim - note Aspens in foreground.


Across the Kaibab plateau - looking North


I can't wait to get back to a place I love - get some milkshakes at Lee's, load up the dory and float down the river and gain a new perspective of a place I already cherish. And I especially can't wait to share the experience with some of my closest friends, not to mention my wonderful river runnin', boat buildin', fish slayin' mountain man son of a biscuit. Stay tuned!