Colorado River Rafting: THE experience

The journey of life is indeed peculiar, filled with moments that unfold unexpectedly. My long-standing desire, perhaps my greatest one, to visit the Grand Canyon and experience rafting on the Colorado River, came true suddenly. Is there anything sweeter than receiving a message from my friend Rob in the Czech Republic during the Annapurna trek in the beautiful Himalayan town of Manaslu: “I have a spot for Colorado, decide quickly!” It took only a few seconds for my brief response: “I’m going!!!”

And so, just 4 months after returning from Nepal and a month-long wandering in the Annapurna region, another twenty days of activities – this time, on a raft… Yes!!

Stories, photos, and videos about the Colorado River have been presented in countless ways, and everything is known about the canyon itself, the river, its depth, width, and history. So, without repeating others’ facts and experiences, I will share only the essential details and convey the adventure from my perspective.

Colorado River rafting expedition: Basic information

Colorado River Rafting Expedition, Arizona

Duration: 20 days

Length: 450 km

Start: Lees Ferry

Finish: Pearce Ferry

Robert (Rob) and Stanek (Standa), both seasoned whitewater paddlers and frequent visitors to the Colorado River, completed the entire procurement of food and other necessities for 20 days and 15 participants in Flagstaff. We rented equipment (rafts, paddles, boxes, life vests, etc.) from the local agency R.E.O., specializing in such activities. The same agency transported us from Flagstaff to Lees Ferry, our starting point, where rangers checked all the mandatory equipment, such as asbestos blankets/under mats for the fireplace, toilet boxes (yes, all that s**t was on the oar raft throughout the journey and had to reach the destination just like us), various tools, a guidebook-map, satellite phone, and much more. In addition to the above, the person who won the lottery and obtained a permit to organize the expedition had to guarantee compliance with the rules and regulations of the park by their signature. Before the journey itself, we all received a link with basic behavioral instructions and information about the park, and we were examined on these by another ranger who also conducted a safety talk just before we set off on the river. Once all these formalities were over, we quickly jumped into the rafts and embarked on the adventure.

Goin’ down the river

The first half-hour of the river was crystal clear, but as soon as we passed the Badger Creek tributary, it turned muddy in color. After 5-6 days and the confluence with Little Colorado, it became the expected reddish-brown color. In terms of procedures, the days were mostly the same, differing only in how many miles we covered, the nature of the canyon, and, of course, the rapids ahead. In the U.S., the difficulty of rapids is measured on a scale from 1-10, whereas in the rest of the world, it’s from 1-6. Given the volume of the river, even rapids rated 4-5 could flip the raft, but due to the width of the river and the possibility of passage in multiple places, it wasn’t too daunting. We scouted all the so-called smaller rapids from the raft, while we scouted class 8 and the only one class 9, Lava Falls, from the shore.

In the first 5-6 days, we all lost our sense of time, and the only measure was the schedule for food, sleep, and waking up; everything else was left behind. The weather wasn’t favorable. It was the rainiest and coldest March with a lot of wind and temperatures below 0 at night. One day, the wind battered us from morning until afternoon, and then it turned into a sandstorm. For those few hours, we were tucked and huddled in the raft behind a rock, hoping it would pass quickly, but it took a while. The wind was so strong that it started lifting the raft, and visibility was minimal due to the sand.

Scenic canyons and exploration

After the initial week, the days passed too quickly. The feeling of freedom and living with the canyon was so deep and pleasant that I wished this could last for months. In addition to paddling, every day we camped beside a canyon, explored it, and enjoyed their shapes and creations. Sometimes, after several miles of paddling, we entered a canyon, spending hours exploring the mazes on foot and moving from one to another, only to return to the Colorado, where some of us would lower the raft and pick up trackers.

Final thoughts

Twenty beautiful days of paddling, camping, campfires, guitar playing, laughter… Freedom… flew by, but I will certainly visit that river at least one more time!