My family just returned from the biggest adventure we have ever taken as a group. Out of cell phone range, no texting, no TV – only stars, water, rocks (lots of them) and the quiet disturbed by the simple roar of a million cicadas. If the location is not obvious, I’ll give you a big hint – it was a Grand time. The five of us rafted 160 miles of the Colorado River through the heart of the Grand Canyon under the expert care and supervision of Outdoors Unlimited.
Our float was a 7 person raft all of 12 feet long. In fact, we saw a condor in the distance whose wingspan was bigger than our craft! Over the course of 8 days, we conquered over 100 rapids ranging from class 2-5 (3-10 in the Canyon numbering system) and were fortunate that our family did not have a “swimmer” except when we wanted to cool off. For our youngest, an 11-year-old, it was a time of overcoming fear born of waves that were three times his size. For our oldest, it was a time of humility having to shampoo in waters soiled by the flash floods of the Little Colorado upstream.
As for me, it was a time to watch my family grow closer together through the shared experience. The first day’s 7.5 mile hike from the Rim deep into the Canyon where the Colorado River cut its path was a challenge for us all as the heat of the day built. Our college student raced down reaching the end about an hour before the rest of us and then returned to help her sister with her load! We were glad to see her and thankful for the help and attitude. Seeing my wife try to sleep in the 90 degree heat and then waking the next day to paddle 25 miles with a smile on her face provided me with a deeper appreciation of her commitment to being one with the family. She wouldn’t have had the rest of us share the experience without her being there!
And then there was the excitement - rapids that have challenged the best and that roar with the power of a thousand locomotives. At heart, I am a bit of a tinkerer and I made a little fixture for a hat that could hold a camera, “HatCam” as it became affectionately called. After thorough testing, we braved Lava Falls with the rig in the raft and you might enjoy the 1 minute condensed version of the ride on YouTube.
I just adored the enthusiasm of my son as he finished the ride without falling out. I think his mom was greatly relieved as we realized this was the toughest one we would face on the 8-day trip.
Also of note for me on the trip was the beauty of the night sky. Seeing with the naked-eye man-made satellites course the sky, the Milky-Way stretch across from horizon to horizon and the awesome countless stars that just are not visible in Tennessee were my nighttime highlights. When the cicadas quieted, the silence was deafening and the scene powerfully peaceful. It was a special time to consider the awesome wonder of creation and the timeless splendor of nature.
So far from our comfort zone, we deepened our respect for those skilled at navigating these waters and that took such great care of us. Enjoying the journey with new friends and families from California, Kentucky, Washington state and Canada we realized that shared experience can gel a community very quickly! That’s part of our plan for Abunga – that the shared experience of making intentional choices for our family will grow a strong and purposeful community.
Lee Martin
Sometimes this strategy of picking something for my kids that I think they will like often backfires – I read or watch something that I think my kids would like and they look at me like I am crazy. At other times the outcome provides me with some delayed gratification. About four years ago I bought my oldest son the book The Door Within by Wayne Thomas Batson. It sat on his bookshelf for three years before he picked it up to read “because he was “bored”. He read the book within a day and then came to me asking urgently for the other two in the series: The Rise of the Wyrm Lord and The Final Storm. Kids are so funny!
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