The bright October sun beams down onto the rapid known as Lava Falls as though it were focused through some sort of celestial magnifying glass. High above, the walls of the Grand Canyon climb nearly 5,000ft, revealing 1.7 billion years of geologic history from the pink Kaibab limestone down to the black Vishnu Schist, each layer reveals another chapter of the earth&rsquos history. Rough, rocky stripes resemble a growth chart for the planet, the sort of thing your parents likely marked on the kitchen wall or doorway to your bedroom. But, for now, as I peer down from a bluff dotted with the spiky Yuccas and gnarled tamarisk bushes for a safe way through the boiling rapid, the past is inconsequential. The thunder of the Colorado river, which drops a radical 13ft at Lava Falls, rings in my ears. The exploding waves offer confirmation that we are set to descend one of the toughest stretches of whitewater in North America.
I have waited 10 years to get here, and right now there is no place in the world that I would rather be. It&rsquos safe to say that the same is true for the other 15 people along for the ride. And the surprising thing is that while Lava Falls and other rough rapids will end up grand, flashy highlights to our Grand Canyon float, a voyage undertaken each year by approximately 20,000 people, our crew will also find joy in long, lazy days on the river, campfire singalongs and occasional hikes up and down the hidden canyons along the river&rsquos length. In the absence of cell phones, iPods and the Internet, we&rsquoll make our own music, devise our own games, and discover something like salvation in the wilderness.
Like many Americans, floating the Grand Canyon long lingered near the top of my life list for outdoor adventures, in a space generally reserved for fantasies and what-ifs. Really, there is no more storied river in the US than the Colorado, which was first navigated successfully in 1869 by Major John Wesley Powell, a 35-year-old Civil War veteran. Having taken three months and covered more than 1,000 river miles with his crew, Powell&rsquos accomplishment is all the more incredible when you keep in mind that his right arm was amputated during the war. Lake Powell was named for the pioneering explorer, while on the canyon&rsquos South Rim stands a memorial erected in 1915. Today, the standard Colorado river trip starts at Lee&rsquos Ferry, and travels 270 miles through the deepest, narrowest sections of the canyon before ending on the slack water behind Hoover Dam.
Most people raft the Grand Canyon with a commercial outfitter although adding to my high spirits and good fortune was the fact that I had friends willing and capable to make a three-week assault on the mighty Colorado. Our private trip had been incubated by my old pal Wayne Fairchild, a veteran guide from Montana, who a decade earlier had invited me to join him whenever he and his father Gene managed to draw a private permit for the Grand Canyon. This meant that instead of relying on guides to figure out the logistics, menus and safety, the planning fell to Wayne and his hand-picked crew in the end, most of the team was made up of professional guides from other areas of the country, who were taking a busman&rsquos holiday by &ldquopushing rubber on the Grand&rdquo. I was one of six replacement rowers invited to meet the raft flotilla after the first week.
As part of the week-two crew, we had missed a week of paddling, but I was content to hit the South Rim and make the five-mile hike down South Kaibab Trail to Phantom Ranch. As soon as I dropped off the rim, and out of the morning sunlight, the whole personality of the canyon seemed to change I left behind the crowds and the &lsquoindustrial tourism&rsquo that the late patron saint of the Southwestern desert Ed Abbey decried, and found myself face-to-face with a wildly complex world of sand and scrub. As opposed to looking down on wildlife such as the endangered California condor, I felt the animals looking down on me. Given that most of the four million visitors who come to the Grand Canyon spend just a few hours exploring the 1.2 million acre park, it felt good to have the trail alone for most of the morning, but I could hardly keep from rushing headlong directly to the river. From Phantom Ranch, we still had 140 miles of river to cover, and the challenges of not just Lava, but the notorious rapids at Horn Creek, Crystal, and Upset &mdash to name a few the journey looked ambitious, if nothing else.
Now, as the days begin to flow together, I find myself amid long-time and newfound friends, watching my buddy Wayne and his father make their way down the slick tongue of green water that leads to the maw of Lava Falls. Up front, Gene carries his paddle at the ready, while Wayne digs in with long oars, shifting the 18-ft boat. It drops off the lip of the falls, and one after the other, waves detonate off the rubber. Shuddering with effort, Wayne keeps the raft in the meat of the current. An old pro, he&rsquos through safely in just a few seconds. A loud cheer goes up &mdash even as I raise my voice, I ponder my own chances.
When it comes to a major river like the Colorado, there&rsquos no such thing as a sure thing, except perhaps the adventure of a lifetime. Forgive the cliché. As I drift into Lava, the boats ahead bob as if in slow motion. Although whitewater usually produces a rush, I feel remarkably calm as I brace against the waves, and row, row, row out of harm&rsquos way.
Downstream, we raise a boisterous toast. We&rsquoll have another week on the water, but for the time being the future doesn&rsquot matter. We&rsquore here now.
The information
Getting there
Located in the western US state of Arizona, Grand Canyon National Park can be reached by car from Phoenix or Flagstaff, or a five-hour drive from Las Vegas, Nevada. Head for the South Rim. The Colorado River runs through the heart of the park. The official US Grand Canyon website is www.nps.gov/grca.
When to go
The Grand Canyon offers different experiences in all seasons. Most rafting takes place between April and October, the summer vacations being a peak period for rafters despite the heat of the desert.
Where to stay
In addition to abundant campgrounds, the Xanterra Company runs several inns at the national park (www.grandcanyonlodges.com). The 100-year-old El Tovar Hotel is the ritziest of them, on the South Rim. There are also lodgings just outside the park.
Getting around
Open Road Tours offers service between Phoenix and Flagstaff, and between Flagstaff and Grand Canyon Village (001-928-226-8060, https://openroadtoursusa.com). Xanterra South Rim operates a taxi service between hotels and the Grand Canyon Village (001-928-638-2822). In addition, the historic Grand Canyon Railway offers service from nearby Williams (001-800-THE-TRAIN).
River outfitters
OARS offer trips of 9-22 days (starting at $3,213, www.oars.com). Arizona Raft Adventures offer all-paddle raft trips and &lsquopartial-paddle&rsquo trips (from $1,565, www.azraft.com). Arizona Outback Adventures offers treks to Havasu Falls (up to 5 days, starting at $1,250, www.aoa-adventures.com). Several other guide services can be found on the Internet.
Tip
Even if you can&rsquot find the time for a full-length raft trip, the South Rim really is one of the natural wonders of the world. But it&rsquos also crowded with tourists. The best way to escape them is to take a hike into the canyon there are day trips as well as overnight camps, and if you don&rsquot want to walk, there are also donkey rides into the canyon. Once again, the main concessionaire is Xanterra. The best destination for an overnight trip is Phantom Ranch it&rsquos a very tough day trip, though.