Our friend Jay Daniel sat in the middle of the raft, an oar in each hand, as the current swept us toward the rapid. Donna and I tightened our life jackets, gripped the raft’s straps, and tried to settle our flip-flopping stomachs. The raft plunged into the churning maelstrom of green-and-white breakers, and, thrown into the moment, we forgot all our nervousness. We bounced along and shrieked with glee as the waves tossed our raft and doused us.
“You’ve got a good line, Jay!’’ yelled Donna, scouting the waves to come. “Now pull right!’’ Jay looked behind and steered just left of a jumble of ragged rocks, then right of two Volkswagen-sized hydraulic holes. We rolled over the waves and slipped into the harmless riffles below the rapid - power-washed, jubilant, and still upright.
“That was awesome!’’ Donna yelled as Jay raised his hands for high fives.
It was day four of our 18-day, 226-mile raft journey through the Grand Canyon. For river aficionados, this is the country’s marquee river trip, not only for its theme-park-ride rapids, grandiose desert scenery, and storied history, but also for its sheer length and wildness. Between Lees Ferry and Diamond Creek, rafters encounter only one sign of modern civilization: Phantom Ranch, a hike-in lodge at river mile 88; otherwise there are no roads, no convenience stores, no Starbucks.
Perhaps that explains why there was a 25-year waiting list for self-guided raft-trip permits until three years ago, when the National Park Service changed to a weighted lottery, in which priority goes to those who have never experienced the river. Now, a prospective rafter can procure a permit in a matter of months or years instead of decades. While many people circumvent the lottery by signing up for commercially guided raft trips, there are advantages to doing it oneself.
“People enjoy the challenge and adventure of piloting their own raft and making their own plans and decisions,’’ said Steve Sullivan, permits program manager for the Grand Canyon’s River Permits Office. “And that’s the least expensive way to do this.’’
