Grand Canyon, AZ

People do, however, pay attention to the whitewater; it demands respect. There is genuine power in these waters squeezed between towering canyon walls. The rapids and "big water" pulse and breathe. A bobbing, up-and-down feeling occurs, as if you were in a lifeboat, but lost on the ocean-a bit soothing and a bit terrifying. A pool-drop ebb-and-flow pattern exists between the rapids and the flatwater, offering pools for rest and reflection before the next challenge. Without a doubt there are huge features to desperately avoid or to ecstatically surf, but above all there is an overriding respect for the absolute power and strength of the Grand's rapids.

They pack a mighty punch but also offer a smooth, gliding ride. These punchy, in-your-face rapids have names like House Rock, Horn Creek, Granite, Upset, and, of course, the famous Lava Falls. Fun and a bit less stressful big-wave rapids are the Roaring '20s, Sockdolager, Hermit, Dubendorff, and the Gem Series, to name a few. As the days go by, paddlers lose their sense of "foreignness" in the huge rapids and become more relaxed and accustomed to the size of the waves and holes. They are inseparable from their boats and become one with the water. Paddling down the Grand is both a humbling and rewarding experience, one that shapes paddlers' confidence for rivers to be paddled well into the future.

The main canyon of the Grand is huge and expansive, but there also exists a smaller, more intimate part. This soft and pleasant intimacy is found in the side canyons that are explored on foot. Circuitous, scrambling, wet, and captivating routes are offered up from countless side-hikes in the finger canyons that grasp the main canyon. Deep in these side canyons, it is possible to lose the constant sound of the roaring water, and there are even places where pure silence exists.

This silence pierces the body, reverberating inside. Calm breathing replaces rapid heartbeats. Excitement and peacefulness exist together in the Grand.

Even after weeks, the take-out comes way too soon. No one is ever ready for such a magical, timeless, and rewarding experience to come to an end. Paddlers are transformed as the miles pass beneath them, and all too suddenly it is time to venture forth as new people into the same old world that was left behind. The Grand experience is so profound that if you were to go right back up to the put-in and launch again, it would not be boring at all, and new things would be seen and new feelings felt. There is just too much to swallow on one trip, no matter how long. Craving more, you will find that it's absolutely necessary to get back to the put-in at Lee's Ferry as soon as possible.