I thought this rafting trip would be a wet rush in a beautiful location with some sand thrown in. Well, it was all that but so much more. Nothing, not even the promo videos, could have prepared me for the experience.  
This is a trip I would highly (read very highly) recommend to anyone who has the physical ability and the desire to make it happen.
I can honestly say I found myself on this trip and at 59 years of age I didn't really think I was lost! 

Before I go in to that I'll give you some information on the trip itself.

We took an 8 day white water rafting trip with Grand Canyon Expeditions. The night before we started there was an orientation meeting in our hotel. We were handed a dry bag each and a waterproof tin box for daily essentials. 
  
The next morning we were on the bus (packed, checked out and fed) by 5 am. Around 10 am we arrived at Lee's Ferry where our rafts were waiting.
   
The long bus ride gave us a chance to sleep, meet fellow passengers and even buy some home made cookies along the way. Bob, the head boatman, was on the bus with us giving us more information about the trip and about the canyon itself. As the trip went on Bob came to be affectionately referred to as 'Major Embellishment'. 
  
At Lee's Ferry we met Jason (the captain of the second raft who came to be known as Captain Confidence). James and Zack rounded out the crew.

The rafts are refurbished WWII transport craft.... look pretty good for their age! I was amazed at how much storage they had as we formed the first of many cargo lines passing bags etc. on to the craft. Got to be pretty good at by the end of 8 days!

The rafts were on the water before 11am with all the passengers having all three buckles of their lifejackets done up and (for me) a two handed white knuckle death grip wherever I could (Jason's warning for the big rapids).

Then came the first of many rapids. It only took one to get me right into it. Hang on, hoot & holler but keep your mouth closed when the water hits.... especially the big waves!

The week we were on the water was, according to Captain Bob, big water. Each trip they take down the river is different. Apparently the water was moving at 22,000 cubic feet a second when we were there. Big water makes for huge rollers and a wild ride. The river descends an average of 8 feet per mile. Some of the rapids we went over had a drop of 20-30 feet . Those were wild rides and I was up front for quite a few of those..... boy what a white knuckle rush!

Here's what a typical day would be:
 
- coffee ready by 6 am
- a big breakfast shortly after (we ate eggs, bacon or sausage, english muffins, fruit salad etc!!)
- cargo line loading 1st chairs, 2nd grey bags (they held sleeping bags & pads), 3rd tan dry bags, 4th metal personal item tins.
- life jackets on (3 buckles done up)
- find a place on the raft
- on the water by 8 am 
** good idea to wear rain gear in the morning, those river showers can be cold!

- on the water you motor along fast moving water in a kind of a trance. All around you the red and gold of the canyon walls are constantly changing.  
Just when you are lulled in to thinking all is calm and peaceful you hear the familiar:  "You might want to hang on just a little bit" or " Two handed white knuckle death grip!".  
That's when you find yourself taking a shower (or a bath) as you rock and roll down the wild rapids of the Colorado.
Just as suddenly it all returns to calm and beauty once again.

-We took frequent stops to hike small canyons or bathe (no soap) in pristine waterfalls.

-On the water, if it was too hot, our boatmen would find us a shady spot (if possible) and let us drift in the cool. If there were no shady spots Bob or Jason would find a way to cool us off, often by turning a hose on us or dunking us with buckets of water.

(One day the first boat hid in a canyon while the second one went through rapids. Just as they cleared the rapids we came out in Pirate gear brandishing water sprayers and chased our foe until victory was ours. Felt like an 8 year old.... too much fun!)

- Lunch break was casual and nutritious. The beer (and juice, pop etc.) is always cold as they put it in a woven bag and drag it behind the raft.

Then there is more rafting, soaking, drying off, laughing and learning.

- At night, after a great dinner, we fall into a deep sleep under the stars.  
(The stars are amazing in the Canyon with no city lights to dim them. It was hard to stay awake long enough to enjoy them though.)

Then we begin the day again.... and remember, "Sand is your friend"... hard to remember when it finds it's way into every nook and cranny you have.

Here's what you should take if you choose to do this trip:

Sunscreen (water resistant, and more than you think you need)
Lip Balm with sunscreen
Skin cream (your skin dries out and can crack... take lots!)
Pillow (I had to sleep on an empty wine bag which took me a few days to get to!!)
Backpack
Water bottle
Good rain gear
Clips to easily attach backpack or water bottle to the raft.
Hat (2 in case you lose one)
Wrap around sun glasses (2 in case you break or lose one like I did!)
Good water shoes or sandals... make sure they won't come off in a strong current
2 Long sleeve UV protected shirts... you'll use these more than Tee shirts because of the sun.
Quick drying shorts (2) and pants (2)
Bathing suit (2 piece for women)
Head lamp
Towel
Soap / Shampoo
Sarong (great to get wet and wrap around you when it is 100 F!!)

So now you know what a typical day is like, and what to bring. Now all you need is a sense of adventure and the desire to see one of the most beautiful places in the world.  

At the beginning of the trip we were told it would be a life changing experience. I've seen a lot of this world, been to places that, as a child, I never dreamed were possible. Many, no all, of these experiences have changed my life making me see things with different eyes.

In the Grand Canyon I became a child again as well as a wise woman approaching my 60th year on this earth. It wasn't the petroglyphs or the site where a village stood hundreds of years ago..... It wasn't the wild water or the beautiful canyon vistas..... it was the quiet. It was the time away from TV, computers, telephones, noise, lights, makeup and worries.  

In this quiet wild place I found the person I thought I had left behind. From Lees Ferry to Pierce's Ferry (where we boarded the bus home) there were eight days of discovery.

I wrote the following as we sat in the cool quiet of a side canyon on day 5.  

We sit:
Where 500 million years ago
Sea water rushed by on it's epic journey to the New World
Crashing and boiling as it carved a ruinous passage
to settle where life can, once again, reclaim it's womb.

We sit"
In awe
Amazed that we have the privilege to be a part of this journey through time.
Though we are settled in our own lives...
The world of our present existence ensures that we will never be the same.
Our reality has been touched and forever changed by these few moments in endless time.

We lead restless, breathless lives grasping to do.
To do all that must and can be done before our speck of existence is dust.

We forget to sit, listen and remember.

It is not how much we accomplish,
Rather it is the 'who' we become.

And so I sit...... and listen..... and become.