Grand Canyon Detour - See you in 16 days!

Photos: Stevie and the Canyon Reo folks rigging our 20 ft. raft. Tree checking gear to make sure we have everything for 16 days. Tree packing the water filter.

Since we’ve been living on the road, life has felt right to me, like we’re living in the flow. I think it’s because we’re able to be flexible and respond to the moment that things just seem to fall into place better.

A couple days ago a BIG moment arose. On Friday Tree received a call from a Grand Canyon ranger. A 16 day permit was available starting on June 1st. Due to the extremely short notice, the ranger couldn’t find anyone who wanted the permit, and then Tree’s name came up. After we did the Grand Canyon last fall Tree told me that he really wanted to do a solo trip with just the two of us. His plan was to try and win a cancellation permit. We both knew that if we got one we’d probably only get 4-6 weeks of notice, but now here we were with a permit offer but only 3 ½ days to plan the entire trip!!! These trips usually take weeks if not months to plan and execute.

Immediately I thought of Lava Falls, and my palms began to sweat like a roasted pig. I already survived one Grand Canyon trip, why tempt fate? A ball of nerves, I couldn’t tell if I was excited or terrified. Did I want to go or not? Not wanting my decision to be based on fear, I asked myself if I'd still want to go if I knew for certain that Tree, Kiki and I would be safe during this time. The answer was ABSOLUTELY.

Last October we did this same trip but for 21 days and with 14 friends and family members. For me, it was truly a life-changing experience. Away from the daily monotony, hourly worries, white noise, and the meaningless space-fillers like television and facebook, I was able to be present and focus on what was happening in the moment. The result was a sense of calm and purpose. I realized that this is how we are supposed to feel, and that sadly, I had never felt it before. It was then that I said good-bye to any illusions I had of staying in the corporate world and being a good consumer. Life is too short to not be true to my heart’s intention. It sounds so cliché, I know, but when you actually feel what it feels like to not be soul-starved and sick with anxiety, it just sounds like plain truth. It was directly after this trip that we cast off our old life and started our nomadic Sprinter Life.

I can only imagine what new epiphanies await us on this new journey. For 16 days, Tree and I will push through the flatwater, navigate scary rapids, and sleep under the stars. How could we not go? Doing this trip alone as a couple has been one of our dreams. Tree immediately called Canyon REO to see if they could outfit us for the trip on such short notice, and amazingly enough, they said yes. Tree is well known and respected in the paddlesports industry and the folks at Canyon Reo bent over backwards to make it happen for us. By Sunday morning at 6am, we were at PDX on our way to Flagstaff. Again, everything just seems to be working out like it’s meant-to-be. Tomorrow morning at 5:30am we head to the river. See you all in 16 days!
STEVIE

ps. If you're interested in seeing photos of our last trip down the Grand Canyon, click here...

http://picasaweb.google.com/tree3344/GrandCanyonTrip

Also, we were able to get our Cuba captions back online, so if you never saw those, click here...

http://picasaweb.google.com/tree3344/CubaTrip