on the flip side

had a amazing 15-days floating down the Colorado river through the grand canyon with the ETC folks. i won't lie, it was a good amount of work being the trip leader for the ETC folks, and making sure that everyone was getting the most out of the trip as possible, but always worth every second spent in the magical place. a big piece of my heart and soul lives in that canyon, and I treasure every opportunity I have had to visit it down there.

it is really hard to begin to summarize the experiences, or put into words the cohesive community that our group became. the guides we partnered with in this trip really brought an amazing amount of experience and energy, which allowed us to push boundaries, and make the accessibility of the adventure a success for everyone.

some highlights were:

-playin a knock down, drag them out game of whiffle ball in redwall cavern mixing up folks in wheelchairs at bat, and folks with visual impairments as the runners. not to mention barbara diving into home plate flat on her belly, missing the plate by 6".

-using the IKs and wheelchairs attached to poles to carry Elena and mandy up into some of the side canyons, especially shinomu creek to the waterfall where we all frolicked together.

-moonlit hike up to nankoweap with the rest of the guides. (ssshhhh... don't tell! ha.)

-paddling the double IK through Upset rapid with marlowe, and getting chomped in the last wave... only to look downstream and see Liz come through upright on her own!!!

-pillow talk at night with marlowe! :)

-making the rounds and checking in with everyone in the morning and throughout the day. I had some amazing and wonderful conversations with each and every individual on the trip. learning to balance emotional and physical needs.

-dressing up in my pink frilly dress at tequila beach, and then putting myself to bed after a few too many g&t's. (tinkerbell down!)

-Mandy and Dori's constant laughter!

-quickly arriving in the canyon, getting my dirty river guide on, and cherishing every moment I was there!

-barbara and somer taunting each other with profanity playing koob!

-learning new information and techniques from our guides.... trying to remember as much as possible.

the memories will keep coming, and keep a smile on my face for a long time to come. I hope that I can be part of many more trips through the grand canyon in my lifetime!!

we had a pizza party back at the hotel in flagstaff to celebrate the night we returned. more laughs, memories, hugs and smiles were shared over a few well deserved cocktails! it was bittersweet as always to break from the group we spent 15 intense days with, but time to move on.