Despite what you’ve heard, the Grand Canyon is 90% flat water. You travel around 3-4MPH, working hard to stay in the current and not get caught in the monster swirling eddies that form behind every rock and bend. It’s an incredibly relaxing way to pass your days. Crack a river cold PBR, get to know your boatmates, and stare up in awe of the mind-bending environment through which you are passing.
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There is no place like this anywhere near this place so this must be the place.
One of the things you realize on your trip down the Grand Canyon is that the view from the boat is only scratching the surface. It’s like driving I-5 through Seattle and claiming that you’ve seen the city. The Canyon compels you to get off the boat and explore on foot the endless miles of slot canyons and hidden grottos that plunge deep into the desert wilderness.
Rafting is a lot like car camping. You pack some food. And then you pack a lot more. Steaks? Salmon? Why not? If it fits in the cooler you bring it. There is an interesting phenomenon in the backcountry: every meal is the best meal you’ve ever had. Sure you’ve eaten a bratwurst before, but mowing that thing down after 20 miles of rowing down one of the world’s most powerful rivers takes the deliciousness to whole ‘nuther level.
It’s 100+ degrees outside and every dip in the river is like hitting the reset button on your body temp. You might as well pretend you’re 5 years old and take the slippery route down the Paco Pad carpet.
You think about it for weeks, knowing it’s waiting for you just down stream. Then one morning you wake up on your Paco Pad and realize today is the day you have to face this beautiful, scary beast. Lava Falls looks like someone tilted the ocean on it’s side and poured it over some school bus-sized boulders. Sometimes you find that perfect green carpet, your smooth riding ticket through Lava that delivers you to the bottom of the raging maelstrom unscathed. Sometimes you don’t quite make the line…and you know immediately that you are %$@#ed. Here is one of our trip’s oarsmen, Mike Eichorn, getting swallowed by the beast.
This Busy Livin’ Mission was brought to you by Danny Schmidt and Friends.
-More Photos from Danny Schmidt-
KAVU items featured in this photo story: The Chillba, Fishermans Chillba, Rope Sling, Rope Bag, Synthetic Strapvisor, Breaker Jacket,
© 2026 KAVU
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