by Trisha Moses
To read about our SPLASH! tour Click Here!
I am the only woman on a tour with ten gay men, plus our Captain and his assistant, the swamper. How will it go? Will they like me? Will they be bothered to have a female on their tour? I will have to wait and see how this unfolds…
Orientation time rolls around and I stroll into the hotel lobby to meet the adventurous men I will spend the next eight isolated days with. As everyone mingles and chats; it is clear that they are excited for this dream journey. Things are off to a wonderful start! I stress to the group that if everyone begins this trip with no expectations, it will not disappoint.
We head out early the next morning to meet our crew at Lee’s Ferry and board our vessel. Goodbye world of cell phones and internet. I will not miss you over the next eight days! Plus, no schedule; up with the sun and down when you lose focus from staring at the stars for so long. Bring it on! This is my kind of adventure.
Within a few days, everyone has found their place on the boat and within the group. The laughter never stops and it’s very contagious. Michael is endlessly seeing faces in every rock formation; it’s a fun, never-ending game. I wonder if this will get old?
Paul and Brian are in a fun competition of who gets splashed the most by the “little insults” from between the mainframe and pontoon on either side of the boat. Above is a glimpse of Brian getting multiple little insults thrown his way. I’d say he easily won that round. (Video compliments of Bernard Lo)
The weather is great! Only a few sprinkles; which do not actually matter, the raindrops are warmer than the spray of the cool rapids. It’s a nice balance; as we find ourselves too warm from the sun, POW, another rapid comes along to cool down the front of the boat.
Personally, I feel the front of the boat is the best. It has a great view and there is no wondering if you will get wet….you will. You will absolutely get soaked and it will be amazing! You will hear yourself scream in pure delight and eagerly wait for the next one. As you see above, there are also times of calm, after all, we do need time to dry out.
The hikes are more impressive, as we make our way farther down the Colorado River. As huge as The Grand Canyon is; I feel I could spend my life down here and still not see it all! Once a few more guys braved getting closer to Deer Creek Falls (pictured above), they went ahead and gave me a great moon shot! When in nature; bare it all!
Our lunch stops along the river are a great time to get off the vessel and stretch your legs. Some of us find shade and relax, while others go on quick explorations.
It’s only day 3 and we are really getting into the groove of river life. It feels like we have been down here for weeks; which worries me. I fear that this will end sooner than we would all like!
To read details about our SPLASH! tour Click Here!
Click here to check out our Gay Grand Canyon Rafting adventure.
