Day #2: Whitewater in the Grand Canyon

We did it! I don't know how, but we conquered the class 8 rapids today under the clearest sky in 97 degree temperatures. Our journey started at 6:30am from the Hualapai Lodge in Peach Springs,  AZ. After a hardy breakfast, doused in PF50 with shades and a baseball cap, we headed out for the adventure of a lifetime. Just me and my beautiful,  thoughtful, funny, brave, children.

It was a perfect day for a guided motorized pontoon boat ride down the Colorado River.  Audrey in the front of the boat, Stanley wedged between me and Aud, with Henry on the end closet to the river guide. After 30 brief seconds, it was GO TIME! Audrey took the first and subsequent hits from the raging river. She was so brave, so fearless, so strong. No one else could have been the anchor to this ride. I held on so tightly that my hands were blistering from the wet grasp. The rapids lasted for the first hour of our 5-hour trip. First a 4, then a 6, then a 7, AND then a class 8 rapid! I was literally flying in the air. My butt hit back down like a ton of bricks magnetized by the bottom of the river. We all held on for our lives, laughing and celebrating every victorious defeat of the rapids. I don't know how we managed to all stay in the boat. It was terrifying and monumentally fun all at the same time. The kids were laughing and screaming with every wave.

An hour in, we stopped on the river to take a brief hike to a waterfall. It was challenging to scale the rock walls, holding onto ropes, climbing rope latters, slippery,  high, but we did it and we made it back down. It was exhilarating and scary. The kids were so brave. We got back onto the river and stopped for lunch and a leisurely 2-hour ride down the river riding towards the breathtaking views of the Grand Canyon. It was a perfect day. I felt grateful to be sharing this moment with my children in the face of extraordinary beauty.

We got to the helipad after 40 miles rafting on the river and flew seven minutes within the Canyon to the Skywalk Bridge that looked 2,000 feet straight down to the Canyon floor. The kids and I were exhausted and ready to head back to the room for a little room service and a nice comfortable bed. What a glorious day!