"Bob" <rgsrose RemoveThis @tiac.net> wrote in message
news:6195c839.0311240640.488e9bda@posting.google.com...
> Hello:
>
> Would appreciate any opinions on the Grand Canyon Expeditions Co.
>
> Thinking of signing up with them.
> I guess the normal things I'm after are;
>
> professional ?
> reliable ?
> well run ?
> etc.
>
> Also, any other suggestions for companies to consider would be much
> appreciated.
>
> My limit is (about) a 7 or 8 day trip, and I want to avoid the
> climb-out
> at Phantom ranch which i couldn't do anymore, so I guess I'm forced to
> consider a trip that ends up further downstream at Lake Mead.
>
> The Grand Canyon Expedition ones sound good, as the motorized raft
> doesn't turn me off particularly, and the fact that it is 8 days and
> ends up at Lake Mead sounds good, also.
>
> Good outfit ? Others ?
> Any caveats ?
>
> What should I be asking about them, or trips in general ?
>
>
Bob: GCExpeditions are owned and operated by some good friends of mine,
Garrett, Laurie and Edie Schniewind. Completely professional, excellent
outfit, safe and they will let you know everything you need to know before
you head out.
For the record, Laurie is married to Cam Staveley, who's father and
grandfather are legendary canyoneers from as far back as the 1930s (Gaylord
Staveley and Norm Nevills). Garrett was voted the 'Guide of the Year' for
all of the US three years ago by a leading paddling magazine, and they
employ some of the most seasoned and experienced guides on the river. Their
company is an amalgamation of Canyon Explorations (CanEx) and Expeditions,
Inc.
CanEx was formed about 15 years ago when Edie bought Wilderness World, which
was one of the more alternative outfits in the 80s, after a river trip.
CanEx was initially known as a sort of New Age outfit, and pioneered lots of
very cool 'experiential' trips, with string quartets and chanting and drums
and stuff. Seems weird here online, but trust me, when you are down there in
that way magical place, it fits right in, and you scoff at the more spartan
outfitters. I did several years of trips for CanEx in the 80s and 90s.
Expeditions was one of the founding companies down there (started as Grand
Canyon Youth Expeditions), taking teens on self-rowboats for personal
development, and grew to be one of the big, well established and well
respected outfits. Dick McCallum decided to retire a handful of years ago,
and Garrett and Laurie used their leverage from CanEx to buy him out and
form Canyon Expeditions.
Expeditions has a rich history, and resources from several outfits. Their
trips are a mix of eclectic and traditional, and they have guides who can
move any type of boat there is: canoes, kayaks, dories, paddle boats, row
boats, motor rigs, snouts and J-rigs. Their trips are safe, the food is
excellent, the guides are experienced, diverse and knowledgeable, and the
canyon is stupendous.
I think your only regret will be that you are leaving on day 8. In 15 years
of riverrunning, and over a dozen trips down the Big Ditch, I never met a
client who, at put-in, wasn't <absolutely certain> that 8 days would be
enough, and then wasn't <totally remorseful> that they had to hike out on
day 8. During the upper, you see the most amazing scenery, and then you just
start running the exciting and challenging Big Rapids of the inner gorge,
and just exactly at the moment when you feel like "hey, I can DO this, and
this is freaking GREAT!!", you're at Phantom, and all your new friends are
looking downstream with that titillated, excited, healthy look on their
faces, and you are staring at the canyon walls and the dusty trail out. You
are SO gonna regret doing a half trip.
In any case, tell the folks at Expeditions that I said hello, and I miss the
gang and the river. Laurie is a new mom, so wish her my best.
Myron Buck<!-- ~MESSAGE_AFTER~ -->
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