“Birthdays are fun! It wasn’t my birthday, it was Tyler’s (our expedition leader through Grand Canyon), but I think it’s safe to say that a good time was had by all.  Tyler’s 25^th birthday fell on the 7^th day of our 8 day rafting adventure… so it was our last evening together and time to celebrate.  There was a gal on the trip, Margi, who had a lot of spunk and should be a party planner in her next life.  Margi initiated a “crazy hat night” AND “toga night” for Tyler’s birthday party.  She had picked some grapevines from Havasu Creek a day earlier and created a birthday crown for Tyler’s crazy hat.  Other passengers let their creativity run wild to find crazy “hats” and, just before dinner, began emerging in their new head wear.  We had all sorts of crazy hats: an entire tackle box hooked to a hat, an empty wine bag re-inflated, the dry bag standing upright on someone’s  head,  an empty mixed nuts jar attached by a duck tape head strap, socks hanging from ears, you name it someone was wearing it.. on their head!  Well, the birthday boy was surprised by the group effort and his new birthday crown but soon found out that wasn’t the end of the festivities.  As Margi said the word, everyone retreated back to their camps, dressed themselves in their togas and came back to the kitchen in a conga line singing happy birthday.  After steak dinner (yum!) we had a double-layer black forest dutch oven birthday cake.  And to finish off the night we revealed one last surprise – we had crafted a piñata out of the cardboard boxes from wheat thins and cereal and whatever else we could find.  A white water raft trip is the perfect place to let loose and celebrate and always with great people!  It was one of the best birthdays I’ve had – and it wasn’t even my own!”

–Kelly     Grand Canyon Whitewater River Guide