My family and I just returned from the four day, upper half, motor trip (May 26th-29th). I wanted to take a moment to thank you for such an amazing adventure of a lifetime that we will cherish forever.

Not only, were our guides, Jeff, Chris and Ted, extremely knowledgeable and informative about the Grand Canyon and Colorado River, they were genuinely nice people whose personalities, perfectly, complimented each other and made our trip even more exciting and entertaining. It was obvious from the start, that we were in capable and efficient hands and that all the essential details of our trip, from the time we spent on the river to day hikes and camp set-up, would be handled expertly and efficiently, allowing for us to fully enjoy and experience our trip to the fullest.

Jeff, the ever present, planner and organizer orchestrated each day perfectly without any glitches. However, at the end of the day or in between tasks, he always took the time to interact with us, relaying some of his personal experiences or entertaining us with stories and giving us the opportunity to get to know him a little better.

When I think of Chris, I will always remember his genuine and contagious exuberance and excitement while traveling on the river. I still smile when I recall his repeatedly giving thumbs up followed by, “Everybody doin’ okay?” throughout the trip, but It was after we completed the Hanson Rapid that I realized how in control and skilled he really was at maneuvering the river and the rapids. He did an awesome job and was in complete control the entire time, giving me complete confidence in our safety and well being.

It was obvious that Ted, while quieter than Jeff and Chris, was just as devoted and knowledgeable of his surroundings in the Grand Canyon, all the while taking great effort in making sure that we got the most out of our trip. I’ll never forget the hike up to the Native American Granaries that Ted took us on, bringing his guitar along and sharing his musical talent with us or of him reading a short story to us on the final trek of our trip, where the author wrote of the soulful impressions that the Grand Canyon had made on him. Such an appropriate and memorable goodbye for such a memorable event.

On our first day, as the bus driver that dropped us off at Lee’s Ferry, he told us that the river would change us. Well, he was right, we are a little different now from what we were before our trip. Not just from the river though, but rather, the trip as a whole and an experience of a lifetime, something we will cherish always. Thank you Grand Canyon White Water, Jeff, Chris and Ted for a trip down the Colorado River that we will never forget!

Sincerely,

Jerry, Julie and Alyssa Kaiser

Photo: The Kaiser’s rafting group enjoy a cloudy day on the Colorado River.