Robert Pekel of Rogers couldn't believe his ears when word came that he had the chance to raft through the Grand Canyon as part of an outfitter's crew taking passengers on a 280-mile trip through the spectacular landmark.
Pekel shoved off for the 15-day raft trip in June as part of the crew taking 15 paid passengers on their dream journey down the Colorado River. It was a dream trip for Pekel, too, who worked on the crew as a "swamper" helping with any chores on the river or in camp.
Grand Canyon National Park
Grand Canyon National Park in northern Arizona covers 1,902 square miles. It was established on Feb. 26, 1919. About 5 million people visit the Grand Canyon each year. Most visitors see it from the south rim.
The Colorado River runs the length of the Grand Canyon for 277 miles. The canyon is up to 18 miles wide.
— Source: National Park Service.
Passengers rode in wooden dories that river guides rowed. All gear was carried aboard inflatable rafts rowed by "baggage rowers," who are guides-in-training.
Pekel was aboard one of the rafts each day, whooping and hollering his way through roaring rapids, relaxing in calmer stretches and marveling at some of the most remarkable scenery in the world.
When the flotilla made camp beside the river, Pekel hiked up side canyons, swam among waterfalls and saw Native American pictographs and home sites with the passengers and guides. They saw bighorn sheep, mule deer and birds that are only seen in the West.
A friend helped Pekel, 63, land the coveted job.
"When I heard I was going, I couldn't control myself. This was one trip that I didn't want to not happen," he said. The pay is a free trip through the canyon and a few dollars in tips from passengers.
The crew left at Lee's Ferry at the base of the Lake Powell dam, where many Grand Canyon journeys begin. Take-out was at the headwaters of Lake Mead.
Pekel and river mates navigated over 40 major rapids along the way. The mountains of frothing water got Pekel's heart racing.
"It was wild, like being on a bucking bull ride," he said. "It sounded like the roar of the ocean."
There's a risk to running such wild water, "but the guides and the baggage rowers don't take any chances," Pekel said. "They all know what they're doing."
Powerful eddies and whirlpools await even in calm stretches. The flotilla made it through the canyon without an upset, traveling about 20 miles each day.
Everything the passengers and crew need for 15 days is a lot of gear. What goes down the canyon comes out, Pekel said, including trash, human waste, everything. When it came time to unload the rafts, the group formed a bucket brigade, passing gear hand to hand up the beach.
Everyone got two dry bags to carry their belongings, and a smaller bag for personal items like cameras.
All of the passengers and crew pitched in with the cooking and camp chores, Pekel said. They worked in teams, with each team having their shift at cooking on different days.
"The food was great. We had salmon, filet mignon, shrimp and lots of fruit " Pekel said. Hot as it was, there was frozen ice cream on the last day. Daytime temperatures were around 112 degrees.
"You drank a lot of water and jumped in the river a lot," Pekel said.
There's no cellular service. The lead guide has a satellite phone, Pekel said, but it's used only in emergencies.
"At night the stars filled the sky. We slept in tents a couple of times, but most nights just out in the open on pads,." he recalled. The guides were experts on the water, but also accomplished musicians who entertained the passengers and crew when nightly camp chores were finished.
"Trip of a lifetime" is Pekel's description. Now he's back in the real world, working part time at Home Depot in Rogers. Pekel enjoys gardening and writing and wrote about the trip when he got home.
"The Grand Canyon is an adventurer's paradise, but it takes the work of many individuals and the National Park Service to keep it pristine, natural and out of the hands of greedy developers," Pekel writes. "The Colorado River, as commanding as it is, no longer reaches the Sea of Cortez. Industrial farming and wasteful habits extract so much water from this beautiful river that it completely dries up 90 miles before reaching the sea."
These days Pekel enjoys floating and camping on the Ozarks' streams he has always loved, but he'll always remember his Grand Canyon adventure.
Flip Putthoff can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWAFlip
Sports on 09/22/2015