[OSList] Easy Forward

[Gail West]

Wonderful story.  Just 50 years ago this summer I took a similar
raft/hiking trip.  Thank you for the memories!

Gail



On Mon, Jun 10, 2013 at 12:13 AM, Christine Whitney Sanchez <
christine at innovationpartners.com> wrote:

> Dear Open Space friends,
>
> I recently returned from a rafting trip down the Colorado River in the
> Grand Canyon.  It was, indeed, a grand experience filled with challenge,
> adventure, beauty and joy.  I'm still learning from the journey and would
> like to share the open space lessons.
>
> My husband, friends and I began our adventure by hiking nine miles from
> the rim of the Grand Canyon, descending 4380 feet to the to the Colorado
> River, which carved out this wonder of the world.  It's a stunning view all
> the way down, finishing with a hot and challenging part of the trail aptly
> named the Devil's Corkscrew.  By the time we reached the river to join up
> with the rafting company, I was already aware of having packed too much.
>  Nothing like hauling stuff in a backpack to increase awareness of
> overconsumption.
>
> Next time I will be asking, what is one less thing to bring?
>
> Arizona Raft Adventures (AzRA) guided us on our 9 day paddle trip.  This
> company is structured for safety and fun and to allow for maximum
> self-organization while on the river.  The 85 river guides employed by the
> company post their preferences for which types of trips they would like to
> work on during the season.  They are guided by passion and responsibility.
>
> Each trip is staffed by a different configuration of guides, each playing
> different roles than the last trip they worked.  For instance, our trip
> leader, BJ, will be the paddle boat captain on his next trip and our head
> cook, Neil, will be the trip leader on his next trip.  In this way, "No one
> is better than anyone else - we all do every job and we all respect each
> other."
>
> I had never paddled through rapids before and felt intimidated at first.
>  But Derek, our paddle boat captain created a minimal structure that
> allowed for all of us to bring our strength and new skill to bear.  In an
> almost casual way, he would describe what we could expect from the rapid.
>  "There's a 26 foot drop, a big hole at first so you are going to get wet.
>  We don't want to get caught in the eddy on the left.  If the boat flips,
> hold onto your paddle and swim toward the right bank."  We had an idea of
> what was coming.
>
> As we approached legendary Lava Falls, a class 10 rapid and one of the top
> 21 in the world, we were confident that the six of us paddling with Derek
> on oar could handle whatever emerged.  He gave the command "Easy Forward"
> which means to get into a gentle rhythm of paddling together and then "All
> Forward" which told us to use our upper bodies to paddle as strongly as we
> could.  In the middle of the rapid he yelled, "Right forward, left back"
> which turned our boat around and kept us from flipping.
>
> We were exhilarated as we reached the bottom of Lava Falls. After we
> touched our paddles in the air in a "high five" celebration, we heard what
> has become my new mantra: "Easy Forward".
>
> Warm wishes from a hot Phoenix morning,
>
> Christine
>
> Christine Whitney Sanchez, Partner
> Innovation Partners International
> Phoenix, AZ, USA  +1.480.759.0262
> www.innovationpartners.com
>
>
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-- 
*Gail West, ICA*
*3F, No. 12, Lane 5, Tien Mou W Rd
Taipei, Taiwan 111
Ph) 8862) 2871-3150*
email) icataiw at gmail.com
Skype) gwestica
www.icatw.com
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