The Crew

A total of 24 people made the trip, 16 at a time.  An exchange of 8 people took place on Day 6 at Phantom Ranch.  The core of the trip was the full-trippers, mostly boat captains and a couple of folks with ìsteadyî jobs on the river.

Full Trippers

Brian - Iíve known Brian for o ver 20 years.  We roomed in college 24 years ago and have remained friends ever since, rafting, climbing and hiking much of the western US and pretty much all of Arizona.  A teacher, he was the permittee for the trip, putting in every year to keep the permit aliveÖfor 12 years.  He then was the primary organizer of the trip and the primary paddle boat captain.  A peacemaker and very well centered individual, Brian did an incredible job of pulling the entire trip together and keeping it going through the rough spots once we were on the river.  He also proved himself to be one helluva paddle boat captain and riverman.  This was his third trip, his second piloting a paddle boat.  Hats off, amigo.

Al - Al is an incredible riverman, having run the Canyon at least six times and numerous other rivers including the Green.  He knows the Canyon, too, having hiked many of its back country trails.  ìSemiî retired, Al is a school psychologist for a major Phoenix area high school district.  On Day 2, after battling 50 mile an hour winds all day and then downing 1.5 liters of Tequila, Al organized the Grand Canyon River Runners Union.  We are all Union Men to this day.

Eddie - On his fifth trip down the river, Eddie is a retired special education teacher.  He is known as ìSteady Eddieî among the crews for his very smooth runs on rapids.  He needs his steadiness.  Eddie has run Bedrock Rapid on the left side, a side that one guide states is ìnot recommendedî three times.  Including this time!

Tim - Al summed up Timís two runs as an oarboat captain down the river best:  ìStill dry after all these years.î  Tim is an experienced paddler and kayaker as well as Canyon riverman.  His only fault is his penchant for placing his boat into eddys.  When a comment was made about that particular skill being prevalent in 1999, his only comment was ìwe still have that problem.î

Steve - Steve gets the Cool Hand Award.  An experienced canoeist, Steve had never piloted an oarboat until this trip.  His first rapid was Pipe Springs, a 3, followed immediately in order by a 9, 2, 8, 8, 5, 10, 7, 4, 5, 4, 6, 4, 5, 5, 7 and 5.  He didnít flinch, took it all in stride and ran the Big Day without a hitch.  Once he had mastered the really big and dangerous rapids, he decided to flip at Waltenberg and then run Bedrock on that ìnot recommendedî left side, all on the same day.  AND he took the Groover and the trash on his boat, which we nicknamed the SS Fubar.  No wonder his crew switched boats.

Bob - Bob is Brianís oldest brother and repeat from the 1999 trip.  A landscaper, Bob is also a perfectionist.  He is also a damned fine Camp Cook.  Which he proved every night on the river.  Much to all of our delight.  Bob, those lamb chops at Shinumo were THE BEST Iíve ever had!

Erika - The daughter of a good friend who was a member of the 1999 Trip of No Return River Crew, Erika had just returned to the States from a 2? year stint in the Peace Corps in Guatemala.  Like her dad, she is an inveterate fisher, bagging trout at EVERY chance.  She was also the only woman on the second half of the trip.  May the Good Lord bless that young ladyís courage!

Mike - Thatís me, The Hikerdog.  On my second trip down the river, being a member of the 1999 trip, I was assigned the job of keeping track of all the common supplies.  That meant that I had to know where all the kitchen and general camp gear was stowed on the boats, what was to be pulled from the food boxes for each dinner and in which box everything was, and where it all went when it was packed back up.  By the end, I didnít even need the outfitters guide book ñ I pretty much had it all memorized!

First Half

We had eight people who only were along for the first half.  For the most part, these individuals were either part of Brianís school circle or friends of other trip members.

Bruce - Bruce skippered the SS Fubar for the first half of the trip, hiking out at Phantom Ranch on Day 6.  On his 3^rd trip, Bruce was pretty much fishing when he wasnít steering the boat.  He should have steered more often:  The boat flipped at Basalt Canyon Rapid with Bob at the helm and smashed into the Rock at President Harding Rapid with Rick at the oars. 

Sober Mike - He wasnít for the first couple of days.  A last minute addition, this Ph.D. Microbiologist turned out to be a lucky fine and superb paddleboat crewman.  Heís currently a post doctoral fellow working on the weaponization of small pox.  Just kidding.  I hope!

Doc Mike - A physician aka ìSpidermanî for his daring ñ and reckless ñ move to save a boat at Hance Rapid.  I never saw anyone, except maybe Sober, drink as much beer as Doc.  But I must admit he was totally sober and extremely helpful when the boat flipped at Basalt Canyon Rapid. 

Ian - Assistant Principal for discipline.  That explains the cigars.  And the locker room humor. 

Tamara - A doctoral candidate working on AIDS at Johns Hopkins.  Smart, pretty and helpful.  She was the referral source that brought Sober to the trip.  Tamara is Alís sister-in-law.

Rick - Rickís third trip on the river.  An excellent boatman, he was the best fisherman on the trip, snagging a boatload of fine trout.  Rick endeared himself to the paddleboat crew on the 2^nd day.  After running House Rock Rapid perfectly, he pulled out a hip flask filled with spiced rum.  Rick, it was the best rum Iíve EVER had.

Monica - Alís daughter.  Her river first trip, her first camping trip, her first time out of a city.  She had just survived a car accident that totaled the car, a wreck from which she walked away.  She is a lot like her dad.

Patty - Erikaís aunt and a real trooper.  She is one of those easterners who move out West and think theyíve gone native.  As a native westerner, I canít say they ever really give up being eastern dude types.  But they try and she did pretty good.  She put up with my shit while helping me find the food and equipment during the first half.  She rates high in my book!

Second Half

The second half crew came down and joined us at Pipe Springs, just above the rapid.  This crew was pretty much Brianís family ñ and thus a lot of my closest friends.  It was, needless to say, a great time.

Mark - Brianís brother.  An exceptionally talented outdoorsman, this was Markís second trip.  A landscaper with Bob, Mark is a great one to ride along with when you want to know the plants and rock along the river. 

Bill - Another Brian Brother.  This was Billís third trip, having done the 2^nd half in 1987 and the first half in 1999.

Don - Yet another brother, and the youngest.  This was Donís first trip, a point that his Mom made to Brian before we left.  Her comment:  ìlook after your little brother.î  I donít know why.  He looked like a special forces soldier and proved a typical Brian brother ñ a superb outdoorsman.

Chad - A first timer, Chad is Bobís oldest stepson.  I hadnít seen Chad in some years.  Raised in Florida, he still has a soft Florida accent and cool head.

Jack - Chadís brother, this was Jackís first time on the river as well.  The youngest of the clan, Jack was the life of the party at night.  He earned my gratitude on the one night Bob had had enough of cooking for 16 people.  I handled the meal and Jack was right there helping me get through it.  Thanks, amigo!

Charlie - Five years earlier Charlie ran a rapid rated 4 in a Tahiti.  By surprise.  One of favorite memories of that trip is Charlie standing on the bank of the river draining the Tahiti.  Charlie was scheduled to be a boat captain for the full trip, but on the weekend before the trip his father took a fall and had to undergo surgery.   Charlie joined for the second half.  On a sad note, Charlieís father passed away just before we ran Lava Falls.  Charlie, our hearts were and continue to be with you, your son Kyle and all the members of your family.

Kyle - Charlieís teenage son.  A was a real trooper.  His boat was flipped once at Waltenberg Rapid and he got stuck in the Whirlpool at Bedrock.  Both on Steveís boat.  He rode on Timís boat from then on.

James - A family friend of Kyleís, James turned out to be an excellent boatman.  He joined me in the paddle boat for a couple of days and did a great job.  A cool head, a quick hand and sharp eye.