Day 8 (July 29th): “Am I still in the boat?”

Matt C/Katomeba Slot Canyon: We stopped at Matt C/Kat (not sure if it’s spelled with a C or K). It was my very first time in a slot canyon and I loved it. Maybe I’ll be a Canyoneer when I grow up. We climbed through a mix of water and rock.



I found that I was too small to press my back against one wall and put my legs on the other wall across the way – my little leggies just didn’t reach. So…I crabbed walked the canyon. Pretty cool, huh? Monkey boy Matt was an expert climber of course and had all the height necessary to stretch his long body across the little canyon. We climbed up some water falls where a beautiful vista met our eyes.




Nearly upset at Upset: Upset…a very confusing rapid. One uncle might tell you it’s nothing to worry about while another might say “it’s always a 9 in my book.” As we punched down the rapid, we started to realize that we weren’t as far left as we needed to be. The big hole we were trying to avoid got closer and closer, until we met it straight on. Matt, using his HUGE biceps, punched through the hole. It was like a huge hand made of water grasped our raft. Water poured in from everywhere as we got a little intimate with the rapid. My first comment following our escape was, “Am I still in the boat?” Fortunately, all passengers were present and accounted for! We decided upset will ALWAYS be a 9 in our book too.

Chicken Milano: The kitchen crew (Jake, Renee, Grandpa, and I)managed to whip up a delicious dish: Chicken Milano. Now, I have to admit…I don’t really stick to recipes…Forget teaspoons and table spoons; I use only a tasting spoon. It turned out lovely, Matt told me it was the best he’d ever had it (apparently he didn’t like it before the river trip). I did remind him that’s probably because we were on the river and everything tastes good on the river. However, once home, we decided to conduct an experiment to see if Chicken Milano was genuinely good or if we just had river fever when we ate it. We cooked it again, this time with fresh chicken and mushrooms over angel hair pasta and wahlah! Delicious. We have a new favorite dish!

ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzz: We slept under the stars successfully. Matt and I were done setting up and taking down camp daily, so we decided to begin sleeping under the stars – which were AMAZING! After getting lost in the dark trying to find the hopper, we made it safely back to our air mattress and hit the sack. Fortunately, no wind, sand, or rain fell on us. Matt became a very good weather man and began watching the clouds more than any meteorologist.

R.N.= River Nurse: By day eight I had become a professional river nurse caring for Grandpa’s second degree burns, infected wounds, and tonsillitis – yum.  Grandpa had a fabulous first aid kit and I became very close to it. I even got promoted to the title of Doctor. I’m sure 12 days on the Grand Canyon is equivalent to 8 years of med school, right?