HikeArizona.COM

I am back from a river trip and have concrete info on the 'hikers special" for next year.

This trip is specifically designed for HAZ members to maximize hiking time, and to hike places that are very difficult to reach from the rim. We need 12 people to go, but can take up to 18. Since this will be fairly early in the river season the crowds should be pretty thin especially on some of the hikes we will be doing. Our small group size will allow the boats to be rigged to minimize splashing if the weather is cold and to make good time on the river even if the wind is blowing.

Here are the dates: April 9-18, 2007. 10 days, 9 nights. The trip will go 226 miles from Lee's Ferry to Diamond Creek. We will use 2 motorized 35 foot S-Rig rafts. The company running the trip will be Diamond River Adventures. http://www.diamondriver.com


Here is the cost: $1650 per person.
That price includes all the food and equipment for the trip, ie. dry bags, sleeping bags & pads, tents, life jackets, etc.

There will be some additional costs associated with the trip. those are: lodging the night before launch, shuttle of vehicle from Page to Peach Springs, AZ, tip for the guides, and beer.

We have options on the vehicle shuttle, for example we could meet in Flagstaff on the 8th and leave our cars there and rent a couple of vans to take us to Lee's Ferry then pick us up at Peach Springs and return us to Flagstaff. I don't anticipate the extras will amount to all that much. We will lock in the plan for the shuttle once the group is in place.

Please post if you have questions or feel free to contact me directly hakatai_1@msn.com. A $500 deposit payable to Diamond River Adventures will be needed to hold a spot on the trip.

It doesn't seem like there is much interest in doing this. I have about 3 more weeks to generate some interest before I give the dates back to the river company.

This is a great opportunity for hikers that have never been on a Grand Canyon river trip, or hikers that have but wish they could have done more hiking.

Anybody interested please PM me or send me an e-mail. hakatai_1@msn.com

SOUNDS GREAT, BUT REALLY EXPENSIVE...IF I HAD THAT KIND OF MONEY TO BLOW I WOULD GO...THATS ALOT OF TIME OFF WORK TOO...MAYBE IN ABOUT 30-35 YEARS FROM NOW WHEN IM RETIRED....

I am intensely interested, but can't do it at this time. I have cried real tears (not a common occurrance for me) in 2002 after having backpacked down Tanner Trail I stood on the shore, some rafters went by and waved at me. I was suddenly overcome with such longing! I wanna go!

The following years I did get to go rafting twice on the Salt, so that has been some consolation, at least. Running the Canyon takes so much time and money.

Another consolation is that this winter I'm planning on running the lower Colorado in a canoe. Not the same, you say? Well, it's the same river, just tamer down there! And it's very cheap, all you need is some food, a canoe, and 4 or 5 days off work. No permits, no high level of skills required.

Im truely interested. My birthday is the 17th. Would be a great present for myself, plus a trip of a lifetime. We'll see if any more interest is sparked.

The timing isn't going to work out for either me or my wife this time, unfortunately. In a couple more years we might have the time and the cash, but it's something we'll have to save up for several years to be able to do.

In response to Hakatai's reply:
Sadly, the dates won't work for me. Only a CPA without clients can get away for the week before 4/15.

Hope it works and you have fun.

Well, bad news. My dream of a hiker's special has bit the dust for 07. Thanks for your replies. Maybe in 08.

Yeah, its truly a bummer. Pencil me in for the '08 run.