I too made my annual renewal. I signed up ten years ago at age 45
with the hope that I would bubble to the top of the list about the
time my daughter was graduating from high school. She graduates
this year and I still have 10 years to go. With luck, somewhere around
age 65, I will achieve my goal.

I do think though that the rate of moving up is going to increase though
simply because many of us will die, lose interest, or the ability to run our
own trip in the Canyon. What a shame.

I have taken two commercial oar trips, and while a great experience,
they still leave you hungry. Everyday I would look at the boats and
wish I could just slip away with one in the night. I don't want to be a
passenger in a crowd brought together because they can afford the trip.
I want the sense of adventure that every river bend inspires; the feel of
the river at the end of my oars, the jitter in my knees at the sound of every
rapid. I want to feel bone weary at the end of every day from the pursuit
of a pleasure that appears in no other form except running your own boat.

In 10 years, I may no longer have that hunger, or if it still exists, be able to
follow its calling. In the meantime, I wait. And play the lottery game, And
play back the mental images of a place to which I must return.

Martin Litton became the oldest man to pilot his own boat down the Canyon.
The way it is going, there are going to be a lot of us lining up to challenge his
record.

Blakely

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Blakely LaCroix
New Brighton, Minnesota

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The best adventure is yet to come ...


obdave wrote:

I am curious if anyone has any idea what is to become of the Grand
Canyon waiting list. I recently made my annual trek to the post
office, a bitter pill for a fedex employee, to show my continuing
interest in running the colorado sometime before I die. I was also
going to sign my 11 year old daughter up this year as a christmas gift
but new additions have been halted. When her name came up in 20 years
or so I figured she'd be stoked and might even deign to take her by
then decrepit father along.

Does anyone have any insight as to what is going to happen with
commercial/non-commercial allocation and as to what type of system
might be implemented. At the current rate I figure I have about a
decade to go. I hope that current waiting list folks are treated
fairly in whatever comes out of this mess.

No doubt the current system is inequitable and needs fixing, are
private boaters going to get the shaft?

obdave in montana