Now that we had a permit and the group set, we had to make this trip happen.  Planning the logistics of a 3 week trip is toch enough, but a 3 week trip on a river totally cut off from civiliation was frightening.  Luckily, a friend of mine used to be a commercial raft guide on the Grand Canyon.  As soon as I got my permit, I started pestering him with questions.  His best advice was to go with an outfitting company for the raft gear and food.  Not only do they do a ton of work for you, they also know all the regulations.  So you're less likely t

It's almost every paddler's dream to paddle down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.  There's just something special about being on a river for 3+ weeks, being gone from civilation, and seeing the amazing places that the Grand Canyon has to offer.  I first signed up on "The List" back in 2005.  At that point, there was a 10-20 year waiting list due to how the list was managed.  In 2006, they implemented a weighted lottery system.  This allowed those who had been on the list a long time to be weighted more than those who were relati