Desert, Water & Adrenaline

I’m in the middle of the desert, drenched to the core. My heart is beating with adrenaline, and a smile is frozen on my face.  I had just experienced a set of Class 4 rapids through one of the most spectacular, narrow, stretches of canyon I’ve ever seen.  The Utah sun dries me quickly, and the roaring river suddenly turns flat and peaceful. I look downstream to the next bend, anxious to see what the next four days will bring.

I’ve decided that rafting is truly the quintessential summertime activity.  My days on the river consisted of running rapids, floating, cliff jumping and swimming.  Wildlife was plentiful— bald eagles perched in the cliffs, a wide variety of other birds of prey soared gracefully and swallows cities of mud on the cliffs provided entertainment as we floated by.  I spent endless hours looking up at the towering red cliffs, studying the intricate rock formations and colors—each rock face telling a different story of water, weather and geological history.

Off the raft on the riverbanks, there was so much exploration to be done. I collected unique driftwood, stones and played in the sand.  Whenever possible, I eagerly scaled the rocks and cliffs on the riverbanks to seek out vista points overlooking the river.  I was happy to discover that big flat rocks were plentiful and found some great spots for simple yoga postures. I was delighted at the feeling of being a small part of a magnificent, natural world.

By night, I sipped a mixture of tequila, agave nectar and lime juice and watched the light change on the glowing canyon walls.  Dusk turned to twilight and then gave way to a sea of stars. Definitely no light pollution here!  While delicious fresh dinners of shishkabobs, Thai food and stir-fry wraps were prepared by various members of the rafting crew, the rest of us kept ourselves entertained with glow-in–the-dark bocce ball, a camp game that is not to be missed!  Our riverside campsites were sandy and charming and the camping set up was truly impressive.  For someone like me who has always defined camping as the art of minimalism and non-perishable food, raft camping is an entirely different world. The boats were loaded with large coolers, radios, camp chairs, grills, port-a-toilets, kites and camp toys.  This was luxury camping to be sure.

Diverse weather throughout the trip certainly made it an adventure.  While on the river we experienced everything including brilliant sunshine, brief rainstorms, dust storms and strong wind.  I wore everything from a bathing suit to a down jacket. If you head out rafting, make sure to pack every type of clothing and definitely don’t forget a sun hat!

The river is an incredible way to travel and I’ll definitely be back out there again soon. There is something magical about being in the middle of the wilderness, in areas accessible only by the river. All thoughts of the modern world melt away and you have no choice but to embrace the pace of the river. No hurries and no worries, just go with the flow.

TAMARA JACOBI is the co-owner, hostess, website-designer, bookings manager, and expedition guide for Tailwind Outdoor, a family-owned eco-lodge and adventure tour company in San Pancho, Mexico. She is a lifelong athlete whose accomplishments include completion of 2 marathons, sea kayaking 850 miles down the Baja's Sea of Cortez, mountain biking 2000 miles of the USA's continental divide trail, mountaineering up Pico de Orizaba's 18,700 feet, and more. She is also a passionate trail runner and practicing yogini... {more »}