Homework - Other Trail Journal - 2017

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Rafting the Grand Canyon - 25 Days - 280 Miles

Today I drove from the Sportsman Beach BLM camping area along Walker Lake, outside of Hawthorne, Nevada. My route took me though Las Vegas, over the Colorado River, near Lake Mead, and down memory lane. I used to lead canoe trip starting at Willow Beach, just below the Hoover Dam when I guided in California a few years ago.



The terrain remained the same, but some major changes to buildings has gone down. The trusty Hacienda Hotel in Henderson has been replaced. No more $ 2 Pina Colada's while watching the free Hoover Dam movie on the casino floor. Free second hand smoke and all.



I stopped a lot of gas, not knowing the distance between tiny desert towns and not wanting to run my small tank dry. It was overcast and I caught a cool sunset along the roadside.



I'm definitely worried about money. The nice thing is that I won't be spending any for the next 25 days.



I stopped in Vegas for coconut water, green drink, kombucha, sipping vinegar, and soymilk drinks. I'm having some anxiety about being sober on this trip, especially with group texts flying around about massive amounts of booze.



I stopped for a quick lunch in Vegas, and drove through dinnertime, not feeling hungry or wanting to spend the money for dinner. I made it to a little plot of forest service land outside of Flagstaff around 8pm, and set up my bed in the back of my truck. I stood outside of my tail gate and looked up toward the canopy through the dark. It was cold out. So cold I could see my breath and found myself speculating if I'd be warm enough in my little down sleeping bag. Yeah- it would be fine. I was colder on my recent hike on the GET in New Mexico and my bag did just fine.



I stood and listened to the quiet for a bit. Then brushed my teeth and crawled into the bed of my truck. I closed the tailgate behind me and zipped myself up to sleep, whitewater swirling around in the back of my mind. Anticipation for the adventure ahead.

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