Trip Report
Our Grand Canyon trip has been nearly a decade in the making. My first permit application was around 2016 and after years of waiting on the lottery system finally I won a ticket – my holiday plans for next year were sorted for me!
Next came the difficulties of pulling a team together. When I’d first started applying for canyon permits I had a wide group of paddling friend – over the years that has dropped away somewhat; I’ve been paddling less and many of my friends and turned to jobs and families which made it difficult for them to run away to the big ditch for 3 weeks.
The shout went out and we gradually assembled a crew; a nice 50/50 mix of old friends and new faces; the latter being a much welcomed addition as they helped bolster the paddling skill level of the team. Although we now had a strong paddling team, very few had done much in the way of multi-day trips – how would everyone fare camping out in the desert sun for 16 days?
We’d opted for a fully self-supported kayak trip. No rafts kept us nimble and allowed us to travel further to make the most of exploring the canyon. We stripped back on food and supplies and carried in lots of canyoneering kit (ropes, harnesses and metal work) to allow us to go out on some adventures in the side canyons.
Kayaking the Grand Canyon isn’t just about the whitewater. It’s about the rhythm of the river life — paddling by day, camping on sandy beaches by night, and watching the canyon walls shift from orange to purple as the sun sets. It’s about cooking dinner under the stars, falling asleep to the sound of flowing water, and waking up with sand in your hair.
The rapids blur together — the endless waves of Granite, the chaos of Hermit, the legendary roar of Lava Falls — but the feeling stays the same: raw, humbling power. This was the biggest water I’ve paddled in years and it was intimidating, particular in our large and heavy laden boats.
The canyon isn’t a particularly remote place. Every day we’d come across other river runs and they were happy to chat and share their stories and supplies with us. People definitely viewed us with some pity – who were these poor Brit’s who’d turned up without a raft and who were living of half rations of dried food?
Exploring the side canyons was a highlight of the trip for me; and we tried a couple of pushy adventures with our ropes. I’ve spent time in deserts before but the canyon was something else – timing treks and managing water supplies to be able to get into the side canyons to descend them was a challenge (on one occasion we got caught out and retreated, but even at rest whilst sitting in the shade on the descent my pulse was about 50% higher than normal – my body effectively shutting down in the sun).
Eventually we floated into Diamond Creek, the river having become busier over the last day with motorised trips and sight-seeing helicopters. The journey was over; and it was time for a proper shower and some air-con!
Neil Cox Misadventures 
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