Dear HCN,
I seldom voice my opinion
in the public arena, but I felt compelled by the recent articles in
High Country News to share some of my experiences and
opinions.
Like Brad Dimock, I am a recovering
river rat. I got my start with Outward Bound School in the late
1960s. I started floating in Dinosaur, a spectacular place in its
own right, paddle in hand, old Army surplus green river boat under
my butt. Over the next decade I made it down the Selway, Middle
Fork, Main, Desolation, Cataract and several lesser-known runs. My
first trip in the Grand Canyon was as an assistant river guide; two
trips later I had my own “pig rig.” It was a religious experience;
the Grand Canyon dwarfed any other experience I had. I lasted two
summers.
It became apparent that the majority of
my passengers had merely paid the money and often failed to grasp
the reality of their surroundings. They seemed content to take some
pictures and go home to brag. The clincher was a rich Englishman
who said, “I’ve been on safari in Africa and this is for the Boy
Scouts.” I must have forgotten to serve tea. I summoned a chopper
at Little Colorado – told them to charge double – and he flew away;
the people on the boat cheered.
I managed to get
on two private trips, both with people who had waited seven years
for the permits. The participation of everyone, their outdoor
skills, their boating skills, the group interaction and care for
others on the trip, the awe and wonder, the respect for the Grand,
are what makes it worth doing. River running has changed, as have
so many of the outdoor experiences, with commercial operators, the
public, technology and the government reducing it to a carnival
ride. I have lost interest, after 30,000″ miles of river trips over
the span of 28 years. I’ve gone into hiding near the headwaters.
I’m almost cured of what I always thought would be a life-long
addiction.
While the Park Service believes that
everyone has a right to float the Grand Canyon, I believe it is a
great privilege that should be earned by something other than
money.
David
Lehr
Winter Park,
Colorado
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Who should float the Colorado?.
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