Arizona River Runners Grand Canyon Rafting Trips Shape Lives in Unexpected Ways

11-05-2010

Imagine how immersing yourself for days in the depths of that awe inspiring natural wonder could work its way into your psyche.  The simple decision to take a vacation could truly change your life.

By Wendy Rubicam

"It is only in adventure that some people succeed in knowing themselves – in finding themselves.”    ~Andre Gide

 

There are many ways to experience adventure in life – travel to a faraway land, challenging yourself to learn a new skill or stretch out of your comfort zone, seeing sights that unexpectedly take your breath away, or embarking on a journey when you’re not sure what to expect.  Adventure can truly be life changing; not just changing our perspective, but truly changing who we are.

 

A Colorado River rafting trip with Arizona River Runners seems to work its magic on people from all walks of life.  The Grand Canyon has an effect on visitors from all over the world, even if they only walk from their car to the rim to snap some photos.  Imagine how immersing yourself for days in the depths of that awe inspiring natural wonder could work its way into your psyche.  The simple decision to take a vacation could truly change your life. 

 

For Moira Winter, seizing the opportunity to take a Grand Canyon rafting trip in her early 20’s led her on a path she never would have imagined as she prepared to climb into a raft for the first time 34 years ago.  “Did I just pay all this money and I’m going to die?” she thought, as she second-guessed her choice of vacation.  Winter was no newcomer to travel and adventure, but had to convince herself that she was prepared for a different kind of experience.  “The guides go down the river, come back, do it again and again and again,” she reasoned.  “So it must be okay.”   Winter says she experienced “an adventure beyond anything I expected or could have hoped for” and from that adventure, made the river her home.  She happened to marry that guide, Arizona River Runners owner Bruce Winter, and ran the river with him for years.  The couple incorporated the inspiring energy of the Grand Canyon into their everyday lives as they raised a family, and today their two grown daughters work the river as well.

 

Of course, not everyone up and marries their river guide.  But long-time Arizona River Runners guide Jon Stoner felt similar effects after just two rafting trips through the Grand Canyon.  In 1979, Stoner returned from a Colorado River trip, resigned from his job in his family-owned business and sold everything he had to return to the river as a guide-in-training with Arizona River Runners.  “200-plus trips later I still continue to look forward to spending time in the Canyon,” Stoner says.  Even after all of those Grand Canyon raft trips, he still feels the magic. “I always see something different, experience new wonders and enjoy sharing special moments with people from all walks of life,” he shares.

 

For those that must return to their “regular” lives after running the river, the impact of a Grand Canyon rafting trip is no less powerful.  Arizona River Runners report that feedback from rafting trip participants consistently reflects shifts in perspective and a lasting impact on the hearts and souls of their guests.  One guest says, “The entire trip was beyond words in its power, beauty and spirituality…The grandeur of the Grand Canyon is matched only by the grandeur of the human spirit and the connections facilitated by [our guides].” Another shares, “Thank you for opening my heart and eyes to such a wonder – I am forever changed.”  Only by taking a leap of faith and climbing onto that raft will you know how deep into yourself the river may take you, and if you too will return to your life a changed person.

 

For More Information: www.raftarizona.com 

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