Grand Canyon SUP River Trip – August 2013
I recently returned from a River trip through the Grand Canyon. It was truly a trip of a lifetime. I put together two videos documenting the trip. The first is video is the shorter one, showing just the most difficult rapid in the Grand Canyon, called Lava Falls. I went through the rapid with my Stand Up Paddleboard (note: I said with the board, not on the board 
). My 14 year old niece, Emily Williams rowed through it on a big raft and may be the youngest girl to have rowed through Lava Falls rapid.
(click thumbnail to launch video)
To see how not to go through Lava Falls, watch this video which shows what happens if you drift into the biggest hole sideways instead of punching through the wave nose or tail first. You can watch it happen to two rafts in a row, major carnage.
(click thumbnail to launch video)
Here is the longer (33 minute) video documenting the whole trip with many of the rapids with my commentary on the trip and some takeaways from whitewater SUP’ing.
(click thumbnail to launch video)
I’m planning to add more information to this post, so if you are interested in a SUP trip through the Grand Canyon, please check back as I plan to post more information. For now, here are some helpful links:
National Park Service information on permits and the River Trip orientation video:
http://www.nps.gov/grca/planyourvisit/whitewater-rafting.htm
PRO river outfitters, this is the company that supplied our food, gear and logistics for our group of 16 for 16 days, which is not something you want to do on your own:
http://www.proriver.com
I purchased this River Guide which had good maps as well as lots of interesting historical and geological information on the Grand Canyon:
http://www.nrs.com/product/3353/grand-canyon-river-guide-book
Aloha, Robert Stehlik
The group celebrating on Tequila beach after making it through Lava Falls
Sitting on a perch under Deer Creek Falls is amazing
My daughter, Jaime Stehlik at Havasu Creek
Shist Camp in the inner gorge
Panoramic Shot at Nankoweep Camp
Havasupai Creek
Going into Horn Creek Rapid on the Grand Canyon SUP river trip
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