ell, if you weren't there, you really missed out! The Guides Training Seminar (gts) Land Session 2000 was an unqualified success with approximately 125 guides attending for the oh-so-stimulating talks over the April 1st weekend. Folks crowded (and we mean crowded) into the Old Marble Canyon Lodge for the slide shows and films (what's a little closeness among friends!), and moved outside to enjoy the beautiful weather when possible. Of course the gts always brings a snowstorm, but at least it restricted itself to Flagstaff this time around!
After the nps introduction with J.T. Reynolds, Patrick Hattaway and Tom Pittenger, guides got a crash course in all the “ology's”—geology, archaeology and biology with human history, resource management issues and research projects thrown in for good measure. Wonderful slide shows by CC Lockwood and Gary Ladd followed by dinner and party thrown by Teva down at Hatchland rounded out the entertainment side on Saturday night.
Many heartfelt thanks to so many folks: gts coordinators and helpful volunteers, Grand Canyon river outfitters, the Grand Canyon Conservation Fund, the many fabulous speakers, Grand Canyon National Park, Marble Canyon Lodge, Teva, Hatch River Expeditions and everyone else who worked so very hard to make this important event such a success. It was a commendable cooperative effort and we deeply appreciate all the support! The gts is always a great way to get together at the start of the river season, see old friends, make new ones, renew that special sense of community and learn really cool stuff to boot. Like we said, you shoulda been there!

Lynn Hamilton

GTS River Trip 2000

Our flotilla consisted of a High Desert motor- rig, four oar boats, a paddle raft, two kayaks, and one canoe. We launched on April 4 after group introductions, a clean-up of the gcrg Adopt-a-Highway section, and our first hike to Lees Overlook with a compliment of 26 participants.
After our first camp below Badger Rapid, Mike Latendress discovered that in the modern canyon, a condor can quickly trash a red canoe flotation bag, but a satellite phone can aid its replacement almost as fast—by Phantom.
Greg Woodall and Melissa Schroeder, our nps reps, spoke at many opportunities about reveg projects and tantalizing hidden archeo treasures in the river corridor—someplace.

We started at 8,000 cfs which became 15,000 cfs by Hance—much to the relief of motor-rig boatman, Newt Davis who had a great run. However after Newt made a fast pull-in in the back-eddy below the rapid (in anticipation of helping the flipped paddle raft), it took almost the full crew of the oar boats to get Newt's Big Blue off a stubborn rock, but a half-hour later we were on our merry way again. We didn't exactly have a formal whitewater rescue class, but our paddle boat provided the real thing with flips in the right run at Hance and the left run at Crystal. Two oar boats had similar excitement, one at Hermit and also at Crystal. Along with the summer-like weather, our kayaks and canoe facilitated quick recoveries in all cases.

Our geology theme over the course of the trip was the Early Earth and the Canyon's basement rocks contribution to “Rodinia” and the subsequent Grand Canyon series deposition as described by Lisa McFarlane and Carol Dehler. Carol took us all for a great hike up Kwagunt Creek where we learned about the Chuar group. Nat White, our Lowell Observatory astronomer par excellence, had a magnificent sky to tell us about the elliptic, the moon as a direction finder and the marvelous conjunction of Mars et al. just beyond the dark canyon walls. But we got the visual later in the daytime with boatman in a circle representing stars, planets and the sun. Mike Anderson put real color into canyon history with the yarns of the early adventurers and how fortunate we are to still have our wilderness corridor. Ellen Seeley gave informative talks on the meaning of canyon interpretation, and Ed Cummins, Ray Hall, and Dave Desrosiers added to our appreciation of the good people in the Park Service.
Noel Eberz had endless handouts on a variety of topics, and organized great speaker sessions in the morning or at evening campfires, although sometimes the natives were restless and settled into more primitive chants and ceremonies. John Middendorf gave talks on National Park philosophy and Wilderness issues, and was the chief engineer for our two sweat lodges. Sharon Wilder of the Hualapai Department of Natural Resources made our sweats a special occasion with sage on the hot rocks, Hualapai creation stories, and visualizations of being a bird flying over the Canyon recalling all the great places on the trip.

Except for a brief rain squall during the night after our Mile 220 festivities, the weather was perfect. The undeniable Ammo Can Rope Tug champion was Mike Long, although most contenders had plenty of excuses for hitting the sand first.
All told we have many people to thank for the success and enjoyment of our effort. There is something special about the cooperation of the river guides, the commercial outfitters, the Grand Canyon National Park personnel, and our invited speakers.

Noel Eberz