Guides Training Seminar

   It was fun to see you all at Marble Canyon. GTS is a big project. For every body. It means lots of highway or air miles—or both—to a lot of people, weird logistics and all. This means you, whoever you are, however you participated. Thanks. Many, many thanks. The pay-off was when everybody showed-up and hung on for dear life. That is the best part ever.

   We done good, too. The land-based GTS was informative. Colorful. Clean. A bit, uh...breezy?! One of the best, especially when the Bigtop came down for the first time, on Sunday afternoon. The seminars were varied, slide shows colorful, and presentations professional, even when the going got rough, and...well, not exactly on schedule (as predicted, which was just as well). Thank you, hanger’s-on, for being there when the brown blizzard blew worst. Thank you everybody. Thank you Jane Foster and Marble Canyon crew....the gale wasted our camp; we didn’t mean to litter. Honest.

   Thank you, Martha, for the chow, Dust Bowl and all. Thanks also to your crew (who failed to get mentioned to the crowd, individually; all my notes blew away in the blizzard). The food was great, and everybody got fat because of it.

   Thanks also to AzRA and Canyoneers for supplying kitchens and trucks and toilets, and to the NPS for the audio-visual equipment.

   And, sorry to be so brief with what follows, but, special and many thanks to our speakers (with apologies if this list isn’t in alpabebetical order—or even if somebody didn’t show up; that is beside the point. Since my notes blew away I’ve only got the original outline in front of me, and that predates GTS prehistory, if you copy my ferry angle): Bob Rigg, Gay Staveley, Bob Chandler, Kim Crumbo (I will walk softly, I promise), Mark Law, Jim Traub (great demonstration), Charly Heavenrich, Karen Shinkle, Dave Wegner, Dan Davis—and—Dan Davis, Tad Nichols, Don Harris, Roger Clark, Loretta Jackson, Richard Begay, Mel and Alice Telakte, Lanie Sutherland, Larry Stevens (both presentations were excellent, even the second one), Mike Sredl, Brad Ilg (special award for Most Flexible Speaker), Tim Randle-Dave Harpman-Larry Riley-Gordy Lind-and the lady...I’m sorry, I..uh...misplaced your name; Jack Schmidt (I didn’t know that), Noel Eberz, Andre Potochnik (good show, Andre; excellent handout also), Ivo Lucchitta (Boatpeople, remember this: Ek=1/2mv2!), Jeffe Aronson, Jan Balsam, the participants of 83’ Night-AND-Morning whoever you are and whatever really happened to you, and, Biscuit (who attended every seminar and never once snored very loud). And thanks for trying, to those who meant to come but couldn’t make it: Barry Goldwater, Dr. Tom Myers, Sherri Collins and Roy Webb. We’ll catch you next time, okay? Thanks to Brad who ushered me through the whole thing as gently as he dared and the rest of GCRG BOD past, present and future, who took on not a few unsavory jobs! Like I said, it warrn’t easy. We done good. We all of us done good.

   .....When the Bigtop roared to life—literally; a Grand Canyon-sized gale swept the place clean, and kept sweeping it clean—well...you had to be there when Dimock lost his hat and everybody else lost everything else. After that we waited someplace, occasionally with a bottle in hand (what is a good river guide to do?), for the breeze to lay low. Then we put the tent back up and kept going. Next day, Monday, at-or-about lunchtime (sorry, I can’t help it; it is the detective in me), the Bigtop nearly blew away—again. Thank you, Ellis Richard and Jeffe Aronson, for allowing us to waste your audio-video equipment as best we could.

   And, Workman, thanks for coming. You forgot—or lost—the bottle I tried to give you. I drank it. Then I wrote all this down. Enjoy the islands.

   Best wishes and....Thanks, Everybody.

Shane Murphy, GTS Chairman

   P.S. A camera was found after all was dead and stunned. Dan Hunting has it. Call him at (602) 495-1493 if you think it’s yours.