You’ve been thinking about it.

You toyed with the idea, last year maybe.

You’ve always thought, “Man, it would be cool to do that,” or “I could totally guide this boat.”

And, you can. You just have to go for it, sign up and do it.

But, if you’re on the fence, here are a few more reasons you should really think about joining us for a whitewater guide school:

• Rippling muscles of steel. You think P90X gets you buff? It’s got nothing on an intense workout of oar rowing and pulling yourself back into a boat. Clinically proven fact: muscular shoulders, biceps and back get you noticed by both men and women.

• Tan lines for conversation starters. If you’re one of those people who could use an icebreaker with strangers, a Teva tan on your feet, mid-thigh tan lines from your board shorts and the infamous PFD-without-a-T-shirt tan will help you make friends fast.

• Culinary mastery your friends can’t claim. That friend of yours that’s always showing off the foodie knowledge? That couple that won’t stop talking about their Thai cooking class? Next time they pipe up, tell them about your new expertise in Dutch oven cooking.

• Calluses that make other people feel lazy. You’ll be shaking hands with every stranger after guide training, just to see their face when they realize you haven’t been sitting at a desk lately, soaking your hands in Palmolive. This will earn you either instant respect or eager cooperation.
  Or they’ll offer you lotion.

• Learning a foreign language. Ever try to hit the river left eddy after Lava Falls, only to clip the hole and watch a custy bail over the tube and swim the meat? No translation needed after guide training. You’ll have your own secret code at cocktail parties ever after.

• Prep for your Emmy speech. OK, maybe you won’t really be winning a best actor award, but you will get plenty of practice taking command of an audience and delivering concise communications. The hardest part of the job is managing group dynamics and coaching people. Guides have to be friendly and authoritative all at once — and you can learn it.

• Earn friends and groupies. Once everyone on Facebook finds out you know how to organize and captain a river trip, you’re going to be in high demand as a vacation accomplice. You get to name your bribery price when that happens.

• Save money on self-help books. You’ll probably never need another Tony Robbins or “Soup for the Soul” book. There’s a certain self-confidence and drive you get when you complete a guide school. You start seeing a familiar looking stud-muffin when you look in the mirror.

Convinced yet? We thought so. Check out all of the guiding and paddling instruction we offer, and sign up to take the plunge this summer.

The post 8 Ridiculously Cool Benefits Of Whitewater Guide Training appeared first on River Currents.

Trust me. More than a few folks have limped their way to and from the boats, missing hikes to waterfalls and swimming holes because they’re too beat up, eating ibuprofen like candy.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. With a little bit of effort before your trip, you will not only enjoy the hike, you’ll have a pair of legs to take you to some mind-blowing places downstream. Honest.

As for hiking out, the unprepared hallucinate through an eternity of suffering; the fit have a really cool desert trail experience. Your call.

So, having gotten that bit of tough love out of the way, what to do?

The Trail Of All Trails

The Bright Angel Trail follows an old Native American route into the Grand Canyon from the South Rim. It follows a fault line through otherwise impenetrable cliffs for thousands of vertical feet, like pretty much every other route into “The Big Ditch.” Comfortably on the rim, you’re seeing the canyon, but not really getting it. Yet. If you’ve come down the river with us and are hiking out, you get it, for sure. You’ve also been training on all those short river hikes we’ve been taking you on.

You take 300 steps down below the rim, and the universe changes into a wilderness. All of a sudden you get this feeling of vastness. An immensity of rock and desert. And that zig-zaggy thing that goes way down there with the little bugs moving along it until it disappears in the far blue haze? That’s where you’re headed, amigo.

Before you go, take the recommendations in your O.A.R.S. pre-trip package seriously. Take daily walks, in the park, on the beach, or to the market instead of driving. You know the drill. That’s D-A-I-L-Y.

How To Train For It

Start slow, a half-hour or so at a time. Build into an hour. Surely you can afford an hour a day for the trip of a lifetime? It can make all the difference. Pain sucks. Trust me.

Ideally, you’ll be training on hills (or, on the Stairmaster if you live in the Midwest). That’s where the knees come in. And the aerobics. It’s critical to work your heart and knees and hips for the pounding they’re in for. Up and down, down and up. So start several months out, get some good music on your iPod, NPR on podcast, and enjoy the day. It’s a good excuse, anyway.

OK, you’re fit. Now what? In summer, when it’s about a thousand degrees and the sun is baking your brains out, you’ll want a large-brimmed hat, sunglasses with UV protection, a lightweight long-sleeved shirt and the same in pants, and a good pair of tennies (or light-weight hiking boots if your ankles are like mine), with some cushioning in the sole.

Other Things To Bring

Of course, a water bottle is a must, though two liters is sufficient since on the “BA” there are plenty of watering holes where you can refill your bottle. I use a bandana as well, dunking it into the water fountains or creeks (upstream of the mule manure) at every chance. Getting wet and staying wet is the difference between heaven and hell. It takes getting used to being wet like that. But it’s like having a palm-frond fan and being fed grapes, watching all those poor heathens sweat — good desert trick to know.

During spring and fall, you just might encounter snow up on the rim. If you’re hiking you’ll probably stay warm, but not in a T-shirt. Synthetic or wool undies, a fleece for when you stop to snack or pee (and you will stop to snack and pee), and a wool cap. If you’re prepared, it’s stunning.

Did I say snacks? Your car doesn’t run without fuel, and neither do you. Fuel up, don’t get bloated, snack regularly: some carbs for instant energy, a little fat for later, and a bit of protein for the long haul.

If you take my advice, you will absolutely love the most popular trail in the Grand Canyon. If you stuff this in the “I’ll-get-a-round-to-it” pile, you will be thinking of me somewhere along your personal trail of tears.

Did I say trust me?

This essay was originally created for the 2011 O.A.R.S. catalog. For more compelling stories from other renowned writers, request your catalog copy today!

The post Grand Canyon Hiking: How To Survive AND Enjoy It appeared first on River Currents.