Then & Now: Revisiting a 1972 OARS Grand Canyon River Trip
In May 2026, 54 years after filmmaker Jerry Shea captured an early OARS Grand Canyon rafting trip on his 16mm camera, we returned to the same spots along the Colorado River to see the canyon through his lens once again—framing the exact same views, side canyons, and whitewater rapids more than half a century later.
The contrast between the two eras is immediate. In the early 1970s, OARS was a nascent outfitter helping pioneer commercial whitewater exploration with primitive gear, military-surplus inflatable rafts, and a spirit of adventure that often meant figuring things out as we went. Today’s modern self-bailing rafts and Coast Guard-approved PFDs look a world apart. Yet as the river pulls you deeper into the gorge, the illusion of time begins to fade, revealing just how little the heart of Grand Canyon has changed.
In the resulting short film, Grand Reflections, filmmaker Greg Cairns expertly pairs Shea’s archival 1972 footage with present-day shots. Entering the cool, vast shadow of Redwall Cavern—the cathedral-like amphitheater that John Wesley Powell once estimated could hold 50,000 people—the scale feels just as humbling now as it did to those early river runners. Downstream, the roaring cascades of Deer Creek Falls and the vibrant turquoise waters of Havasu Creek offer another reminder of the canyon’s enduring beauty, their rhythm transcending the decades between trips.
When the quiet drift gives way to thundering whitewater, the side-by-side footage becomes a thrill. Watching early guides navigate the massive waves of Hermit Rapid and the formidable holes of Lava Falls alongside the lines modern guides have refined over decades reveals both how much the craft has evolved, and how wild the Colorado River remains.
Ultimately, placing these two eras side-by-side creates something far deeper than a retro throwback. Accompanied by original music and narration from Noel Boykin, Grand Reflections is a visual bridge between generations, celebrating the spirit of human adventure, the knowledge passed from one generation of river runners to the next, and the enduring, untamed spirit of Grand Canyon rafting.
