Chapter 16: Rafting the Rolling Thunder--River friends

 By Frosty Wooldridge

             “If you’re alive, you need to flap your wings and make some

               noise—let people know you exist.  Because life is the

               very opposite of death.”

                                                                        Mel Brooks

          The following characters made the Grand Canyon adventure shared moments of friendship.  Each contributed in his or her own way.   By Canyon

Sally.  They are as follows:

BLAZING BRENDA

Celtic river conqueror

Slayer of streams, leader of teams

Taming the turbulence of details by the reams

INVINCIBLE IVAN

Always on the row

A smoke for the slow go

Quietly confident, he goes with the flow

CINNAMON CINDY

Steady and ready like red canyon walls

Knows when to hold ‘em, knows when to walk ‘em,

And knows when to swim

RANGER SCOUT RICK

Runs the big one

Sings the silly ones, puns on anyone

Sweet seeker of fun

GRACEFUL GARY

Gliding and guiding his raft on and on down the river

Pie after pie after brownie after Julie

Dancing in his mind

JOYFUL JULIE

Elegant energy, beautifully bubbling

Eyes always sparkling

Discovering delights

FIESTY FROSTY

A fiery fountain of thoughts an feelings unfolding

Filling pages and people with floods of facts,

Waves of conviction and cresting quotes of note

STEADY STEVE      

A man with a story and muscles of glory

Facing wave after wave, dish after spoon

Ready to help, morning till moon

BENVEOLENT BADGER

Bearing bits of river wisdom

Warns of rapids and rocks, knows of camps and creeks,

Silently seeking secreted sweets

WANDERING WOCNISS

Tracker of trails, tossed  parasols

And lines of lively language

Impish innocent eyes animate and a Wocian world of wonders

STRAPPIN’ STRAT

Serenading our souls, creating new rhymes:

“Bilge, bags, straps and ties,

what does it take to kill some flies?”

CANYON SALLY

Thinker and feeler way out on a rock,

Of her mental meaderings there is no block,

Sensual wondering–her eyes on the human race,

A woman with passion and loving grace.

August 29, 1869—“The relief from danger and the joy of success are great.   When he who has been chained by wounds to a hospital cot…at last goes out into the open field, what a world he sees!  The first hour of convalescent freedom seems rich recompense for all the pain, gloom and terror.  Something like these are the feelings we experience tonight…the river rolls by us in silent majesty; the quiet of the camp is sweet; our joy is almost ecstasy.”

                                                                                     John Wesley Powell

                                                                                      Last day on the river