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Photo by Jim Laurie
Kayaks in the Black Canyon
By Jim Laurie
SNo sooner had our river guide announced, "Be careful, it's slippery," than I was sitting in the cold Colorado River assessing the damage to my camera, my backside, and my ego.
It was June, but the water temperature was a shocking 54 degrees, and I was thankful it was at least shallow at our launching point. Once I found a more proper seat in a canoe, camera and derriere dried out pretty quickly. My ego, however, remained damp for some time.
Hoover Dam loomed some 700 feet overhead as we embarked on an eleven and a half mile trip down Black Canyon. Leading our group of five was Anissa Cronenberg of Down River Outfitters, a six-foot-tall athlete who holds a biology degree from the University of North Carolina. Her guests also included two tourists from Florida, and Andy, my able-bodied paddler. Three of the five used agile little kayaks, but Andy and I chose a canoe because it allowed me better access to my bulky photography equipment.
One of the Floridians introduced himself as we began paddling. "Hi, I'm Frank Terraferma," he said, "from Tallahassee." I thought, "Hmmm, terra firma. You mean like feet planted firmly on the Earth?" I figured he'd be next to fall in. ...
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The March/April 2003 Issue is out. Find it at Las Vegas bookstores today.
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