8 Days of Peace and Heaven…

Hi Family and Friends,

I know, I know, it’s been too long since I sat down to write a blog. I have really been on the move: planes, automobiles and rafts!! Our trip to Atlanta was so inspiring and beautiful. Our dear friend, Carlos, is really making a difference in the real world of Ovarian Cancer. We saw first hand the impact of his “Kicking for the Cure” campaign. When Nicole, Chloe, Michelle and I went to the game several women came up to me to tell me their stories of survival and how grateful they are for Dr. Benito and the Ovarian Cancer Institute.

Again, awareness and education are the key to survival – please acknowledge the subtle symptoms of urinary frequency/urgency, fatigue, abdominal or back pain and bloating.

Believe it or not, but Bill actually went on our trip through the Grand Canyon last week. After listening to me for the past 10 months about how great this trip is, he is now a believer!! He is not a fan of water, sand, heights, skipping workouts, and being without communication with the outside world. However, he regarded this trip as the best week of his life and claimed to have “touched the face of God.”

Pete, Michelle, Danielle, Bill and I left last Thursday and headed for Page, Az to meet up with our friends, Gary and Amy from Chicago, Lou and Pat from Iowa and John and Barbara from Phoenix. That evening, we attend a gathering and met with our guides Christian (Hodge), Steve (Captain Mushroom Cloud), Carrie and Brad (both of whom were on our trip last year too). We also met the rest of rafters signed up for this 8 day, 188 mile trip and WOW did we hit the jackpot! We had a group of 26 people that meshed together very well. We laughed and enjoyed each other as if we had all known each other forever. We all grew together as a group which is something that does not always happen when you put people from all walks of life together. Our guides from Wilderness River Adventures were professional and a lot of fun. If you ever have a chance to take a trip down the Grand Canyon this is the outfitter for you, they were awesome!

As I started out on the raft, I knew we would be taking a lot of difficult hikes which made me a bit nervous. For the past several months my feet have been numb from the Taxol. My hands are also starting to get a bit numb, but for the most part they are just very stiff and sore. The first hike we did was called “Saddle”. I am OK hiking if I can see my feet but there was a part at the end of this hike by the waterfall where we had to be hoisted over a big boulder. It was the coming down part where I freaked out. I was being helped down this boulder and of course I could not see my feet so did not know where to put them. I latched my arms around the leg of my friend Gary who was still on the ledge as I was being handed down to the guys below. I was so nervous that I didn’t even hear him screaming at me to let go and was pulling him down with me! Just in time, someone helped place my feet and finally I let go of Gary who was about to go over the boulder… again, so sorry Gary.

I managed all the rest of the hikes very well by just taking my time. I was clearly running on pure addrenaline as I refused to miss any opportunity for adventure.

One of the best parts of the trip was seeing the Little Colorado!! It was turquiose blue, astonishingly beautiful!! Last year the Little Colorado was totally muddy from the monsoon rain runoffs, so Michelle and I didn’t get to see it. When we hiked back to the Little Colorado this year, all of us stood in absolute wonder, we had never seen anything so incredible. The river is turquiose blue from all the minerals in the canyon. Just seeing this makes the river trip worth every dime and ounce of energy spent. If you make this trip, go before moonson season. The Little Colorado during moonson season turns the rest of the rafting trip into muddy water.

It is not enough to say we all had a great trip, but we all felt a sense of peace and heaven and certainly much closer to God. Viewing canyon walls 2 billion years old can really put things into perspective.

As last year, I had a hard time leaving the Canyon, never have I felt so at home and at peace with myself. I plan to take this trip again someday with my grandchildren in hand.

Love to you all,
Colleen

Bill, Colleen, Danielle, Michelle and Pete standing at the top of Horseshoe Bend in Page, AZ.

June 13th, the group preparing to leave from Lee’s Ferry.

Happy to be on the water again.

Bill and Colleen are standing on an arch site just around the corner from Vasey’s Paradise (waterfall which can be seen in the far background).

Danie, Michelle, Colleen, Bill and Pete standing where the beautiful blue water of the Little Colorado River meets the clear green water of the Colorado River main channel.

Rapids, rapids and more rapids!!

Some of the most gorgeous sunsets can be found from the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

Watching the moon on this trip was amazing as it was nearly full or full for several days. It was bright enough to render flashlights useless.

Cooling down at Clearwater creek – the home of the sideways waterfall.

Bill and Colleen at Elves Chasm.

Our friends: Pat, Amy, Gary and Lou.

Pete, Colleen, Michell and Danie at the top of the cliff on our hike back to Deer Creek Patio.

Deer Creek’s amazing canyon walls.
Around every corner is another spetacular view of the river flowing through rock layers which are millions, and sometimes billions of years old.

June 20th, we were preparing to leave for the chopper pad when we posed for one last group picture. We were being mooned here…I won’t mention by whom.

While the helicopter ride is very cool, none of us wanted get in. We all knew we would be leaving a piece of our hearts and souls at the bottom of the Canyon.