There is an old Mormon hymn that ends with the words, “Day is done; all is well.” This is the feeling one gets on the river as daylight fades to dusk and then to darkness. With the sound of the river flowing nearby and the touch of a warm and gentle breeze wafting off the canyon walls, peace and contentment reign. The day is done and all is well.
Not yet ready for sleep, even after a vigorous day of rafting, hiking, and exploring, one can lie on a bed of sand, with only a simple sleeping bag and foam pad between yourself and the earth, and gaze into the universe. Suddenly, a shooting stars interrupts profound thoughts, and considerations turn to the here and now – the feel of the sand growing cooler beneath you, the quiet lapping of the river next to the shore, the nearness of a friend or loved one who is sharing the moment with you, the exquisite beauty of the moment. Day is done, and all is well.
Tonight, our rafting clients are watching the moon rise over canyon walls and glacier-covered mountain tops. Along the banks of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon and on a remote gravel bar next to the Tatshenshini River in the Yukon, the folks have set up their first night’s camp on the river. In Desolation Canyon, folks are silently saying their goodbye’s to the river and canyon and the star-filled night sky, because their adventure will end tomorrow. And somewhere other people are sleeping in a bed for the first time in more than week, and they are missing the sound of the river and the feel of the sand. Day is done, and all is well.
