I (Paul) have been leading river trips for Evergreen students on the Colorado through Grand Canyon since 1994. These spring trips afford Evergreen students an opportunity to visit one of Earth's natural wonders. If you go, you will need to design a thematic, field-based study, prior to departure. This pre-trip research on a topic relevant to program themes will then allow you to compare what you have read with what you observe in the canyon. A write-up for this field trip will be due in week 6, and generate 4 credits.
Our outfitter is Grand Canyon Expeditions Company. I feel that there is no better group of professional guides on the river. Several years ago, the trip was written up by an Evergreen student, whose internship involved a photo-documentation of life in a first-year program (Note: this trip has been part of several different programs over the years). Check out Lisa Vermillion's impressions, along with some wonderful photographs.
As indicated on the catalog web page, the total estimated cost is $1800. This includes round-trip airfare from Seattle to Las Vegas, one night's lodging in Las Vegas, and the 16-day river trip. Plans for this trip need to be made well in advance of the start of spring quarter. There are 15 slots available, and I will begin accepting applications in early December. The application process is fairly simple: e-mail or mail an expression of interest to me no later than January 13, 2006. Include a brief statement of why this trip will be of educational value for you, and list one or two topics that you are considering for your project. I will notify those accepted in early February. You will be responsible for booking your own airfare, making reservations at a designated hotel in Las Vegas, and submitting full payment to Grand Canyon Expeditions by mid-February. A detailed description of the entire process will be sent to those accepted. Using the past as a guide, the trip almost always fills, but there is a fair amount of "churning," as students change their plans. I will maintain a waiting list, and the good news is that virtually everyone that wants to go (and has the financial resources), gets to go.
The launch date for the trip is Thursday, March 30. This means that you need to be in Las Vegas by 6 PM on March 29. There will be a mandatory orientation that evening at the hotel. A chartered bus will leave the hotel at 5 AM, and take us to the put-in at Lee's Ferry, Arizona (approximately 6 hour ride). The trip officially ends on Friday, April 14. A chartered bus will pick us up at the take-out on Lake Mead. We usually get back to Las Vegas by 3 PM.
