Today, Ethan and I kicked off the first 1.5 miles of our Colorado River descent, starting with what seemed like an easy paddle across a calm, glassy lake. The water was smooth, the sun was out, and for a while, it felt like the universe was giving us a gentle start. Everything about the lake was peaceful, the kind of quiet that makes you feel like you're floating through a dream.
But adventures rarely stick to the script.
As we cruised along, we spotted what looked like a shortcut—a tempting little path that we figured would shave some time off our day. So, naturally, we went for it. The shortcut started off well enough, but soon we hit a stretch of ankle-deep mud that turned the whole plan sideways.
We spent the next half-hour slogging through thick, sticky muck, dragging our boards behind us and trying to stay upright. Each step sank us a little deeper, and by the time we made it through, our legs were covered in mud and our shortcut had cost us more time than it saved. Classic.
Once we finally waded out of the mud, it felt like a small victory just to get back on the boards. The rest of the 1.5 miles was easy paddling, the lake resuming its calm like nothing had ever happened. But we knew better—our first day already had a little grit to it, and we’re not even on the river proper yet.
Still, if that muddy detour taught us anything, it’s that the unpredictable is part of the adventure. The real journey lies ahead, and if the first 1.5 miles are any sign, there’s going to be plenty of surprises waiting for us.
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