Over the course of thirteen long days, twelve assorted passengers, three rafting guides and one stray dog will navigate the rapids of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon together. From their early-morning rise on the shore of the river to the adrenaline rush of paddling through Lava Falls, they will soon come to know each other more intimately than they could have expected. Tempers will flare and decisions will be second-guessed . . . and ultimately all of them, from an unhappy teenager to an aging river guide, will realize that sometimes the most daunting adventures have nothing to do with white-water rapids, and everything to do with reconfiguring the rocky canyons of the heart.

Over the course of thirteen long days, twelve assorted passengers, three rafting guides and one stray dog will navigate the rapids of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon together. From their early-morning rise on the shore of the river to the adrenaline rush of paddling through Lava Falls, they will soon come to know each other more intimately than they could have expected. Tempers will flare and decisions will be second-guessed . . . and ultimately all of them, from an unhappy teenager to an aging river guide, will realize that sometimes the most daunting adventures have nothing to do with white-water rapids, and everything to do with reconfiguring the rocky canyons of the heart.

Copious, dramatic color photographs and poetic quotations illustrate these essays describing the whitewater rafting experiences of 15 prominent female writers sent down the Colorado River during the summer of 1997. 11x10". Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

This novel tells the story of two irrepressible pocket-hunters, Steve Siebert and Andy McCann who don't get along. Excerpt: "What's the matter with the two old sourdoughs? All the time they were buying that stuff they never spoke a word to each other, and if one of 'em caught a look from t'other he snarled like a wild tagger! They'd have shown their teeth—both of 'em—if they'd had any left but stubs." "Ain't spoken, to my knowledge," said the storekeeper, "Steve and Andy ain't, in all of these twenty years. 'Fore that they were as thick as hasty puddin' an' threw in together ev'ry spring—even-steven—when they went prospecting; comin' back yere to Canyon Pass in the fall as happy as a bride and groom return from the honeymoon." "What happened? What made 'em so sore on each other?" asked Smithy. "Don't know. Never did know. Never could find out. 'Twas right after the big slide. You've heard tell of that, even if you ain't been here six months?"