Utah Man Dies after Raft Flips in Grand Canyon

[tanya]

I may have a photo. I'll have to look for it. If not, you can take one during the workshop :-)

I would LOVE to do that!

[soitgos]

Campfire stories is a major part of any river experience . . .

[tanya]

Campfire stories is a major part of any river experience . . .

What is your favorite story that does not involve Bo?

[soitgos]

My favorite story that doesn't include Bo? Hmmm . . . most my favorite stories include Bo. But, I have lots of stories.

Zeus, what did I do to piss you off?
By Steve Christensen

Labyrinth Canyon was one of those places I always wanted to float, but for many reasons it never made it to the top of the priority list. After all, it

[Bo_Beck]

Yep, the son. I've said this many times and will say it many more, he is the best I have ever been with. He was 14 when I realized I had nothing more to teach him. He's currently the kayak instructor at Utah State U.

One of the skills we teach and practice is aggressive swimming. A life saving skill. We used to teach the defensive swim position. Not anymore. Save yourself and do it NOW![/u]

I got the opportunity about 7 years back to attend a 3 day whitewater rescue course for national parks put on by Grand Canyon NP. We had classroom at Lees Ferry on fridayafternoon and night and then practical application on saturday and sunday on the river above and below Paria Riff. It was a blast to practice throwbags, swimming positions, river crossings and practice entering an eddie to get on a rock. Its amazing the power of water and how one should deal with it! Sounds like a wonderful course...Maybe I can get Zion to spring and send me for some training again! Thanks for info!

[tanya]

My favorite story that doesn't include Bo? Hmmm . . . most my favorite stories include Bo. But, I have lots of stories.

Zeus, what did I do to piss you off?
By Steve Christensen

You are an excellent writer! I hope you are writing down your many stories so they can be saved for all time. I too love storms when out in the wilderness. I of course love them more at night time when I am nice and dry inside a tent.

What is your favorite Bo story?

[soitgos]

Thanks for the compliment. I am writing down lots of stories. A few have been published in journals, and a couple stories will be included in river anthology being put together by Tom Martin.

My favorite Bo story . . . now that's difficult. You're going to hear all my campfire stories without a campfire.

Oh well, here is one of my favorite Bo stories:

When Bo was 15 he asked me if we could start a kayak program. I was a bit taken back, since we had no kayaks. He responded that he had two, couldn't we start with those. Kayaks are very unique little crafts. The first ones were made of wood and animal skins, then treated cloth. Fiberglass revolutionized kayaks, and made it possible to really make them waterproof, even upside down. Plastic injection then revolutionized kayaking again. Kayaks started to shrink. The first fiberglass kayaks were 14 feet long. Bo's first kayak was under seven feet long. They make even shorter ones. Not just everyone can fit in every kayak. A kayak must "fit." That is important so the paddler can perform the Eskimo roll, the act of turning an upside down kayak upright while still in the kayak. Bo weighed somewhere near 100 pounds when we purchased his first kayak. You can imagine how small it was to fit him.

Anyway, back to the kayak program. I told Bo two kayaks wouldn

[tanya]

Your pride in Bo is cute.

Another great story!

I can hear the fire crackling and feel the warmth on my face as I read your stories.

I am afraid to push my luck..... but just in case you are not tired of typing stories..... How about a funny one?

[soitgos]

Yeah, I get a bit carried away when talking about Bo. It's not my fault, you keep asking. ''

Being a father is the one thing in my life I haven't screwed up. I was on the Rogue River several years ago and everyone was talking about Bo. I made the same comment about the one thing I haven't screwed up. Werner Catsman, a good friend, said, "Well Steve, if there's going to be one thing, that ought to be it." One of the biggest compliments of my life.

Bo has done more and accomplished more already than most people do in their entire life. To get a river guide permit you have to have nine whitewater river trips. When he went to take his test when he was 18 I think he had 90.

A humorous story, huh? Not sure how humorous this is, but here's one more:

In March 2001 we launched on the Salt River at just under 1,300 cfs. Bo was 15 at the time. The flow was dropping quickly. I was sharing a raft with my friend Shannon Bryant. Bo was in a kayak.

Shannon and I had hung up on a number of rocks during the trip, but nothing serious. So, there we were, day three below the serious rapids, perched again on a rock in the middle of a small rapid. The water was moving quite fast. Shannon and I moved our weight, jumped and pulled and low sided and did all the things you can do before getting out of the raft. So it goes . . .

We decided a cold drink was in order. Maybe lunch. Just then Bo came around the downstream side of the raft in his kayak, dropped his paddle in his lap and grabbed the chicken line on the raft. He turned his kayak on its side into the force of the water, and pulled the raft off the rock. Didn't even lose his paddle.

Wish I had a video.

[tanya]

Wow! That's more of an impressive story! I am sure it will always be fresh in your mind. Is Bo your only child? I love to hear parents rave about their grown children and for those same children to rave about their parents. Do you and Bo spend a lot of time swimming and doing other things in water? It seems one would have to be quite comfortable in water to do all these things.