National Park After Dark - Swimming the Colorado River: Grand Canyon National Park

Episode Date: December 26, 2022

Join us this week as we follow two friends down the Colorado River. When they have limited funds to kayak or raft the river like most - Bill Beer and John Daggett decide to swim it instead. The guys are having the adventure of their lives - all while the park service has issued a massive rescue mission to find them. In their words, this is a cheap vacation that got a little out of hand. For the latest NPAD updates, group travel details, merch and more, follow us on npadpodcast.com and our socials:Instagram: @‌nationalparkafterdarkTikTok: @‌nationalparkafterdarkSupport the show by becoming an Outsider and receive ad free listening, bonus content and more on Patreon or Apple Podcasts. Want to see our faces? Catch full episodes on our YouTube Page!Thank you to this week’s partners!Apostrophe: Use our link and code NPAD to get for first visit for only $5.For a full list of our sources, visit http://npadpodcast.com/episodes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Close your eyes. Listen to Monday.com. Feel the sensation of an AI work platform. So flexible and intuitive, it feels like it was built just for you. Now open your eyes, go to Monday.com. Start for free and finally, breathe. Adventuring comes in so many forms. Some people take road trips across the country, while others may hike a mountain nearby, and some might fly to a new place. Some people adventure to find new cultures and people, while others do it to find new. landscapes. Some people's adventures are extravagant with fine dining, beautiful hotels, and luxury treatment, while others are just scraping by on the little money they have to explore, saving each penny to sleep on the ground, stay in hostels, hitchhike or couch surf to their dream destinations. While having the financial means to travel can open up some really incredible doors, travelers have proved time and time again that money is not everything and sometimes the lack of it brings you into situations you may have never encountered before and can make for some pretty legendary stories welcome to national park after dark you just gave me some flashbacks to some pretty rugged adventures of mine it's like i too have been poor in traveling yes and it's not ideal when you're like playing

it, but once you're in it, man, it's a good time. Yeah, I mean, there have been some things I have done with no money to travel and get to places. I mean, I'm happy I'm a little more financially stable now, but I can remember times where people would ask me, they'd be like, how do you travel? Like, you don't have any money. And I'm like, yeah, I know. I didn't pay my car payment this month, so I could buy a flight here. And then I'd be sleeping on the ground or I'd be in some hotel in the middle of Utah that costs like $20 a night or you know like just like these crazy you just have to I mean when you're in situations like that like I've been at a couple questionable sleeping locations before same and you just don't look too closely at things don't look at the grout in the bathroom just like

skim right over that bring some flip-flops so your feet aren't on the ground yep and enjoy really the only thing you got to do is check the bed for bed bugs no bed bugs means it's clear You're good. And as long as the door locks, I remember one time the cheapest trip I ever did was to southern Utah. And we did a national park trip. We did like Bryce Canyon. We did Zion. We did Knaub in the pink sand dunes and stuff.

And we drove an hour out of our way to stay at this quote unquote hotel that was $20 a night, split two ways. So $10 each, we had no money. And we pull up, it was late. It was probably like midnight by the time we got there. And it was just a row of little apartments. And then there were trailers next to it with like cars that hadn't been driven. And you could tell years. There was just like one light flickering.

And we pulled in and we're like, what is this place? Like this is not great. And we were debating on whether we were even going to walk in. The office was this rundown trailer that had a tiny little. light on inside. We're like, do we even walk in there? And then we're like, you know, it's midnight, we're tired, let's just go in. And we walk into this place a little scared. And the kindest little old lady like emerges from her little back office. And she's like, hello, welcome. And she gives us the keys. The room was a little crappy, but it was clean. And once we met her, all of our fears, we're like,

this is fine. We're good. We're not getting murdered tonight. But probably the cheapest, I've ever stayed in that wasn't the ground. Yeah, well, I mean, you almost just started to describe a horror film, like a Bates Motel situation. It looked like the Bates Motel. It was not, it was not, it was not good, but it worked out fine and it ended up being good. Well, I'm excited for your story because it seems like you're going to describe a story that turned out for the better, maybe.

Well, this story is really funny because this story is actually, pretty legendary in the Grand Canyon. And it is about two guys who were in their 20s who wanted to go on an adventure, but they were pretty broke. And the adventure they wanted to go down was they wanted to go down the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon National Park.

But they didn't have enough money for a boat. So they just decided they'd swim it since they couldn't afford to get a boat. Okay, that's bold. Yeah. And I mean, if you know anything about the Grand Canyon in the Colorado River, it's not a lazy river. river. You know, there's rapids, there's white water. It's very dangerous. It's one of the most dangerous

rivers in the United States. And they were just like, well, we're poor. So let's just grab a life jacket and go for it. Just send it, see what happens. Yeah. And they sure did. So before we get into their story, we'll go a little bit into Grand Canyon National Park. And I know we have covered this on the Bessie Hyde story in the Grand Canyon. So I have talked about it. a little bit, but I found some other information that I didn't go over about the Grand Canyon National Park before, so I'll talk about it now. So the Grand Canyon National Park is located in the northwestern corner of Arizona, and it was the 15th National Park established, which was on February 19th, 1919, and it was only established after a very long battle with legislators to add it to the

National Park Service. Archaeologists have found evidence of inhabitants that date back nearly 12,000 years and while it holds history of ancestral Pueblo people, Paiu, Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni tribes, the Havasupai people have lived in and around the Grand Canyon for more than 800 years. Spanish explorers were originally led by Hopi guides around the Grand Canyon in the 1540s, but it wasn't until the late 1880s that the first pioneers began to settle the area. Many of the pioneers entering the area were prospectors looking to mine copper. Now it took several bills and legislatures to go through and an argument of whether the land was profitable for mining or for tourism until it was eventually granted federal protections in 1893 as a federal reserve for tourism. In this act, almost all of the Havasupai ancestral land was taken from them to use as public land.

And today, the Havasupai still occupy the area. And they do make some money from tourism, especially because of the Havasu Falls, where around 20,000. people visit per year. When Teddy Roosevelt traveled to the Grand Canyon in 1903, he wanted to preserve the area for hunting and declared portions of the Grand Canyon as a federal game reserve. Later, it became a national monument before finally a national park in 1919. And it was also designated as an international dark sky park in 2019. Girl, winter is so last season. And now Springs got you looking at pictures of tank tops with hungry eyes. Your algorithm is feeding you cutoffs. You're thirsty for the sun on your shoulders. That perfect hang on the patio sundress. Those sandals you can wear all day

and all night. And you've had enough of shopping from your couch. Done hoping it looks anything like the picture when you tear up on that envelope. It's time for a little in-person spring treat. It's time for a trip to Ross. Work your magic. This episode is brought to you by Prime. Obsession is in session. And this summer, Prime Originals have everything you want. Steamy romances, irresistible love stories, and the book to screen favorites you've already read twice. Off campus, L. Every year after, The Love Hypothesis, Sterling Point, and more. Slow burns, second chances, chemistry you can feel through the screen. Your next obsession is waiting.

Watch only on Prime. Today, it is one of the most visited national parks with almost 6 million people visiting per year. The park preserves 1904 square miles, which is 4,931 square kilometers, and is known for the massive canyon that averages about one mile or 1.6 kilometers deep throughout. The park preserves rock that is over 5 million years old. And of course, I think that the Colorado, I mean, the Grand Canyon is so popular, we all can picture what it looks like. But I think a lot of times when you picture the canyon, you have to realize also a mass. feature of this park is the Colorado River that is at the very bottom of the canyon because this river extends the whole length of Grand Canyon National Park extending 278 miles,

which is 447 kilometers, and it averages 300 feet or 90 meters across and is up to 85 feet or 25.5 meters in depth. So the mighty Colorado is an apt nickname. It sure is. Did I make that up? No. That's a thing. I don't know. The mighty Colorado. I've never heard it before. If you told me you made it up, I would believe you. Okay. Well, it's a thing, I think.

I've definitely heard it from somebody. So it counts. There's probably like lots of things that's called that and I just have no idea. The Colorado River also serves surrounding communities by revenue generated from tourism. And much of that is in the form of whitewater rafting. While some parts of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon are wide calm sections, there are other narrow and jagged sections with huge rocks and extreme rapids. There are lots of rafting companies around the area who have very experienced whitewater

rafting guides to take visitors down the river and through these intense rapids. Although it should be noted that not all rapids within the Grand Canyon are run on group rafting trips because some of them are very, very difficult. They have extreme ratings and the rapids are actually classified on a rating scale from one to 10. Class 1 being the easiest and class 10 rapids being the most difficult. Class 1 is described as sections of the river that are relatively calm with small waves and very few obstacles and have some fast moving waters with ripples. It's described that the risk for swimmers in these areas is pretty light. Water within the Colorado River sits around 50 degrees Fahrenheit or 10

degrees Celsius year round, but there are warmer pockets on side streams or pool areas, things like that, but it's relatively a pretty cold river. Now, class one is the easiest ones. Class 10 is very difficult. These rapids are often labeled based on their water levels at the time because they can carry these huge waves, but typically these whitewater rafting runs are almost never attempted because they are extremely difficult and are for experts only. These rapids carry unpredictable. dangers and consequences within these are very severe. Errors can lead to possible fatalities, and if you get stuck in these sections, a rescue can be impossible in these areas. These rapids are characterized with huge waves, huge rocks, hazards, huge drops, and invisible dangers underneath

the water that can come with a risk of losing your life or your limbs. So not an easy track. Have you ever been whitewater rafting? No, I haven't. Me neither. Well, no, I have not. But it is something that I think I would never want to do it. I don't think on the Colorado. But there is whitewater rafting or at least rafting through downtown Golden, which I live near-ish. Oh, cool. So it would be cool, like a cool day trip to do. And it goes right through downtown. Like, that's like my level. It's like I'm near civilization and people. And it might be a little easier. I would never, I don't know if I could ever do it even with like a guide and stuff on a

rougher river. Well, you got to get over that fear because our Trova trip, we're going whitewater rafting and Banff. Wait, I didn't know that. I don't think. Oh, shit. Really? Yep.

So we're going to throw ourselves to the fire on that one because I am also a little nervous of it, but we are doing it. Is it an optional excursion? We are going. We are going. All right. So everyone coming to Banff with us. Hope you're ready.

Strap in. Really, like, can I wear seatbelt? I know they give you a helmet, so I'm good with like that. Right. I'm more worried about being dragged underwater. The helmet is. Okay. Let's stop talking about it.

Are we, I'm guessing that this whole entire, entire episode is on rivers. great well on that note we'll go into this story of the two guys who decided that in 1955 instead of taking a boat through the grand canyon which people had been doing they would swim all 278 miles 447 kilometers of it bill beer and john daggett were friends for over eight years when they had come up with this idea they had originally met in college at stanford university when they became roommates and after college, they each joined the military and continued to keep in touch over the next few years. John married and had a daughter, but they were both tragically killed in an accident.

And after that, the two of them reunited and John moved in with Bill. The two of them spent much of their time living and surfing in Southern California. They were pretty young. John was only 27 and Bill was only 26 years old. They were really strong swimmers. They were in really good shape. But they did not have any type of river rafting or. rapid swimming experience at this time, just the rough waters of the Pacific coast.

The idea to swim the Grand Canyon came alive just on a whim. One rainy day in January of 1955, a friend of theirs who was over who did have some experience in whitewater started talking to them about their experience. And that launched into a conversation of fantasizing over the possibilities in the water. Talking about legends who had run the Colorado before, like John Wesley Powell, who in 1869 was the very first person to run the whole Colorado River, and this sparked talking about dreams and possibilities. And then in the middle of this conversation, John suddenly blurted out to Bill, let's just swim the Grand Canyon. Let's swim the Colorado. And after a long moment of silence, Bill suggested that they could be killed doing it.

But the conversation continued. And it went like this. And I will say, I got this conversation. Bill Beer later writes a book about his experience and the book is really good. It's called We Swam the Grand Canyon, the true story of a cheap vacation that got a little out of hand. Oh boy. By Bill Beard. And he wrote down this conversation and I just loved it because it's really on a whim. So Bill suggests like, you know, we could be killed doing this. And John responds with, nah, guys have accidentally swum rapids and lived. We'll do it better on purpose. And it can't be any rougher than body surfing around rocks on the Pacific coast. And Bill responds, nobody's ever tried

anything like that, have they? Have you seen the Colorado River? Never. How many rapids does it have? Lots. It sure would be a blast. In response with, boy, I bet some people would be really upset. Go who? You know, all those guys who think they're so hot. And the government, they'd probably stop us. Not if they didn't know. And with that, launched the beginning of a very intense research project on how to swim the Colorado River. Oh, thank God. Okay, I thought that they were like, I don't know, let's just do it. And they just went. But they did put some research into it. Yes, they did. And they actually, they went to the Los Angeles Public Library and they started reading a bunch of books from previous people who had whitewater rafted it. They learned of the rapids and the rocks. But one thing that they assumed,

even though the readings might have suggested different. They assumed that the water from the river would make all these rocks smooth. And they're like, oh, they'll be smooth and slimy and soft and we'll just glide right on. But as they kept reading, they found a lot of accounts saying the exact opposite, that they were very sharp rocks, very jagged, very dangerous. But as they're reading these books, they were reading much different accounts of each one. And one author is saying, this rapid was so hard, it's so difficult. And then another person who went over the same rapid was like they'd write something. It would just be a brief blip in their story.

We went over that rapid onto the next. So they were getting kind of jumbled on what was actually going to be difficult and what wasn't. And then their next thing that they needed to really look into is where they were going to enter the Colorado river because there's a lot of points along the river. Obviously, it's very long. But what would be best? and any difficulties that they were going to face. So they start reading of quicksand, whirlpools, people being dehydrated from extreme heat,

the difficulties getting out of the water. And then they noted that a lot of the places along the Colorado River were surrounded by massive canyons that you couldn't just walk in or out of. Once you're in the water, that's the only place you can be, which also meant putting into the river would be difficult. So after doing a lot of research, they found that their journey would have to start at Lee's Ferry. And this is a point southwest of Page, Arizona, that is a popular spot for people to put in their rafts and boats in for the Colorado River, because it is the only place for more than 260 miles or 420 kilometers where the Colorado River is not surrounded by sheer canyon walls.

So they're literally just wading into the water and swimming it? Yep. Do they have any other sort of like flotation device or supplies? Like how are they carrying? I just, I'm trying to envision this. That's a really good question because they do research things and they immediately decide that they're too poor for a boat. Everyone else had rafted it.

They're like, no, we're not going to do that. We don't have enough money. But we need to find some gear to go into this water. And this gear is going to depend on what time. of year, we go to the Colorado. So before they could figure out what gear they needed, they needed to figure out when was the best time to enter the Colorado River and the safest. So inconspicuously, they wrote a letter to the government that handled these ferry and who measured the water levels and temperature levels throughout the year. And they nonchalantly wrote a letter being like,

hey, can you just tell me what the water temperatures and water levels are throughout the entire year, just curious. We're asking for a friend, not for us. Yeah, not suspicious or anything. This isn't for us. We're just curious. We just want to know. And while they're waiting for this response to start planning this, they started telling their close friends of this plan, and immediately their friends think they're crazy. They believe that the two of them had a death wish, and they even joked that before they left, that they all wanted to take life insurance policies out on them because they weren't going to make it. And they said, if the rapids aren't going to kill you, then the cold water will because you can't swim the Grand Canyon. It's too cold. But they were unfazed by this.

John and Bill are just like, no, you guys are wrong. We're just, we can swim. We're good. We're just going to go down the Colorado River. We got, we'll bring gear. Like, it'll be fine. They are super nonchalant about this. They just think this sounds like a great, fun adventure while everyone around them is like, you're going to die for sure. Now, it wasn't for a couple more months in March of 1955 when Lee's Ferry returned their letter. And they stated that the river was estimated to be cold in April at about 59 degrees, which is 15 degrees Celsius. And then by mid-May to late July, the river would flood. The water levels would be lower in August and would be warmer with areas about 77 degrees or 25 degrees Celsius. So based on the letter and the information that they were

reading. It sounded like August would be the best time for them to go based on the water levels and the water temperatures. But they were afraid that they were going to lose motivation for this trip and they decided it's now or never. We're going to go in the cold. We're going to, we don't want to be there while the river is flooded. So we'll just, we'll just take on the cold. And for this, because of the time of year they were going, they went off to find their supplies. And they managed to find thin rubber shirts for about $15 a piece and woolen long john underwear for their cold weather swimming gear. So no wetsuits or anything, just like a rubber shirt and some long johns. They bought cheap life jackets and fins to help them swim better.

And in search for something to carry their gear while they were swimming, they came across misshapen rubber boxes. And these were originally designed to carry World War II radio gear and keep it dry in the worst. conditions. They were made of tough-corded neoprene and were watertight. They would hold about three cubic feet of stuff and the best part for them was it would hold all their gear, their sleeping bags, their food, their canned and dry food and everything that they needed. And they were 89 cents each. Okay. I mean, that's wonderful. But for one second when you're like, and the best part is, I thought you were going to say there was spare room for beer. No, they didn't bring any beer on this that I know of that I read.

But I guess the second best part of this was actually that they floated even when they were full. So 89 cents rubber boxes that float. They're like, this is in our budget. Yeah, whoever said that you can't do fun things with no money. Where there's a will, there's a way. And they have certainly found a way. So while living in California and going to school at Stanford, the two of them had made friends with people who had worked in the movie.

industry, magazines, and reporting agencies. When their friends realized they were actually serious and buying all this gear and going through with their plans, they convinced John and Bill to take some camera equipment with them to record their adventures as well. So they brought two cameras with them to take video and photos and they ended up getting a lot of film, which was really expensive. And the irony of this was the amount of film and camera equipment that they brought could have bought them a boat. But they didn't want a boat. But they didn't want a boat.

And I just got some cameras and it fit in their four little rubber boxes. So they went for it. And right before they left, they had two friends who worked for two different reporting agencies in L.A. who convinced them to do an interview with them. And the condition of this interview was that they promised that they would not release any information about the story, the interview, until they were already far down the Colorado River because it was pretty known at that time that you were not allowed to swim the Colorado River,

especially through the Grand Canyon National Park because the Park Service would come after you. So they didn't want anyone to know until it was too late to get them and they were gone. So they agreed and they did a photo shoot of them and they did their interview and halfway through the interview, they realized that the people interviewing them

were basing a lot of their questions on the, assumptions that they were going to die. They were asking who to talk to their parents, like their loved ones they were leaving behind, their hopes and aspirations. It sounded to them that they were trying to write an obituary for them. And John and Bill are still like, no, we're good. We're fine. They're laughing and joking. And even in the pictures, they're laughing and joking around. And the interview at one point says, hey, stop. You need to be serious. You're going to die on this. and I'm trying to cover something serious right now. It's like, okay, I'm sorry if we don't want to go into this knowing it's our final ride.

Like, we're trying to do this for fun and then go back to school. Yeah. Wow. Like we're not, uh. Wait, no, no, they're not in school. They're not in school. They're done school now. They met in school.

Okay, gotcha. Yeah, but they're still young. I mean, I understand one side of it of like, okay, this is nuts. and statistically and odds are you're probably going to run into trouble. But on the other side, why set someone up mentally for that? Like, you're going to die, take this seriously. Yeah. The best part is that the guys are like, what?

No, we're not. This is fine. They're like, if that's what you think, but... They're not worried at all. Everyone around them is terrified for them and asking them, begging them not to go, and they are not worried at all. So despite all these concerns for their lives and also people were concerned, that they were going to get in trouble while they were swimming.

On August 9th, 195, they reached Lee's Ferry and put in into the water and started their journey. But their first day on the water was a bit of an eye-opener of just how difficult the conditions were going to be. Because although the waters were relatively smooth, it was very cold. The further they went down the river, the colder it seemed to be. Plus, they had severely underestimated just how large the canyon walls would be, Just a couple miles down from Lee's Ferry, they were surrounded by massive canyon walls with very few beaches, shores, or even rocks that they could climb up onto to get out of the water. On top of that, they were not prepared for the wind that was there. The canyon served as a wind tunnel, raging and pushing them downstream.

After about six miles, they were freezing. The rubber top Bill had had leaked and he was completely soaked. They were cold, it was almost unbearable. And after what they felt was a very long time, they were able to find a spot that they could camp at along shore. There was a tiny beach with a hole that was inside the canyon walls that was just big enough to house them. But the wind was so strong that this hole in the canyon served as another little wind tunnel. And there was just sand and debris that was just whirling around as they're sitting there. Comfy.

Comfy, lovely. So when they sat down to try to cook and get their meals out and open their little rubber box containers to get their gear, they found that it was not watertight at all. And inside, the only things that had been not soaking wet were the items that they had double bagged when they were packing it. Everything else soaked through. It was soaked in sand and covered in silt. One of their two cameras and some of their film that they bought was already destroyed. usable. And they did manage to set up a clothing line to dry out their clothing, but as it dried,

it just was covered in sand and silt. So it was dry and sandy instead of wet and sandy. Well, what do you expect for 89 cents, honestly? Yeah. It's like, you got what you got. And then while they cooked dinner over fire, the wind never slowed down either. And it gave all of their food a solid coating of wind blown dirt in every bite of food that they had. Oh my God. That is so, I mean, it's so relatable. I mean, I like the beach, but I don't love the beach. And it's because of the sand is just fucking everywhere. I don't like the feeling it's in your like, it's everywhere.

You know, like. Sand in your teeth is like the worst. Oh, oh, I'm like, it's like nails on a crunch. Yeah. Grinding. It's like, oh, it's everywhere. Yeah. Like I feel it right now in my mouth.

Do I have sand in my mouth? It's like I have to go rush. my teeth, hold on, I'll be right back. Oh, God. And this is day one. This is day one. So needless to say that this was a pretty big blow to their morale because they went off and they're like, we're just going to swim. It's going to be great. We'll camp. And this was only six, they were only six miles into their journey. And they realized if six miles can do this much damage to their gear, their clothes, their food, what would the next 250 plus miles look like for them? And, To top it off, they hadn't even reached their first rapid yet.

Oh, those, yeah. I forgot already. Oh, yeah, those. The following morning wasn't offering relief either. They both awoke to their faces caked in dirt and mud with the wind still raging. I don't know if I mentioned this, but they don't have a tent. They're just setting up sleeping bags. So they're sleeping under the stars for this one and they're just hiding their faces when they can. Yeah, I don't think you did, but that's what I was.

was envisioning because how, but their sleeping bags are obviously soaked too. Yeah, everything's wet. Well, they might have had a chance to hang those to dry because they were hanging things for a little bit. So I don't know if they're like damp or dry or they didn't mention it too much in the book besides being uncomfortable and having dirt all over them and waking up with their faces caked in dirt. Bill says, and part of it he's like, I looked over at John and his face was just black covered in silt and dirt and like it looked like a mess day one morning too they tried to make breakfast and they tried to make pancakes for breakfast but again their food was filled with dirt and then they tried to clean their dishes in the river water but by the time they got to their boxes to put them

away because they would clean it in the water carry it to bring it to its boxes the wind had coated their dishes with dirt again when they were about to give up the wind stopped completely which seemed to finally give them a break, but they were wrong. John tried to clean out all of his gear in sand while the wind stopped, but just as he had all his gear cleaned and out on the ground drying, a series of dust devils with long spiral columns of sand burst through their camp and covered everything in dirt again. Everything's just a layer of dirt. Yeah, they're going through it. They are going through it. I'm curious if they were mentally prepared for that because you said they were doing research and stuff. Yeah. And it's funny because part of the book said he's like, it's funny from all

the books that we read, not a single one of them mentioned the wind. Right. It's like a significant factor right off the bat. Yeah. Right off the bat they were not prepared for this. And this ended up being a common theme throughout their entire journey. That and battling the cold. Their cheap suits were hardly enough to keep off the cold and it was barely enough to keep them from getting hypothermia. And throughout their whole time swimming in the river water, they had to be moving all of the time. If they stopped, they would immediately start to tingle all over and start shivering. They often found times that they were so cold that they needed to find a way out of the water and into the sunlight to get warm again before jumping back into the cold water.

And Lee's Ferry had estimated that the water would be about 59 degrees in temperature in April, but it was actually only 51 degrees, which is 10.6 degrees Celsius. So it was even colder than they were expecting. So chilly. Yeah. At mile eight, they heard their first significant rapid before they saw it. Before they got too close, they swam to land to scope it out and pick a safe line. They were at Badger Creek Rapid, which is a Class 5 rapid, which is characterized by its long rapid, unavoidable waves, rocks, and the level of expertise you needed to maneuver it. And this brought up their first problem that they realized, which was how they were going to get through the rapids with their gear without losing it. Their boxes floated, but if the rope got stuck under a rock or it got carried too far away in the current, they could lose all of their supplies. So they decided to swim the rapids with their boxes tied to themselves. These rapids pulled and pushed them through the water.

It yanked John in one direction and his supplies in another, and it briefly forced John underwater. His rope from him and his supply box got wrapped around a boulder, and he had to maneuver his way around it. They didn't feel like this was the right way to be traveling with their supplies, and although they made it, it felt like a lot of things could go wrong this way. It wasn't long before they had the chance to try out a new way to bring their supply boxes through rapids, as another larger one approached only minutes. later. John went first and this time instead of having his boxes attached to him and going down the rapids, he decided to use them as extra flotation devices. He wrapped his arms around it and used his legs to kick and swim. He went up over the first wave and then again. He'd swim under with the box and pop up and ride a different wave and did this over and over again until he reached the end of the

rapid. And now they found a fun way to do it. They were having a blast with the snow. new way. At the end of it, he was cheering and yelling for Bill to follow. So Bill followed suit, doing the exact same thing John had done. And he too was laughing, yelling, having a blast. And at this point, both of their fears dropped. They're like, this is fun. We can do this. We can't wait for more rapids to hit with these. So it's kind of like body surfing. Like they're holding their boxes, right? Like bear hugging them. Okay. Bear hugging them and then using their feet to kick as they're coming through it. So, Now it is. It's like body surfing through the whole thing. And I'm like, this is great. Why don't

anyone say this is hard? We're not afraid of this. This is so fun. After a couple rapids later, including their first 10 foot drop in the water, which they had a blast on, and them briefly losing each other in the currents, they finally found a place to set up camp for the night. This time they were protected from the wind. They made hot chicken soup and reflected on their day. This day was very successful. They faced the fear of the rapid. They triumphed over difficulties, and they both knew that this was going to be a day that they cherished for the rest of their lives. They went to bed with full stomachs. They were warm, and they had a new sense of hope for this adventure. The next few days offered more rapids, some calm areas, cold water, and more difficult rapids.

At one point, they found themselves being blindly dragged down the river at one point, running into each other, and in one three-mile stretch being continuously thrown up and down and under waves. The river dropped a total of 40 feet or 12 meters in the stretch, and again, they were having a blast. The adrenaline rushes and the work that their bodies had to do to keep them warm, they were hollering, they were cheering, they were diving, they were just living their best lives. They used the camera that they had to document and take photos whenever they could. They would take small videos, and they would try to cover as many miles as they could during the daytime, and they were trying to stay on schedule for a 24-day trip. And at night,

they would make a fire, they'd have dinner, they'd sleep under the stars, and then start their day the next day. As the days passed, they became more and more confident in the water. They would joke about how easy the river was and asked why no one had done this before. But just as they had become overly confident, they had their first serious incident. Just past mile 43, approaching the President Harding Rapid, labeled as a class four, but it is more characterized by the five-foot drop than difficult waves. Right in the middle of this rapid is a massive rock that stands up high out of the water and was jagged on all edges around it. Bill went through it first without incident, but couldn't help but notice how sharp the rock really was as he passed it. Next one, John.

Bill could see him swimming towards the rapids and soon he looked to be directly behind the rock. Before, John then disappeared entirely. Bill slowly drifted downstream, looking and waiting for John to re-emerge, but several moments had passed and he was still nowhere to be seen. Bill began to worry that he might be pinned by rock and swam towards the shore to stop himself from going further downstream. Suddenly, John's boxes emerged from the water, but there were still no sight of John. Seconds later, John emerged bobbing at the top of the water, but it was clear there was no movement from him or any attempts from him to grab the two boxes that were floating away. Bill jumped into the water, swimming hard to reach his supply boxes, bringing them together, and then went to swim closer to John yelling his name when he suddenly heard him weakly respond. This was the first sign that he had seen that he was alive and conscious. When he looked up, his face was dark and it looked like it was muddy, but upon further inspection, it was clear that his face was completely covered in blood. John then managed to swim to Bill who grabbed onto his life jacket and guided him into a shallow

area of rocks and mud to sit down. As soon as John caught his breath, he insisted that Bill take out his camera and document this moment. Oh my God. He's like, this is part of the adventure man. Take a photo. Oh, wow. Okay. It was obvious, though, in his first statements that he was a little bit delirious, even though he started making jokes and telling what had happened to him in the water. Now while his wording was jumbled and a little confused, he was able to state that he had gotten caught in the rock and his boxes were tangled and when he tried to get them untangled, he hit his head and his hand. He had a large cut on it exposing his bone and he had been trapped under the water and thought that he was dead when all of the sudden he came out above the water and he didn't know how. His words were jumbled. It was hard to exactly understand what he was saying. And because his skin was a grayish, color that Bill had never seen before, he wasn't sure what kind of first aid that he should be performing, but he was pretty sure that John was in shock. There was no way that they were going to be able to keep going that day and they needed to set up camp as soon as possible. But where they were,

there was no good area to stop and be able to sleep and make food. So Bill was tasked with carrying all four of their supply boxes in the water, while John could walk along the thin embankment following him. After three miles of this, though, the canyon walls became too steep, no shoreline at all to walk on and John had to get back into the water. His head and hand were still bleeding and he was still very confused. Luckily now the waters were calm and he was able to float down the river until they eventually found a place to set up camp. When Bill took out his first aid kit and got a better look at his wounds, he had a cut on his finger that went straight down to the bone that clearly needed stitches, but neither of them were comfortable sewing them and his head had several

cuts, but none of them looked too deep. Bill bandaged him up the best he could. The following morning, John was surprisingly feeling a lot better. He was no longer confused and he could explain in more detail exactly what had happened to him. He said that he had gotten pulled underneath the giant rock in the middle of the rapid and had been stuck underneath it. He tried to swim out of it, but he was caught and he wasn't moving. He used all of his strength to push himself from underneath the rock and just when he had finally run out of oxygen and could no longer hold his breath, the river pulled him back up to the surface. Now with this new sense of danger, they had never felt before, it was kind of another downer for the trip. They were so confident and so carefree about this, this was really

the first time where they were like, okay, this is really dangerous and they got probably a new healthy fear of the Colorado River. I was going to say it seems like they got an Iowa. opener. Yeah. It's like, thankfully, you're safe. Maybe this is why people haven't done this before because it's not safe. Right. Exactly. And we're taking on a big task right now. And huge risk. Huge risk. So now when they ventured back into the water, they were much more cautious than before. Thankfully, their first several miles were smooth waters with a strong current that helped them move more quickly and easily downstream. But it wasn't long before they approached new rapids, heavy winds, and whirlpools. They had been out in the water for several days before they officially entered the

boundaries of Grand Canyon National Park. This created new worries for the pair as the park had strict guidelines that surrounded swimming in the Colorado River and swimming the rapids was a hard no. And they knew that they could get in trouble. So they started being very careful at night with their fires, keeping them small and hoping no park ranger would notice it. While they swam, they often kept a lookout for any signs of visitors or park service as they needed to. remain unseen. Inside the park boundaries, they also found the waters to be much more difficult. Rapids were more frequent and not only were their rapids, but there were also whirlpools that were often at the bottom of the rapids that also included a lot of rocks. Navigating and swimming

through these became much more difficult and they found themselves covered in scrapes and bruises each time they went through them. With much of their gear soaked, exhausted and bruised, and running out of supplies, they agreed on a new plan. When they arrived to the Kaibab Trail that connected to the South Kaibub Trail, they would stash all their gear below the bridge, then hike up, get more supplies at the South Rim and Canyon Village, then hop back on the trail to their gear and continue.

They changed into some clothes to try and make them look a little bit more like hikers and not like people who had been swimming the Colorado River, but everything they had was covered in dirt and silt and it was all wet. When they put the clothing on, it made them look even more disheveled than they had in just what they were wearing before. It's like river. What river? There's a river here? Like, I'm not wet right now.

Like, no, I was just hiking. It's fine. It's sweat, actually. Yeah, it's really hot out. This warm April day with snow on the ground. When they did make it to the trail, it wasn't long before they did see a man who was hiking on it. And because of how disheveled they looked, the guy stopped to talk to them. And he asked where they were coming from. Like, what are you doing? The guy's kind of kind of looked at him for a minute and side-eyed each other like, all right, he's alone. Let's see how he reacts to us telling him what we're actually doing.

So they say, yeah, we're just swim in the Colorado River. And with this, the man's face changed immediately. His eyebrows went up to his hairline. And he said, oh, you guys must be the fellas that they're looking for. When you get to the top, you better stop at the Ranger Station because they're looking to talk to you. They're in trouble. They're in trouble. and they were surprised.

They're like, oh, shit, you've heard of us. And so they say to them, they're like, okay, yeah, we'll go stop and talk to them. Like, thanks for letting us know. And they keep going up the trail. Now, this trail is not easy. It's seven miles with a very steep incline and no water sources. They both were struggling, but eventually John passed Bill, and they ended up being separated because they were hiking at such different paces.

It wasn't long until Bill emerged to the top of the trail and was met by passing cars. cold temperature and falling snow. He was cold and started waving down cars for a ride, but each one passed. He almost threw himself in front of one before it finally stopped for him. It was a couple on their honeymoon, and from his disheveled appearance, their first question was if he had been one of the people who was swimming the Colorado. So everyone knows. Everyone knows.

He's like, how do you know who I am right now? So he tells them the story. He proceeds to tell them what they had been doing, how long he had been out there. And when he was done, they told him that everyone had been searching for them. The park service had initiated a rescue team to search for them, including aerial search parties. After several days of not finding them, they had been officially declared in the news as dead. Oh, my God. So he's like, uh, what did you say?

What's going on? But of course, not the first reaction to like go to the park service station. He's like, I'm cold and hungry. So the couple brings him to Bright Angel Lodge, which is a historic lodge inside of the park that sits at the top of Bright Angel Trailhead. That has a lot of housing. There's lots of lodging options. There's a lot of people there. There's restaurants and gift shops.

And they offer to buy him dinner, which he, of course, was like, yes, please. I'm broke and I'm hungry. So they sit down and ordering meals. And just as he was starting to wonder, you know, I've been separated from Bill for a while. I wonder where he is. Bill walks in to the restaurant and he walks in with this very well-dressed man. Almost immediately they make eye contact and John walks over to him as nonchalant as ever and says, oh, hey Bill, what's up?

Like this is the lodge manager, Mr. Kennedy. He was just telling me how we're famous. Okay, they're poor families. Their families think they're dead. Their families literally think they're dead. And they're just living it up. Yeah, they're living their life. Like, all right.

He then went on to explain to John like, sorry, I left you at the top. Like, I was afraid you look like you were struggling on the trail. I just wanted to come over here because there's lots of people. I was going to come back in an hour if you didn't show up and bring someone who could help. So then they start getting to talking and the lodge manager relayed all the stories of what was going on and how their story had gotten out to begin with. So there had been the news articles that came out in California about their trek from the interviews that they had done because they agreed that they could come out halfway through their trip. And when this emerged, park rangers were notified and they were asked to keep an eye out for them. Well, after several days with no sign of them, a family friend had begged to them to send out a search and rescue party and helicopters because they were really worried about them.

Helicopters were not able to get into the canyon because of how strong the winds were and no one was able to see them. And after days of search parties, they reported that there was no way that they could have survived and that they had died. I mean, yeah. Fair. Fair. Fair. A pretty like valid assumption, I would say. Now with this news and realizing this, they all of a sudden feel really bad.

They're like, oh my God, our poor families. What are they thinking right now? So they jump up from the restaurant and they go to run to the nearest pay phone to call them. And on their way to find this payphone, they walk past a newsstand with all the newspapers sitting on it. And at the very top is a newspaper front page article that's titled Fear Pair Lost in Colorado Swimtry. And when they read the article a little bit, there is a quote in there from one of the Rangers who flew one of the rescue planes searching for them, quoted saying they wouldn't have much. of a chance. The Colorado is known as one of the most treacherous rivers in the world. Even experienced boatmen treat it with respect. I have a question. How far long are they now? Like how many miles

into this trek about are they? They're about a little less than a hundred miles. Okay. And with this, after reading this article, hearing all this, Bill makes his first call to his family. Now he calls them while they are in the middle of holding his wake. Shut. Oh my God. So he, obviously, they are crying. They're shouting. They are like, what is going on? Especially because back then you call on a pay phone.

They connect you. You answer the phone and it says, you have an incoming call from Bill Beer and then you accept. So they hear this on the other line and are like, what is this a prank? What is going on? And sure enough, it's him. So everyone's screaming. Everyone's crying. Some people on the other line are like, you know, I knew it.

like I knew you weren't dead. And other people were like, we thought for sure you were dead. Like what? You're calling me right now? What is going on? So shortly after they make these calls, families notified that they're okay. Reporters start flooding the telephones of this lodge trying to talk to them. And by the time all of this settles and goes on, it's almost midnight at this lodge.

And they had originally planned to head up, grab gear, head back down. But with it being almost midnight, Mr. Kennedy offered them a free room and breakfast at the lodge the next morning. So they happily accepted that. They slept in a bed that night, showered, and got a good night's rest. Now by the following morning, newspaper headlines had read that they were alive and in the lodge at the Grand Canyon. More phone calls were coming in, and just as John was on the phone with a news reporter, in walked a park ranger. Yeah, this is, this is now trouble. Lots of attention. The word is spreading fast. It's like, we know where you are. It's all over the papers. So this park

ranger starts calling out John's name and in that moment in an attempt to try and continue their trip. And because he's only calling John, Bill jumps up and books it out. Right before he leaves, he whispers to John and says, I'm going to go buy our gear, meet me at the trail. I'll see you soon. We're going to keep doing this trip. So Bill goes. He buys everything that they needed and he walks out of the store when he hears, hey Bill, coming from the voice of John. and he looks over and he was stepping out of the car of a park ranger.

They were officially caught and by the seriousness of the ranger's face, it was clear that this was a big deal. He explained to them that they were required by law to have informed them of their plans and that every visitor into the canyon is required to do so. When they asked if they would have told them their plans, if they would have gotten permission to do it, he responded that it was pretty unlikely that they would have gotten permission to swim the Colorado. He went on to tell them that they had spent a lot of time and money searching for them

and that this whole ordeal had actually been an embarrassment for the park service because they got all this knowledge from newspapers. They had no idea that this was even happening in their own national park. So they were a little bit frustrated by that. But when they did end up meeting and talking with more rangers and a sheriff, the conversation actually switched from a little angry and concerned to very curious. They were really kind to them and they were wondering, how they did it. Like, how did you get this far? How are you alive? And we're really happy that you're

okay. So they were pretty surprised by that. They're like, oh, what do you mean? Like, I thought we were in trouble and now we're shooting the shit with the park service. This is kind of cool. Right. It's like, unexpected twist, but unexpected. And he did say in his book, he's like, you know, I kind of, I felt really bad after because all of these people I was talking to, they were so kind and helpful and clearly worked really hard for the park service so we felt kind of bad that they had gone through so much because of them. And during this conversation, it comes up and they say, all right, well, you did this. Everyone knows about it. What's your next plans?

What are you going to do next? You're like, what do you mean? We still have 192 miles left on the river to complete. We're not done. Bold again. Very bold. Fresh. Very fresh.

Well, the rangers responded with there's absolutely no way that there are. going back on the river that's not happening. And the guys try to present every argument they can think of. They started exaggerating their skills. They're like, we're professional swimmers. We're the best people to be out here. They're exaggerating their like expertise to be out here. But they're still not budging. They're coming up with everything that they can think of. And even at one point, they're like, all right, all right, we won't do it. But can we go back down to grab our gear? Wink, wink, wink, wink. Like, sure, but we're going to send security with you. Oh, damn it. Okay.

They're like, okay, that's not working. So they're sitting there and they're thinking and they're like, how can we still do this trip? We have to. We've come so far. So they come up with a new argument and this one perks the park service years. They say, if they stopped them now, there would be hundreds of people coming to try and complete this because now it was shown that someone tried to do it.

And now there would be people in droves coming to try and actually complete the Colorado River by swimming. They said lots of people would drown. There would be rescue missions that would have to be conducted for these people and they would have to have patrolers out to make sure people weren't getting into the river to do this swim. They said because of how famous they had gotten and because of how much this had spread, there was no doubt that other people were being inspired to want to break this record. And the Park Service realized they were right. If they didn't let them finish, someone else was going to try and break the record that they had started. And at this point, they had really proven that they were able to do a lot of it. They were good swimmers. They already had the gear that was working for them in

like kind of their shitty way, but it was working for them. And they had figured out how to swim the rapids. They had a better chance of making it than some random person who would come in. So finally, the park and other authorities said, you know, I can't condone this. I can't say we're welcoming you to do it. if you do, we're not going to interfere and we're not going to stop you. So they're just kind of like looking the other way because they would have left the door open for so many other people to come. And it would have caused a huge problem. And they were right. I mean, if unexperienced people and people who really didn't know what they were doing came in, they could be facing drownings and rescues and people weren't supposed to be doing it. And part of this agreement where they said, you know,

we're going to not look the other way because we want to know what's going on. But they said, we want you to keep us informed of your plans. We want to know exactly where you're going to be, what your plan is, what day you're planning to arrive. They say, sure, we'll keep you, we'll tell you our whole plan so they lay out their whole plan, tell them their day by day itinerary of what they want to do, and they would keep them updated. And within a couple hours, they were back in the water. They really weaseled their way out of that one. Yeah, they did. Like, we're going, guys. You can't, you can't stop us. When they got back into the water, they were met with the same obstacles and difficult rapids, but at this point they had gone into the

groove of things and they moved pretty quickly. They did keep their word to the park service and they did update them when they could via other people that they saw on the surrounding trails when they would stop to camp for the night. After day 26 in total on the water, they arrived at Pierce Ferry Landing, which is the area that marks the boundary between Lake Mead and the Grand Canyon and to the end of their line. The park service had sent a ranger there to wait for them and greet them when they finally finished. And when they pulled up and swam up, there was a ranger there cheering them on and celebrating that they finally made it. That's awesome to have someone like encouraging and celebrating with you instead of being like, okay, you did it. Now let's go. Yeah. And I did,

he did say in the book, he's like, he was in newly wed and he just wanted to go out and he had been camping for a couple days waiting for them. So when they arrived, it was kind of like, yes, you did and also a combination of, yes, I get to go home. Right. I've been camping out here waiting for you guys. But they were. They were excited. They were safe.

It was over, which I think was a big part too, like, okay, someone did it. No one has to come out here again. And over the next few weeks, the two of them became pretty famous. They were all over television shows. They were featured in news articles and magazines. And around 80% of their video and photographs they took along the way weren't damaged on their trip and they were used in clips and TV series for over 10 years in these interviews and to go on for their trip when people would ask them about it they always described their adventure as a cheap

vacation that got a little out of hand I love that that is so cool the two of them later white rafted a portion of the Colorado and swam in a couple rapids just for fun it is I will mention it is against all regulations to swim in the rapids of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. And no trip like the one they did has ever been done again. They have become legends in the Grand Canyon. And John and Bill remained good friends until Bill's death on June 9, 2000. And at the end of this book, we swam the Grand Canyon by Bill Beer. At the end of it, his family added a note into it for future readers.

And it said, John continues to divide his time between. raising trees in Florida and storytelling with grandchildren in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, the families remain close friends. At sunset on June 9th, 2000, Bill died of heart failure while flying his ultralight over Cayenta, Arizona. He was headed for Phoenix after completing another lifelong dream, flying over Monument Valley. At age 71, Bill's grand adventure through life stopped. On this last trip, he, an ultralight beer, as he called it, flew north from St. Louis along the Mississippi River, touching a wingtip in Canada, then south through the Dakotas to Arizona. And yes, ultralight beer just might have flown over a portion of the Grand

Canyon and the river he so loved. I'm not crying. I'm not crying. I'm not crying. You're crying. What an adventure for sure. Yeah. And he seems like he continued that same spirit for the rest of his life. Yeah. I just thought it was such a cool story. I mean, it was just, it was just, It's kind of funny and serious at the same time, but it's just the heart of what adventure is, you know, and not that I'm condoning anyone else to go try and swim this because it's obviously very dangerous. But it's just, it's such a story that will be passed on for generations, not only for people visiting the Grand Canyon, but for their families too. Like my great-great-grandfather, this story, read this book, and I just think it's just such a great-canion. of just the heart of adventure as a whole. You know what I mean? Yeah, absolutely. And it is a nice balance. It strikes a nice balance between like, yes, it was illegal, but yes, it was still kind of cool.

And yes, it could have gone wrong, but no, it didn't. And, you know, the park service was involved in a way, a surprising way. Eventually. Yeah, they got involved eventually. But I was surprised by their take on it and, you know, their involvement in it all instead of being. Because I think also the National Park Service also can kind of get like a bad rep. Sometimes people are like, they're just law enforcement and they're just, you know, shitting on everyone's parade. And they're just like uptight and ruin everybody's fun. And there's all these rules and regulations. And I don't think that's true. And obviously, they're in place for a reason. And they're there to keep people safe and obviously protect wild spaces and the people who enjoy them. But this story was just like a different side of the

park service. And I like really enjoyed that too. Yeah. And I think I do think that things have changed a bit over the years. And he touches upon this in his book. I will say if you guys are looking for a book recommendation, I totally recommend it. It's a short read. It's under 170 pages. It's easy to read. And it goes into a lot more detail of the rapids and the stories and the camping and afterwards than I have gotten into just for time's sake. But he does talk about the Grand Canyon after. And he talks about the difference that years have made. And I feel like a part of why maybe the park service, you see a different side right then,

is because he mentions when we did this, we saw no one. We saw no one on the river. We saw barely anyone on the trail. He's like, when I went back, he's like, there are hundreds of people everywhere. He's like, the solitude that we got while we were in the canyon doesn't exist anymore because there's so much. There's so many people visiting. And now the park service has a extra.

duty of not only keeping visitors safe, but also preserving the land that they're visiting. And when you have these massive amounts of people that are on these trails and doing all this stuff, it makes things a lot more difficult. And you have to be, I think, a little bit more serious because it's less of, I mean, now, I bet I would, I would bet anything if you swim the Colorado now, you would get in a lot of trouble. But back then, no one had done it and no one was trying to do it after them. So it wasn't a big deal. But if you did it today. If masses of tourists were trying to swim the Colorado, I think that it would be a very different conversation. Straight to jail. Yeah, straight to jail. You're going straight to jail. Don't pass go. Exactly. Yeah. Well, that's all very fair. And you brought up something that's also kind of cool.

And it's that they got to experience a different national park than any of us will ever experience now. Yeah. And that's special of itself. You know. No, it is. And I haven't been to the Grand Canyon yet. In stories like this, I feel like every story that I come across that involves the Grand Canyon is just such a magical experience, especially when people get down into the rivers and the Colorado and the trails and stuff. Everything I read is such a magical experience. And this is no exception to that. I mean, they had a really exciting experience and it just really inspires me to want to go to the Grand Canyon. So I was stoked to read this book.

I thought it was great. Well, knowing you, you'll find yourself there soon enough. I sure will. Well, thank you for sharing. I know that everyone enjoyed that. What a wonderful, like, uplifting story for a change. Yeah. End of the year.

End of the year, just after the holidays. It's the last episode of 2022. Got to end it on a little bit of a higher note. There we go. With a slightly morbid twist, but mostly a higher note. Love it. All right, everyone. Well, hope you have a great new year's.

enjoyed your holidays and we will see you in 2023. Yeah. In the meantime, enjoy the view. But watch you're back. Bye. Bye. Thank you for joining us again this week. If you have a trail tale you'd like to share, send us an email at NPAD Stories at gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook at National Park After Dark and on Twitter at NPAD podcast. Become an outsider by joining our Patreon where you'll gain to monthly bonus stories and exclusive content. And remember, when you support our partners, you're supporting our show. To access our special discount codes along with source information from today's episode, check out the show notes.

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