Kenton Grua: Grand Canyon Legend | STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW

welcome to stuff you should know a. production of iHeart. [Music]. Radio hey and welcome to the podcast I'm. Josh and there's Chuck and Jerry's here. too and this is stuff you should. know that's right life is a highway I. want to ride it all night long not again. down the river Canadian. Legend Tom. broa uh that's right no it's not right.

but hey we want to uh welcome yet. another new writer that's helping us out. mhm welcome Anna because Anna helped us. with this Anna green and Anna green and. I thought this she did a really good job. and uh we hope Anna can write some more. stuff for us in the. future and I could have sworn this was a. listener. suggestion and I looked and I just could. not find it so if someone suggested that. we do a show on a gentleman named Kinton.

guua yeah who's a Grand Canyon River. guide pretty remarkable person then I'm. really sorry because I really I looked. and looked through email but I just. couldn't find it so that was nice uh. yeah if you want to write in and say hey. that was me um I'll I'll check it. against my records and we'll give you a. future shout. out uh also I got to give Anna the. coronation you. ready that's right all right welcome. aboard the old mouth horn so we're. talking Kenton Gua never heard of this.

person before in my life until I started. researching um this person this man this. Legend actually really yeah uh he's uh. if especially if you spend much time. hanging out with Grand Canyon River folk. you will you will hear stories of Kenton. guua although apparently not from him. while he was alive he was supposedly. very um humble as far as his own. accomplishments go MH but if you uh if. you talk to one of his friends you would.

probably get some thrilling stories out. of them because he did some pretty. interesting stuff uh along that Colorado. River yeah absolutely and we also want. to shout out a book uh that both Anna. and we and we. used Uh Kevin fedarko wrote a book. called The Emerald mile about uh this. River Run This. record-breaking uh timed River run down. the Grand Canyon River Colorado River. right uh and I I knew the name and then. I remembered that watched this great.

documentary from Nat Geo called into the. canyon and Kevin fedarko was one of the. guys he and a guy named Pete McBride uh. hiked um almost 750 miles from one end. of the canyon to the other and made this. really gorgeous gorgeous documentary so. I highly recommend into the canyon uh as. well as the book The Emerald Mile and. big thanks to everything that Kevin. fedarko does in terms of uh raising. awareness for the Grand Canyon like. think about that man that's so many many. miles you would have to get a new pair.

of shoes at some point in the middle of. that I think they did to think they I. think they bailed on an attempt and then. came back and did it or something I. can't remember but just gorgeous. photography and uh really good stuff uh. Grand Canyon is just a truly a magical. place yeah if you've never been there. just go it's one of those places that. were like yeah I've seen pictures and. stuff but it's one of the pl one of the. few places that uh where I truly. understood the meaning of breathtaking.

like I actually literally got physically. short of breath when I first stood there. on that Rim like you you had a panic. attack no it was just truly breathtaking. it really really just you got to go you. got to do it have you been uh yes I have. I've been to the north rim I didn't ride. a burrow or anything like that but I did. look down and get to see the whole thing. from that that wooded forested North Rim. that is not like what you think of when. you think of the grand Canyon it's like.

just the whole other side of it it's. really neat yeah it's it's amazing I did. have a panic attack that's why I. couldn't breathe because I was looking. over into it I'm like I'm this is I. can't do this but yeah it's pretty. pretty neat for sure yeah I've never. been down to the river uh my friend. Brett and I hiked down uh there's I I'm. not sure how far down it is but we hik. down to there's this one sort of area. where you can hike down to and hang out. for a bit if you don't want to go down. all the way and then hike back out and.

young in shape Chuck that that hike out. was one of the toughest things theyve. ever done because you're basically just. going up right up up up up up up in the. heat heat heat oh wow so back to Kenton. Gua uh he was somebody who could hike up. the sides of the canyon up out of it. because he did that a lot mostly because. he spent a lot essentially his entire. adult life in the Grand Canyon along the. Colorado River and if he wanted to go. see his family or friends see a movie.

that's what he had to do he had to hike. out of the Grand Canyon to go do those. things so he was from everything I saw. extraordinarily fit but also kind of a. at one with the canyon if if anybody. could be he was definitely one of those. people yeah for sure uh he was born in. Salt Lake City in. 1950 and was really big into snow skiing. uh until he was 12 years old.

when his family because of business his. father started a trucking company uh. moved to Vernal Utah uh at the time. there was no skiing in Vernal and so his. dad said hey kiddo you're 12 you're. you'd love to be outdoors and Adventure. so let's go on a on a rafting trip and. they went to the Yampa River for his. birthday and kitten guua was like this. is where it's at I love river rafting so. uh pops bottom a army surplus raft And.

he as a as a young kid started taking. these little solo rafting trips and. that's kind of where he learned how to. navigate Rivers initially he got the. river bug he totally got the river bug. uh few years later he was going to study. mechanical engineering at the University. of. Utah and um during winter break of. freshman year he was offered a job. working for hatch River Expeditions a. river boating um outfit along the. Colorado River in the Grand Canyon and.

he said so long College I'm going to go. do this and the job was even just. patching boats like it wasn't even as a. river guide um but that's how much he. loved spending time not just on the. river but specifically the Colorado. River in the Grand Canyon itself yeah um. but because of his natural talent and. his just complete passion for the job he. became River guide within just a few. months of his first job there yeah. absolutely so he's now uh taking.

adventuresome tourists through the Grand. Canyon down the river uh he got another. job after that at Grand Canyon. Expeditions for a little while and met a. really important person in his life. there uh a mentor in some way as far as. uh conservationism guy named Martin lon. l t n who was starting his own uh. company his own expedition company and. lton was about he was all about uh just. preserving the the not just the Grand.

Canyon but just all of Nature and and. was just sort of ashamed of what. humankind had done to Nature uh and in. fact uh the boat that um that guo would. eventually uh pilot down the the. Colorado River for that record-breaking. run it was called the uh the emerald. mile um these boats uh Linton had he. would name them after natural wonders. that had been destroyed by humans as a. reminder and this apparently the emerald.

mile was a stretch of old growth. redwoods in California that were. clearcut in the 60s so he named this. wooden Dory this boat that you paddle. with ores after that stretch of redwoods. yeah and adori in particular um for the. most part people at the time and I think. still today were going down the Colorado. River through the Grand Canyon on these. Expedition tours in rubber boats like. Zodiacs like motorized boats that you. could bump up against rocks all day and. they were probably going to be fine.

that's some of them were regular boats. what do you mean regular like a pontoon. no like in the early days they were just. like I saw some that looked like old. wooden Criss crafts oh wow okay wow. that's kind of cool talk about doing but. also motorized rafts yeah okay so the. Dory itself though it was originally. like a fishing boat um that Europeans I. think the Portuguese were the ones who. really kind of perfected it would take. out on the ocean so they would like see. where the rowboats basically. and um they eventually made their way to.

New England where Whalers would take him. out and then Martin Linton got his hands. on him for the Grand Canyon because he. was just like you you you experien the. Colorado River in a Dory in ways that. you can't possibly in a raft let alone a. motorized raft so there it's like a. purposefully old-timey antique way of. going down the Colorado River and they. still use dory's today as a matter of. fact some outfits do yeah and guua was. like.

this thing is amazing because you know. he wanted uh as we'll see he really. enjoyed getting down that River fast and. this the the dory's like they they won't. obviously because they're made of wood. they won't bounce off a rock like a raft. will but they're much more uh able to be. steered they handle a lot better uh. they're much more uh I don't know about. if live is the right word but you can. you can motor down that that River in a. Dory better than you can in a raft if. you're into speed and turning sure but. but a lot of them most of the Dory.

Expeditions use ores their Road right oh. yeah so the other thing about it that. you you mentioned is that like it won't. handle bumping against rocks like a raft. will they're much more fragile much less. forgiving than a rubber raft which means. you have to be that much more um uh. experienced and uh have that much. greater ability to take a Dory down the. Colorado River than you would like a. raft yeah and you know they can get. dinged up a little I kind of thought at.

first like you hit a rock with one of. these and you're sinking immediately. just explosion catches fire exactly and. I'm sure that can happen but uh as as. you will see you know they can they can. get bumped up a little bit and you know. they're pretty hearty I think yeah no. for sure but it's just some of those. Rapids can be pretty rough on the old. boat yeah absolutely so um guua was in. love with dory's just like Martin Linton. was um and he came on linton's Company.

Grand Canyon dories and began piloting a. Dory called the. cahui um he did that for like 10 years. down the Colorado River he made nearly a. 100 trips which by my my estimation. that's almost half of the days between. 1969 and 1979 when he made those 100. trips he spent on the Colorado River. that's a lot of time on the Colorado. Colorado that's exactly he wanted to do.

he could not have been happier he chose. this life for himself and he he just did. it he made it work and he became an. expert on the Colorado River as it runs. through the Grand Canyon totally uh like. reading this I got very jealous of his. life yeah I was looking at some of the. Dory Expeditions they have and I was. like man that's amazing and then it's. like 18 days I said no I'm not going to. do that like are there helicopters that. you can lower in and do a couple of days. and then come out no they there's not. there's not apparently well sadly there.

are helicopter trips that and they will. take you down and land you on a big. Plateau uhuh that's one of the things I. learned from that documentary uh that. fedara was in was they were trying to ra. raise awareness for these you know. they're they're trying to build some big. like Hotel basically like halfway down. the canyon and all these people were. fighting it and saying like you can't do. that you can't turn this into uh a place. where people can get hell rich people. can get H coped in and stay in a fstar.

resort like no no no okay first of all I. felt like a jackass before now I really. feel like a jackass but what you were. talking about getting dropped off to row. sure like ziplining out like a like a. ranger right but I mean like walking. down from a resort to go Row for a. couple of days maybe even better pretty. good but the um but the the the kind of. upshot of what you're saying is a good. analogy from what I understand to. compare rafting or boating down the.

Colorado River these days would be like. going on an expedition to Everest it is. nothing like it used to be um even 20 30. 40 years ago it's just gotten so much. easier there's so much money being. thrown at this now it it's just not even. a challenge any longer it's like a posh. vacation for people who like to act like. they're they're adventurers and I'm. saying that I'm not going to climb. Everest I so I'm I can't really be. critical but I'm saying comparing it to.

how it originally started when these. outfits were first created in like the '. 40s 50s 60s um it's it's just nothing. like that today it's far more. commercialized I guess is what I'm. trying to say yeah so if in the meme how. it started how it's going it would be a. person like bleeding from the head and. spitting river water out of their mouth. and then another one with a dude holding. a martini right as he goes down the. river exactly all right uh all right I. say we take a break oh yeah and we come.

back and we talk a little bit uh more. about Kinton guua the. [Music]. man all right as promised we're going to. tell you a little bit more about the the. personality of Kinton guua uh he was.

quite an adventurer um like you said was. just in love with nature and in. particular the Grand Canyon and that. River uh his nickname was the factor if. you ever read anything you're going to. see him probably called Kinton the. factor guua uh and that was because. apparently he was just like this Larger. than Life personality and like anytime. he was a part of something he had some. sort of influence on it he was a factor. and thus the Factor yeah well put uh he.

was also very fond of pot and drinking. liquor um while he was working and on. the trail and after I guess after rowing. for the day sitting on a beach yeah he. probably light up what one might call a. splith back then it probably be a Dobie. for sure and I'll bet it just gave you a. headache. instantly but he um also is a little. kind of fashion conscious you could say. Anna points out that he would wear off. Levis that um were look cool especially.

if you're Barefoot and you have long. hair and you're stoned but if you're. like fall in the water it takes like a. week for those things to dry out so long. story short Kenton gr was very. frequently chafed on the inside of his. thighs. right uh he was not a tall man he was 5. foot6 uh but you know um had an outsized. personality and sense of Adventure I. guess uh there was one story that he was.

on one Expedition and they drank all the. booze so he hiked all the way out of the. Grand Canyon to go get more booze and. Hike back in yeah that's just one story. about Kenton greu but it it definitely. drives the point home like he liked. booze but he was also willing to. physically exert himself at the drop of. a hat so he was a tough dude essentially. but he was also supposedly um really. kind and gentle with the the tourists.

that he took down the river yeah um he. was well known for that but he was also. known for being very opinionated about. how uh the river should be navigated how. uh an expedition should be run and so he. would be more than likely to butt heads. with some of the other River guides that. he worked with but it that didn't rub. off toward the passengers which I think. makes him a pro I I'd say yeah. absolutely um and you know we're going. to build up sort of story-wise to to the. uh to the record-breaking River run but.

he did some pretty remarkable things. before that right uh one of which was to. hike uh the entire length of the Grand. Canyon uh from Lee's ferry to Grand wash. Cliffs uh he read a book in uh 1968. there was a Backpacker named Colin. Fletcher who did that hike well sort of. we'll see uh the man who walked through. time was the book and he said I'm the. first person to hike the entire length. of the Grand Canyon and grew was like no. you didn't you hiked the the canyon.

within the national park system but. buddy that ain't all of the Grand Canyon. that guy went. what so I'm gonna do it and he did he he. tried a couple of times he tried the. first time uh and you know this is 277. miles as the crow flies yeah uh like I. mentioned before when fedara did it they. hiked 750 Miles because you can't just. walk a straight line you're there's. things you just can't navigate around so. you're having to hike you know three.

times as much uh or at least two and a. half times as much as the length of the. canyon to to complete that hike it's so. nuts and he did it first time he tried. it remember I said he liked to run. around Barefoot and cut off Levis oh. yeah well this he realized he was going. on a very long hike so he went to the. trouble of buying himself some leather. moccasins to hike in those lasted very. short time before he started wearing. through them and actually cut his foot. on a cactus started get infected he's. like I should probably stop now that.

surprised me that he would I mean that's. a. mistake yeah I I think he he knew that. that wasn't going to work you know I I. don't know that that's true like he he. was capable of making mistakes for sure. he's also capable of evolving his. opinions and and understandings about. things and he wasn't so dumb that he. kept going until he died right yeah you. know that was. 1972 I think yeah four years later he's. like I'm going to do this different I'm. going to not only wear work boots.

instead of um moccasins smart move out. of the gate yeah he scouted the whole. route in advanced and hid um Supply. caches along the Route so that he could. travel as light as possible and that's. when he set out that second time and. that's when he was successful hiking um. almost 600 miles is the the route that. he took wow that is amazing um I think. he uh if you average it out he was.

averaging like a almost 17 Mile a day. Clip uh which is super fast um I mean. when I've done hikes and I'm really. hauling it if I if I get 10 miles in a. day that's like a really long hard day. and he was in the Grand Canyon arduous. conditions in the 70s when gear was not. like it is now uh and averaging close to. 17 miles a day which is nuts it took him. 36 days to complete the whole thing I. can barely get 17 miles in a day in a.

helicopter let alone hiking so yeah 36. days to hike almost 600 miles and this. is again it's not a straight line it's. not flat like there is up and down and. over and it's it's what he did was very. significant he became the first um. person on record at least to have hiked. the entire length of the Grand Canyon. not just the national park the whole. Grand Canyon and so whenever you're. hearing about people uh boting through. the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River.

what they're talking about is that same. length the whole GE geographical Grand. Canyon from Le's fery to um Grand wash. Cliffs. man all right so let's talk a little bit. about the that River Run that you just. described uh you know from point to. point uh the very right first expedition. uh down that Colorado River uh was by a. guy a Civil War veteran in with one arm. named John Wesley Powell in 1869 yeah uh.

it took 98 days at that point and pretty. much wrecked the crew I mean it was by. the time they got there they were. starving was it was a very very tough uh. ride in 1869 can I just say one thing. about that expedition Chuck sure three. of them three members of the Expedition. said nuts to this like we're giving up. and set off on foot and we're never. heard from again. and they left two days before this.

Expedition finally reached its. destination they just didn't know that. they were that close to the end and they. left and and died isn't that crazy yeah. that's sad yeah but they were the first. Europeans on record to have. circumnavigated the Colorado River. through the entire Grand Canyon and it. was a big deal yeah that's like uh it's. the old line in Apocalypse Now never. never get off the GD boat right the gosh. Dar boat in the case of a now it's cuz. there might be a tiger in the jungle.

right so I saw also that this was. considered the last Voyage of Discovery. in North America that was a big deal. that John Wesley pal and his his group. did this that's right uh then in 1949. there was a guy named Ed Hudson who was. a pharmacist uh who made a run in a. motorboat uh so was obviously the. fastest at the time at five days uh in. 10 minutes and then all of a sudden. motorboats and regular boats started. attempting these speed runs uh people.

are trying to you know break previous. records uh you know depending on how. adventurous you were I guess depends on. whether or not you wanted to use a motor. uh but obviously the the Berets are off. to the people who didn't use the motor. yeah I'm sure it was still hard but it. ain't like paddling you know no Ed. Hudson a farmacist in. 1949 he he did it in like 5 days and 10. minutes using a motorboat um Jim and Bob. rig I think two years later said nuts to.

the motorboat we're going to not only go. down the same path that John Wesley. Powell did in 1869 that nearly killed. him without a motor we're going to break. Ed Hudson's motor-based record and they. did actually yeah 52 hours uh and this. was at a time in the 50s when like a. tourist trip that same tourist trip and. a non-motorized boat would be about 3. weeks and of course they're not trying.

to break a record they're trying to show. everyone a nice good time right exactly. probably fairly relaxing cff. yeah uh but some people did like the. slow the slow train uh the longest. attempt was in 73 and that took 103 days. that's a little more in my speed I think. so there we we need to say something. about the Colorado River as Kenton grua. knew it he came along in what was it. 1968 or 6 9 yeah 100 years exactly after.

John Wesley Powell Kent Gua came along. and took up life on the Colorado River. through the Grand Canyon but. unfortunately for Kent and guua that was. six years after I think the department. of the Interior created the Glen Canyon. Dam yeah Upstream of the Grand Canyon in. uh on the Colorado River and the. Colorado River was tamed that's the best. way to put it it was up to the um I. think the Army Corps of Engineers or. whoever runs the dam there um at Glen.

Canyon to decide how much water the uh. Colorado River had and before that it. had been considered the wildest River in. America because the snow melt from the. mountains Upstream depending on how how. much it snowed that year and then how. how much how high the temperatures Rose. and how quickly they did that spring. that River could turn wild in an instant. because so much water would come down.

from the mountains and it would just. flood the Colorado River including some. of the side canyons and it would make it. nuts and Kenton Gua I and he knew this. too came along after that ceased and so. now the Colorado was relatively mild. yeah like if you're going to go down a. river and you want to see how how you. know uh challenging it might be uh as a. rower you're going to look at what's. called the the gradient. uh in feet per mile and obviously the.

higher the gradient the the more you. know the faster that water is going to. be um a pretty wild River can have a. gradient between 25 and 60 feet per mile. uh the Colorado River has a gradient of. 8 feet per mile so the actual you know. the where the river sits and the the. land beneath that river that gradient. isn't too crazy it is the the steepness. of the sides of that Canyon is what. makes it crazy cuz like you said when.

that stuff flash floods and it hits the. Colorado River it can move Boulders it. can create you know waves and when that. water hits the Still Water it can create. a wave like 20 to 30 feet high yeah for. sure in a river yeah and one of the. reasons why stuff like that happens is. because all that debris and Boulder. create these natural dams on either side. of the river narrowing the channel. speeding up the water and once you have. fast water running into slow water all.

sorts of crazy stuff happens So speaking. geographically the Colorado River. shouldn't have Rapids but because of its. situation in that stretch of the Grand. Canyon it does it has some pretty cool. rapids and Kent gruan knew how to do. this like his job was to take people. through these Rapids down this stream. but again the river that he was on was. not the same river that John Wesley. Powell had been on because of the dam. yeah absolutely. so um you want to talk about the first.

uh the first attempt in. 1980 yeah uh I mean Successful attempt. makes it sounds like he didn't do it he. actually did set a speed record in. 1980 uh I think um how how fast was that. one he did it in 46 hours and 56 minutes. he beat Jim and Bob rig's 1951 record. which had stood for almost 30 years yeah. so he breaks the record and you would. think you know a lot of people would say. like all right I did what I attempted to.

do broke that record but kitten greu was. like man that River was was not fast. that day that couple of days and I can. do this a lot faster and he became sort. of uh I don't know about obsessed if. that's the right word I don't know if. someone who smoked that much weed can. get that obsessed or worked up about. anything right but he said I I know I. can do this if that like it doesn't. matter how fast I'm rowing unless I have. a faster River just from the the natural. conditions right then I I can't break.

that record so I'm going to wait until. the conditions are right and that. happened in 1983 because of El Nino uh. it was at the time at least the most. extreme El Nino that had happened to. that point caused a ton of snow uh all. that snow melts at some point and all of. a sudden you're going to have flooding. such that uh if you're measuring like. like a river flow you measure it in. cubic feet per second right the Colorado.

River through the Grand Canyon averages. about 12,000 to 15,000 cubic feet per. second and that summer uh that June. specifically uh I saw anywhere from. between 70,000 and 100,000 uh cubic feet. per second which. is you know up 7 to 10 times as fast. yeah that is a lot more water number one. it goes a lot faster and it Chang. changes the river like the the river. that he was used to the Rapids he was.

used to the features that he had to. circumnavigate during normal um boating. trip down to Colorado it was not there. they were different they were altered by. this huge influx of of very fast moving. water and So what had happened as Kevin. fedarko points out in the the emerald. mile um that for the first time it. probably for the only time in his. lifetime Kenton guua had a chance to. take on the Colorado River the same. river that John Wesley Powell took on in.

1869 this stuff did not happen it caught. the core of engineers so by surprise so. much so that they to keep the the Lake. Powell from topping over the Glen canion. Dam they were putting up plywood. barriers yeah that's how like unprepared. they were for this incredibly historic. flooding I think there was like. 2600 miles of Shoreline in Lake Powell. the Reservoir that's behind the dam and. the the reservoir was Rising a foot a.

day that's how much snow melt was coming. down and so they were just releasing. according to Arizona Central up to half. a million cubic feet per second in a. release at a time so this was flooding. the Colorado Downstream but it's the. only option they had to keep the dam. from breaking or from being toppled and. and um you know the water coming out of. control so it it was a Wild River again. all of a sudden like it had been before. and Kenton Gru was all about that he was.

all about it so I say we take a break. and then we'll come back and let. everyone know what happened on June 25th. [Music]. 1983.

okay so um Kent guu says it's time like. that 1980 record that I broke that I'm. not very happy with I'm now going to. break that record I'm going to take this. River like I know it can be taken and he. went to his friend Rudy petek who was at. the time 49 Kenton would have been 33. yeah yeah so Rudy petek was like old and. then um Ren Reynolds was the the other. guy that they they brought on so the.

three of them decided that they were. going to take the emerald mile out uh. onto the Colorado River and they said he. was 35 by the way okay Ren yeah okay uh. and they went to the park service and. said hey we'd like a permit we're going. to take the the emerald mile down the. Colorado River it's nuts right now isn't. it and the Park Service said no you're. not going to do that yeah you got to get. a permit to do something like that uh. they said no like you said um they were.

trying to keep people uh no they were. trying to keep people off the river uh. and as we'll see later on they even had. a ranger stationed on the river uh I. guess it was Benjamin brat probably uh. telling people to get out. what you never saw the River Wild no is. that the one with Bruce Willis where. he's a a cop in a. boat nope okay River Wild was uh Merl re. and uh David Strather Kevin Bacon and.

John C Riley oh wasn't Kevin Bacon like. a crazy homicidal serial killers. stalking these guys uh not a serial. killer he's a bad guy though okay it's a. really good movie I highly recommend it. uh but Benjamin brat is a ranger that. literally does what this other Ranger. did is like stationed down before the. bad rapid saying get out you shouldn't. be here I just want to shout out um the. my favorite Benjamin brat fact that he. was born on Alcatraz during the American. Indian movement's occupation of.

Alcatraz did we talk about that yeah in. our Alcatraz. episode and and did not remember that. we'll also talk about in our forthcoming. Benjamin brat. episode we haven't done one on Alcatraz. have we yes dude you sure I I believe we. did one on Alcatraz itself and the. escape from Alcatraz yeah I do remember. Escape from Alcatraz that escape from. Alcatraz one by the way was a good one. all right so he doesn't get the permit.

so he goes back to uh Martin lton his. mentor and he says hey man you got a lot. of pull around here uh I'm wonder if you. could help me out and Linton said sure. I'll call up uh the Grand Canyon. National Park superintendent himself uh. Richard Marks uh KS not x. no did were you going to make a Richard. Marks Jun no I just thought it would be. great if it had been the Richard Marks. like in his life right before or he hit. it big right and he said he said you.

know what it don't mean nothing and he. went hey that's got a nice ring to it. yeah that's right sign on the dotted. line sign on the dotted line that's a. good song it is uh so Mark said uh all. right here's what I'll do um I will call. up the Rangers out there on the River. tomorrow and I'll get back to you uh he. didn't get back to them and so Linton. and gu both said I guess that means we. have permission right right and so they. took off on June 25th 1983 yeah 11 p.m.

they took off I guess under the cover of. Darkness maybe that's the only reason I. can think of that they took off so late. yeah or maybe they just timed it so they. finished at a certain time or I don't. know I don't know either but they did. take off just before midnight that day. the heat maybe maybe that's a great one. yeah maybe I don't know anyway the fact. is this they were paddling for hours in. Pitch Darkness because the Canyons the.

canyon walls of the Grand Canyon can. prevent the sunlight from hitting inside. the the canyon at the river level during. the day this was nighttime and so the. canyon walls were preventing any. Moonlight from even getting down so they. were rafting on a river that was flowing. at about 10 times its normal rate if not. more in the dark without the benefit of. using their eyes so they were having to. like literally feel the vibrations in.

the ores to tell what was coming up in. which way they should go during this. nighttime paddling event that they did. yeah and I mean to be sure these were. some of the most experienced people to. undertake something like this but that. is still like it just can't be. overstated what a accomplishment this. was just to make it through that first. night yeah especially doing it stoned. wearing nothing but cut off Le. uh so they would paddle uh there were.

like I said three of them so they would. paddle um for about 15 to 20 minutes at. a time because it's really rigorous. tough stuff that they're doing yeah uh. grew up went up first and paddled first. and they would switch off uh when they. would get tired they would rest take. little catnaps when they could when they. weren't paddling obviously uh and things. were going pretty good for the first few. hours uh and then they reached a series. of Rapids called The Roaring 20s that is. uh really tough in particular with all.

this water because uh there's something. in rivers called I I would assume people. know what an Eddie is but you might not. um Eddie is like a very calm part of a. river usually off to the side uh where. the wat is flowing back Upstream in like. a void in the current usually it's like. blocked by a big rock or something and. it's a good place usually that's where. you're if you want to pull off uh and. you know get out of the boat and get on. land you'll you'll pull off to a nice. little C Eddie uh but you can also have. an area where the Eddie meets the the.

Rapids and that's called an Eddie fence. uh I saw it described as confused water. um it doesn't really know which way to. go so it's going everywhere at once and. it's just really really unstable water. and these Eddy fences were all over the. place just like not crushing literally. but just like wreaking havoc on their. boat in this in this trip they were. taking yeah because the water the boat's. going the direction of the water and if. the water all of a sudden is going.

multiple directions that gets. telegraphed to the boat and it makes it. very difficult to move around right yeah. but they did get through that part. obviously they did and again they're. going through the Roaring 20s at night. in Pitch Darkness just FYI I just really. want to make sure everybody keeps this. in in mind the other thing is is they. were taking these Rapids wide open they. weren't stopping to scout what was ahead. and then getting back in the boat and. then taking it with full knowledge of. what was coming up they just took it as.

it came essentially which is again. really nuts considering that this was. not the river that they were used to it. was the the swollen wild raging version. of the river that they were used to it. was like the Colorado on bath salts. basically that's what they were taking. on in the dark with without the benefit. of eyesight yeah I think steroids is. overused bat salts yeah if you really. want to drive the point home use bath. salts no don't actually use bath salts I.

meant in your. analogy yeah uh they get through this on. you know experience on. Instinct uh like you said feeling their. way uh the Sun finally comes up they're. flying down this River uh they're going. through you know all kinds of crazy. Rapids huge whirlpools uh these big. standing waves that I talked about that. you know got up to 20 feet I think one. of the guys even said uh pet said some. of them were like three stories high at.

times and they finally get to uh Crystal. rapid which is at Mile 98 and they were. worn out like super super tired. obviously and that is where Benjamin. brat was stationed yeah uh park ranger. Benjamin brat and he said hey you. shouldn't be paddling through here and. also I was born on Alcatraz that's a. great Benjamin brat impression uh no he. was stationed there to get if there were. any tourist boats that you know had. somehow uh already been on the water.

which they shouldn't have been to begin. with because they were denying permits. yeah I didn't understand that part I you. know I guess they were just there were. some already out there maybe because. especially if some of them were taking. three weeks oh gotcha they didn't want. to ruin people's vacation maybe but they. were basically he was there basically to. say hey pull over uh all of you tourists. get out and Hike out and boat captain. and whoever else you're going to have to. to take this thing down the rest of the. way like by yourself yeah I hope you.

don't like company cuz Ts for. you uh that's right but what happened. with this group so they didn't what one. of the things that caused Benjamin brat. to be stationed there was that a. commercial rafting outfit had gotten. overturned one of the boats had been. overturned at this. um under normal circumstances very tough. rapid called Crystal Rapids um and one. person had died I believe a passenger. had died um this happened like 11 hours.

before the um Kent guu and his group. came along in the emerald mile they were. totally out of contact with everybody so. they had no idea this happened um and so. the reason Benjamin brat was there was. because it was so dangerous what they. were coming up on that um literally. their lives were in danger so when they. came upon the park ranger Benjamin brat. um they pretended they didn't see him. what was cool is like look over there on. the right guys exactly um the uh the the.

what was cool about it is that this park. ranger had been a river guide himself he. immediately recognized who was in this. boat and he pretended he didn't see them. yeah so that everybody could just kind. of go their own way and just pretend. like they hadn't seen one another and. these guys could continue on because he. said he knew immediately what they were. doing because of the river conditions so. he just let them go their way he kept an. eye on them as they went uh further. along though and hit that Crystal rapid.

and uh he witnessed their boat being. overturned very. violently yeah this is when they hit one. of those uh the one that uh pet said was. uh two to three stories high flip that. thing at the top uh everyone ends up in. the water uh Kint guua was pretty okay. and Pik was pretty okay uh the boat got. banged up a little bit uh I think it. lost some of its bow poost uh a chunk. out of the stern but it was still you. know very much operational and Reynolds.

uh was injured I think there was a head. injury and as a result he did not do a. lot of at least tough rowing after that. I was surprised he did anything at all I. figur he'd be like Bert Reynold's in. Deliverance at that point just sort of. laying down in the middle of the canoe. right uh but he apparently would row. some uh calmer Parts uh and I guess take. that with a grain of salt cuz I don't. think any of it was very calm right uh. grew and pet said all right it's the two. of us basically doing the tough tough.

rowing in 100 degree heat uh and it was. it was real tough stuff from that point. on it was already tough but it was. really really tough but they decided not. to quit no they didn't and that's really. significant because again their boat. overturned they Ren Reynolds was injured. they were thrown out of the boat. violently into a Whirlpool got sucked. under all three of them miraculously got. free um and then they had to turn the. boat back over upright again get back in.

it totally exhausted at this point and. decide to continue on they did um that. was just absolutely nuts problem is they. knew the park ranger had seen them um. and so they were kind of all worried. about possibly losing their River guide. licenses because again this was a. wildcat River Run it was not sanctioned. it was technically illegal but they. continued on they said we've made it. this far and they kept going and gave. themselves I guess a a period where they. were like okay this is not working.

anymore we're all too exhausted we need. to take some rest let's just take an. hour and we'll all get some sleep and. then we'll wake up and and be refreshed. and it'll be like Starting Over Again a. new yeah and of course what happens is. they sleep for three hours uh. almost woke up in a panic because they. had just you know almost killed. themselves they're exhausted and now. they're thinking like now we've jeopard. I this record that we're trying to get. we don't know if the river will ever be.

this fast again right uh and here we. slept for 3 hours so instead of uh. taking their ball and going home taking. their ore and going home they said now. we got to go extra. fast so at Mile 239 they get out another. set of ores and someone said where did. those even come from and guua said they. were at our feet the whole time dum dum. and they started rowing two at a time so. they were hauling butt rowing together.

uh which obviously you know I don't know. if that that probably doesn't double. your speed but you're you're going much. faster at that point yeah so that was um. they they woke up at I guess about 1. because they took that rest at 10 and. accidentally slept for three hours so. actually yeah one I had to count it out. on my fingers for a second and then they. kept rowing and they another uh 10 hours. later. they finally reached the end so they. like they had just been exerting.

themselves almost constantly for for 36. hours and 38 minutes that's what their. final time ended up being so they just. destroyed uh gu's previous record. setting run um thanks to the river being. so. nuts yeah he did it uh the three of them. did it rather and he did not lose his. license he was worried about that so. that's the good news yeah uh apparently. he got a $500 fine which he couldn't. even pay so his lawyer negotiated a.

community service which he may or may. not have even done uh and like you said. at the very beginning of this he wasn't. a big bragger about his own. accomplishments they kind of spoke for. themselves to him yeah for sure uh so he. didn't really you know it's not like he. started making the talk show circuit or. anything like that uh but of course word. was going to get out people talk and he. you know he will always remain a legend. of the Grand Canyon in the colge. Colorado River because of the speedrun. yeah he died at 52 in 2002 and he died.

uh while he was riding his mountain bike. and I couldn't find out how it's like. that sounds like he went over a cliff or. something apparently he had torn his. aorta somehow they're not sure how but. he was found laying beside his mountain. bike uh dead and um his wife at his I. believe his third wife Michelle grua um. said this is exactly how he would have. wanted to go so yeah I mean if you're. going to be like a rugged Outdoorsman. and you die on your mountain bike that's. not the worst way you could go no they.

you know it seemed like uh he was he was. just sort of laying there on his side. and they they said it looked like sort. of a peaceful position so there there is. speculation that he may have sort of. known what was going on and just sort of. laid down and you know to be with the. woods right to be with the woods that's. the new euphemism for it isn't. it I guess guess so Michelle gu also. wrote in a memorium in boatman's.

quarterly I think um that he had. mellowed out some a lot actually in his. later years um still lived the life that. he lived but he became focused on being. a dad I think he had three or has three. kids um and uh it was just from what I. can tell an allaround interesting neat. dude yeah I mean he started a a. conservation group didn't he he did. called the Grand Canyon River guides. that's right uh which is still around. today uh and that um Grand Canyon dories.

was sold to an existing outfit called. ores uh which gives Dory tours down the. Grand Canyon still. today tempting it tempted me too and. then I was like again 17 days is a. little much and also do I want to perish. in the Grand Canyon on the Colorado. River and I decided no I don't you could. just be with the woods I'd just rather. stay locked inside my.

house you got anything else no I got. nothing else I just know that that's one. place you will not crash a Dory into a. boulder is in your house no definitely. not yeah well since I said definitely. not that means it's time for listener. mail. uh oh this is cool this is from uh. someone who uh whose grandmother had a. nice little uh what do you call him a a. pneumonic device yeah yeah for when you. want to remember something pneumonic.

you're thinking of pneumatic no. noan hey guys uh stuff you should know. is a staple of my daily commute truly. enjoy learning about common and obscure. stuff and you've helped our trivia team. the Mir cats ni claim victory on more. than one. occasion kill Mir cats for sure uh. anyway just finished the episode on the. wreck of the Costa Concordia and thought. I'd share the way that my grandmother. mother taught me how to remember which. direction was Port versus.

starboard uh she would say there's not. much Port left in the glass like port. wine uh port side being left Port left. in the glass uh interestingly she was. not a seaf fairing woman nor a lover of. Port I wish I could recall the context. of her telling me this even but it's. always stuck with me and I thought you. might get a kick out of that uh thanks. for all the information and laughs and. that is from Aaron. and I wrote Aaron back to see if I could. get uh free Port no grandma's name but I.

didn't in he here back so let's just. let's just say grandmother to. Aaron okay in tribute. yeah. and that's it okay is that Aaron with. the a A or Aaron with the e e r i n oh. thanks a lot Aaron that's a good one um. it's at least as good as mine that I. came up with but what was yours there's. four letters in both port and left I. think oh I think that's what it was.

that's how that's what I remember so. apparently the system works yeah AG. great well if you want to be like Aaron. and improve or try to improve upon our. pneumonic devices we love that kind of. thing you can send it in an email to. stuff podcast iheartradio.com. [Music]. stuff you should know is a production of. iHeart radio for more podcasts iHeart. Radio visit the iHeart Radio app Apple. podcasts or wherever you listen to your. favorite.

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