I’m a pretty darn lucky guy. I’ve made it through the Grand almost every year since I was 13 years old. I’ve run 200 trips or so – mostly in rowing rigs, but also driving a variety of motor rigs for science. I guided for OARS Inc. 40 years straight in the Canyon. From the Alsek to the Zambezi, I’ve spent about 9 years on the water covering around 60,000 river miles. Early on, I knew improvements in gear, techniques and organization would have to be made if I was going to enjoy any longevity as a guide – and as things were less than ideal in the late 60s – early 70s, it was pretty easy to make improvements. My love for river running, a passion for efficiency and a background in physics and engineering inspired me to design, redesign, reorganize, modify, repurpose, etc, etc systems and gear to make a raft trip as painless as possible. By reducing the physical labor involved, my boating career lasted far longer than I ever imagined possible.