We see so much rapid change in our lives everyday, from technology to fashion trends. But even as things are constantly changing some things never do.

Writing poetry on a river trip is a wonderful way to stay present and notice all of the beauty and little miracles in the Canyon.
One of our recent guests, Alexi Kimiatek, wrote an astonishing 131 haiku on his river trip! We’ve selected some to share with you. It’s amazing how three lines can encapsulate an experience and flood you with memories. (Also, did you know the plural of haiku is haiku?!)
August 30- prep day
bag for the river
one week with water and sand
what will I forget?
we practice writing
counting fingers flickering
haiku I force you
August 31- Flagstaff to Lee’s Ferry
desert orchard jaunt
yellow warbler, acid pears
searing solar stares
cliffs of vermillion
stars afar in the trillions
we just drift along
September 1- Launch Day: Lee’s to 24mi
five sheep river’s edge
thicket thick with tamarisk
they became the rock
aimlessly drifting
fast river swirling churning
sunlight burning blue
September 2- Twenty-four mile to Nankoweap
Blue skies reflect
mercurial, opalescent and orange
breakfast bats flutter
beach under alcove
datura grove thrives purple
silver silhouette
September 3- Nankoweap to Bright Angel
the shape and colors
of rocks, golden silty spray
baccharis with grace
cloud woman face down
electric blue above the
scorched granite walls
September 4- Bright Angel to Explorers Monument
clouds of silt well up
swirl against a wall of cold
clear river water
white trumpets of night
salute dawn with purple bells
a canyon wren chips
September 5- Explorers Monument to Kanab Creek
coffee sand water
bacon grease and Baccharis
a great blue heron
dull roar of churning
water constricted, explodes
imminent wetness
fly just bit my toe
fly bit my knee, my ankle
fly just bit the dust
September 6- Kanab Creek to Whitmore Wash
Mt. Sinyella looms
redwall amphitheater
feeds datura, dreams
so many voices
in the blue green water speak
I could hear your voice
worms of lava squirm
down bulges scoured hillside
baked in the furnace
September 7- Whitmore wash to Pearce Ferry
mud stains mark high times
bathtub ring to remind us
of the higher flows
dimpled black boulders
of lava slowly gently
cascading river bound
condor cliffs long sun
days and sunsets orange like
life vests, drybags, rafts
the trail is in your mind
let your body explore its
relationship with nature
Book your Hatch river trip today, and get those creative juices flowing!
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