# Returning from a Grand trip.



## lhowemt (Apr 5, 2007)

I felt ripped physically after both trips. Lost weight and super strong!


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## shoenfeld13 (Aug 18, 2009)

No beer or alcohol. Felt the same after the trip. Didn't gain or lose a pound.


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## PattyNYCO (Mar 21, 2005)

Just got back last Sunday. 

I do not normally drink a lot of alcohol and did not drink on this particular trip either. Not easy for me to lose weight, but did indeed lost 8 pounds on our 19 day trip. We ate very well. Breakfast in the morning. Small snacks through the day. Appetizers before dinner, dinner and desserts. In fact, I ate better on the trip than I do at home. 

The one mistake I did make was not getting in a little bit better shape before I left. I think I would have had more confidence on the hikes - some of which were tough. So if you have time - even if its only a few weeks before you leave - regardless if you drink or not or plan on drinking or not - my advice is to hit the gym. I know next time I will. 

P.S. I believe the drinkers on our trip planned on 3 beers per day and some people did bags of wine as well. Some days they wanted to drink, some days we all crashed into bed immediately after dinner. All depends on planned layover days. We had 3 - one per week.


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## Learch (Jul 12, 2010)

*No beer*

My group of 30 something year old men brewed beer while on the river. They drank a lot. I was a 16 year old, I don't drink beer still (approaching 34 now) I am always a little overweight, I lost 21 lbs from door to door. I ate like a horse. We did 4 layovers, and two major hikes, lots of little ones. I rowed a snout, but we had a gas motor as well for the flat stuff. It was a short shaft, so useless in the rapids. I felt great when I got out. Went to Vegas and enjoyed the sound of a flushing toilet, lol.


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## floatingk (Aug 5, 2008)

prolly 8+ beers a day. felt great, lost weight, physically stronger, ate enormous portions of food....


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## Rich (Sep 14, 2006)

Have done five trips. Probably average 3-4 beers a day. Have never gained or lost weight. But come back from every trip feeling great!
Rowing and hiking EVERY day is a great workout routine. Have always eaten VERY well and more than at home.
Seems every trip has one day of rowing flat water all day into the wind.
Major cardio / upper body workout. Couple times the arms have been so tired it was hard to lift a beer at the end of the day!


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## yak1 (Jan 28, 2006)

16 trips kayaking all, up to 10/day in the early years now about 3-4/day. It's not the kayakers and boat persons who gain the weight it's the passengers. I've heard some say they've put on 4-8 lbs.


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## Kendarflugen (Jan 31, 2006)

I averaged about... Well let's just say I drank a lot. I split rowing duties 50/50 w/ my boat-mate. My weight stayed about the same and I was significantly more fit at the end of the trip!


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## bjett (Jun 30, 2005)

3-4 beers/day on a 23 day trip. Brought mostly IPA's, quick buzz...
Hand paddled a displacement hull creek boat for 220 of the 280 miles...surprisingly only lost about 5 pounds. Its hard to drink beer on the river with hand paddles.
Ate better, and a lot more, than I do at home.


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## Randaddy (Jun 8, 2007)

6 pack a day. 1 rigging, 2 floating, 3 in camp. Strong, lean, and tan after every trip!

It's almost impossible to run the Grand without beer. I've heard of a few self-support kayakers that did it, but they hauled ass to get to beer at the end. I wouldn't recommend this.


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## richp (Feb 27, 2005)

Hi,

I offer testimony to the fact you can do the Grand without massive amounts of beer. 

I've done ten trips, with only a single ceremonial/celebratory beer after Lava on five of them. If I'm rowing, I lose weight. If I'm motoring, I stay about the same.

I stand corrected -- we did take a sixpack down in '07. Three cans were used cooking for brats, two were hoisted by a couple of us after Lava in honor of a friend who couldn't come on the trip, and the final can was safely returned to Flag.

FWIW.

Rich Phillips


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## GoodTimes (Mar 9, 2006)

I think I planned on about a 6pack per day on the two trips. Worked out to be about right....some days heavier, some days lighter....mostly consumed on the river...switched to wine or booze at camp. Not every day...reading that sounds like I was hammered the whole time...not the case.

We hiked a ton and I lost weight and felt GREAT when we were done. If we were planning a big hike...the beer/booze would have to wait.

I was 31 and 33 on my trips.


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## Schenker (Mar 21, 2010)

I packed a 12pk a day so as to not run out, have extra for those who were in need. I only drank about 8-12 a day tho. After all 3 trips I was same weight, strong and in the best physical condition afterwards. I rowed every trip, hiked everyday and ate like a king. That's just me tho


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## carvedog (May 11, 2005)

10 cases for 21 days. Less than a case at the takeout and that was gone shortly after. And there was probably a 12 pack of dead soldiers that the silty CO river water caused to die too soon. 

I have to say some.....dipshit but bleach in ALL the water at some point. Enough to make it undrinkable to me so for three days I drank nothing but beer and a half gallon of jug water that had melted in the cooler. 

I was in great shape at the end. Lost 10+ pounds but I was on a primarily meat free trip. Damn veg heads anyway. Not a steak or piece of bacon to be found.


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## Jensjustduckie (Jun 29, 2007)

carvedog said:


> I was in great shape at the end. Lost 10+ pounds but I was on a primarily meat free trip. Damn veg heads anyway. Not a steak or piece of bacon to be found.


Is it even legal to float the Grand without bacon?!?!


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## GoodTimes (Mar 9, 2006)

Jensjustduckie said:


> Is it even legal to float the Grand without bacon?!?!


Pretty sure it is NOT legal....oh the horror!!! Carvedog, I don't know how you did it...


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## lhowemt (Apr 5, 2007)

Yeah, I even brought home smoked bacon on last spring's trip. Life without bacon, is just wrong!


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## brandob9 (Jun 13, 2010)

I was 30 on my trip down in that same time frame. I'm normally pretty lean anyway (6', 155) but I felt a little thin when I got back. Strong as shit, too. You'll eat like a horse regardless, and the beer will make life worth living. I averaged about 4-5 per day, but that's mostly because I'm not much of a daytime drinker.


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## Tom Martin (Dec 5, 2004)

Never any beer. Can't stand the taste of the stuff. But my sweetie and I will slowly work our way through a quart of Sherry. We will drink a little bit of the stuff every couple of nights. And, the stuff works well getting ticks out of you once they embed on those sheep route hikes. I typically come back exhausted, having hiked my little tootsie's right through my boots, and sleep like a log on the ride back to Flagstaff. I have a lot to learn from you all that come back "strong as shit."


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## kikii875 (Oct 25, 2010)

No matter the age I have been at, I am exhausted after most trips, but after a day or two of rest I am in much better shape than before the trip. I think a lot of the exhaustion comes from the adreline fueled quick derig and the letdown afterward. The last day on the river I feel as good or better than when I started.


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## bigben (Oct 3, 2010)

*GROOVER BEERS TO THE RESCUE!!!*

so this year i brought 15/day + the hard stuff, kinda suspecting that others might run out. 

space was an issue for sure, as always. we discovered that you can fit a 30 pack, an 18pack and a loose 12pack into an empty 30 mil rocket box. as in the yet-to-be-used rental groover boxes... 
after a run through the dishwash cycle they didn't even smell anymore tho!! cheers to groover beer!!

28 days and i was feelin a bit rough around the edges, but i don't see how even the non drinkers wouldn't be after any trip that long.


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## lhowemt (Apr 5, 2007)

Oh i'm always exhausted too, but in great shape


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## Gremlin (Jun 24, 2010)

bigben said:


> so this year i brought 15/day + the hard stuff, kinda suspecting that others might run out.
> 
> space was an issue for sure, as always. we discovered that you can fit a 30 pack, an 18pack and a loose 12pack into an empty 30 mil rocket box. as in the yet-to-be-used rental groover boxes...
> after a run through the dishwash cycle they didn't even smell anymore tho!! cheers to groover beer!!
> ...


Now that's info I can use!


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## Haggard (Nov 13, 2012)

Always Better more fit, strong, and agile after every trip especially the long GC trips and i even drank more than usual.


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## 3d3vart (Apr 15, 2010)

For my last Xmas/NYE trip, 23 days, took roughly case (24) per three days plus a fifth per week. The other 15 did about the same. We had booze left over at Diamond, but beer ran out at Granite Park. All those long dark winter hours at camp are pretty conducive to unusual amounts of beer drinking.


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## carvedog (May 11, 2005)

bigben said:


> we discovered that you can fit a 30 pack, an 18pack and a loose 12pack into an empty 30 mil rocket box. as in the yet-to-be-used rental groover boxes...
> after a run through the dishwash cycle they didn't even smell anymore tho!! cheers to groover beer!!


I don't care how good of dishwasher, that is just damn brave. Wow. 

And I don't know about legality but it was inhuman to subject an omnivore to 21 days of no bacon - on the river.


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## lhowemt (Apr 5, 2007)

The big question, is whose dishwasher was it? Ewwww


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## carvedog (May 11, 2005)

lhowemt said:


> The big question, is whose dishwasher was it? Ewwww


Ewww is right. Didn't even think about that.


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## Daggerdave (Sep 21, 2010)

Great thread guys. I'm leaving Feb 9 and am reading with great interest. I'm thinking ten per day with a few xtra. I've got 19x11x24 ammo cans ready to go.


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## lhowemt (Apr 5, 2007)

I'd make sure to bring plenty of booze and fixins for warm drinks too.


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## Gremlin (Jun 24, 2010)

lhowemt said:


> The big question, is whose dishwasher was it? Ewwww


I'm thinking the Seal-a-Meal might come in handy. Meal-in-a-Can that is.


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## buckmanriver (Apr 2, 2008)

*Self support kayak rations*

I am doing a self support kayak trip in Dec. and plan on 1 shot of whiskey a day ration. And half a stick of butter per day in addition to the rest of my food. But those are the two most important winter rations for me. I hike the hell out of myself on most trips as well and go to bed tired most nights. As for weight loss I have never lost more than 5lbs on a trip except for one that I got very sick on.

In sum. 
1. Butter rations are critical in the winter for the dirt bag kayak self supporter.


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## TakemetotheRiver (Oct 4, 2007)

Daggerdave said:


> Great thread guys. I'm leaving Feb 9 and am reading with great interest. I'm thinking ten per day with a few xtra. I've got 19x11x24 ammo cans ready to go.


On both trips my husband and I planned for a 12-pack a day apiece since that is usually the recommendation and brought a couple bottles of whiskey to share. We ran out both times the day before the take out.

I ate a lot of food as usual.

On the first trip I rowed everything as my husband didn't row yet and I lost weight. 

On the second trip, we split the rowing (he rowed more since he said it was his turn) and I didn't lose or gain weight- even with all that beer.


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## ootek34 (Mar 27, 2007)

First trip was a 16 day launch, and brought 5- 30 packs of the best river beer out there, Tecate and PBR. Also 2 jugs of bourbon and a little rum.....Second was 23 days, and similar levels of libation. Always plan for a few to get lost to friends and attrition, and the rio always claims a few as well Felt awesome the whole way rowing.....To BJETT...I think you may be off on your beer count, although those flippers you wore on your hands the whole time did make it hard to truly enjoy the beers while hand paddling !! A little tip to maximize your beer value, get a screw top kids sippy lid that pops onto the can...$.99 cents can save a lot of beer from spilling / mixing with the Colorado


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## swiftwater15 (Feb 23, 2009)

We did the PRO gourmet package, and a guy who's won best bartender in Portland, with full collection of mixers and hard stuff. Freaking gained weight. Oh, yeah, and several gallons of Bulgarian moonshine.


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