Ben Orkin of Portland and Harrison Rea of Georgia, paddling separately, launched on the Colorado River on Jan. 7 for an attempt at setting a record: The seasoned Colorado River guides wanted to be the fastest non-motorized boaters to traverse the Grand Canyon 277 miles from Lee’s Ferry to the Grand Wash Cliffs.

The record was set by a dory in 1983 during much faster flood-stage flows, but January was the only time the pair could score a coveted permit.  They'd hoped to make up for slower river flows with their high-performance -- but fragile -- kayaks.

The time to beat was 36 hours and 38 minutes. Orkin and Rea were on track to finish in about 36 hours, until notorious Crystal Rapid had its way with Rea's boat. 

They self-rescued after Rea's collision with a rock and subsequent capsize, repaired the boat, continued paddling -- and still nearly broke the overall record.

Orkin arrived exhausted at Grand Wash Cliffs in 37 hours and 48 minutes after launching, one hour and 10 minutes slower than The Emerald Mile’s flood-assisted run.

A wrap-up story by Canoe & Kayak online says that despite failing to beat the non-motorized record, Orkin, who paddled ahead of Rea after the boat repair, became the fastest kayaker to complete the canyon, "taking the lead in a category legendary whitewater pioneer Fletcher Anderson started in the late ‘70s when he completed a solo kayak descent of the canyon in 49 hours."

• The comments to the Canoe & Kayak story add perspective to the subject of record runs through the Big Ditch.

The video below show's Orkin's practice run through Lava Falls before launching on the record attempt. It shows amazing boat performance and handling skills in huge water.

Additional links:

• History of the Grand Canyon speed record.
• Map of Orkin’s and Rea’s run.
• Run all the rapids in the Grand Canyon from the comfort of your home in a virtual tour with Google's River View.

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