The outfitter’s van crept down a narrow road carved into the canyon wall, descending toward the Colorado River. Above us, the massive concrete face of Hoover Dam rose abruptly from the rock, its scale difficult to grasp even from a distance. As we craned our necks upward, our group fell quiet. When the van finally stopped, we unloaded boats and gear and prepared to launch into Black Canyon National Water Trail, setting off on what would become a long, demanding,…
