Tips to make better TIP$!!!

Hello Guides,

Lets share our secrets of keeping our guest HAPPIER, safe, educated, and entertained, so that we ALL can make BIGGER TIP$!!! We all have those fun small things that probably make all the difference to our guests. Lets combine our ideas so that we all can benefit from each other!

I do on every trip and the guests seem to love it...
At our first or second break, while everyone is sitting around and relaxing I tell them we have a group project to give each other TRAIL NAMES! It makes the trip very personal and more memorable not to mention it gives them something to think about on the long stretches. And you know what everyone is thinking on those long stretches, "how much further/longer?". With this tip it keeps their mind busy and you are less likely to hear those questions.

You have to lay out rules and be the mediator!
1. A trail name has to be given from something that has happened while on the trail/ in the backcountry.
2. It can change anytime up until we reach the trail head. So if something "better" comes up, it can changed!
3. It can not be offensive or hurt anyone's feelings.
4. It is a group effort (usually gets brain storming to happen and helps your guest become friends with a common task other than hiking R2R)

Examples:
1. I once had a dentist on a R2R trip and the 1st morning he dropped his toothbrush in the dirt. (was totally covered in dirt) so for the next 3 days his name was "Dirt Brush"
2. When we used to carry frozen chicken, I had it double ziplocked in the top of my pack and it leaked all over my new down jacket, for the next 4 days (Grandview to Hance Rapid back to GV) I was known as "Chicken Juice"
3. In Paria (personal trip) a packrat was really interested in our camp. The mouse disappeared shortly before we headed 8 miles down river. To open a backpack and found the same mouse had caught a ride. (we had named the mouse "wilson"). The person with the mouse in his pack was then called "Mouse Trap". But then two days later he caught a cat fish with his bare hands in the Paria River, so we changed his name to "Trapper".

If guests are struggling on the trail, most often during the uphill sections, simple riddles can take their minds off of the discomfort they are feeling. Before they know it, they are up the trail and begging you to give them the answers to your riddles.

The first riddle i like to give guests is simple (well not so simple haha):

There are 4 countries in the world that have 1 vowel letter in the name.
1. Chad
2. Egypt
3. Cyprus
4. Kyrgystan

Note: 'Y' is only considered a vowel if there are no other vowels in the word. Otherwise it is simply consonant.

Another riddle i like to use:

What 10 body parts only have 3 letters?

1. Eye
2. Ear
3. Arm
4. Leg
5. Toe
6. Gum
7. Jaw
8. Rib
9. Lip
10. Hip

Note: You cannot use slang for a body part. For example, for all those Brits out there...bum is not the technical word for butt.

While out on the trial or relaxing at camp, I too like to ask a riddle... This also opens up a discussion to talk about Arizona!

Arizona's economy is based off of 5 things that all start with the letter "C".

1. Cattle
2. Copper
3. Cotton
4. Climate
5. Culture

With out a doubt someone will always guess CANYON, CACTUS & CITRUS...

Yes, all guest are fully capable of doing their own dishes...but I always do it for them!!!

Even if they offer to help, I just tell them to relax and enjoy the canyon (they're on "vacation") while I take care of the dishes. This makes them happier campers!!!
Plus it can also give you a little break to enjoy the canyon.

And this is especially useful to do when one is at a dry camp. (don't want to waist any water!)
I have gotten it down to an art of washing all the groups dishes and cooking pots with less than 1 liter, and they are spotless with NO soap residue!!!

This is something I learned from Zach B. who used to work for JRI... (gotta give credit where credit is due!!!)

Zach would always get up extra early and fill up everyones bladders and water bottles and this is why...

1. It save the guests time so they can pack/break camp faster.
2. This give you the ability to know exactly how much water each guest is drinking and if that is enough, great tool to prevent dehydration before it happens!

Why your tips can be increased: the guest really like you going out of your way to take care of them, but really you are helping break camp faster and preventing dehydration...

Good tip!
I tend to like to fill up waters at night, and usually after the guests go to bed
First: because they usually go to bed really early
Second: the morning can be hectic because of what you have to do and the lack of experience from the guests.

Especially if you are taking water out of Colorado river since it can take awhile for sediment to settle before you filter.
I generally like to plan ahead and keep the guest informed about that the more you do at night to get ready for the morning the easier and quicker breaking camp will be

I like to call these "number to letter" riddles. Basically you provide the guests with a formula: A number, followed by the first letter of key words in a phrase. It sounds confusing but makes a lot of sense after you see the examples. I always give guests extremely easy ones at first so they get the gist of it and then move into the harder ones.

Practice ones i give the guests:
24 Hours in a Day: When you say this to guests you would literally say, "24 H in a D"
7 Days of the Week: When you say this to guests you would literally say, "7 D of the W"

After giving those two examples, guests seem to get the idea and then i move into the rest:
60 Minutes in an Hour
52 Weeks in a Year
365 Days in a Year
12 Months in a Year
26 Letters of the Alphabet
7 Wonders of the World
12 Signs of the Zodiac
66 Books of the Bible
52 Cards in a Deck
13 Stripes on the Flag
8 Tentacles on an Octopus
9 Lives of a Cat
1000 Years in a Millenium
21 Dots on a Die
18 Holes on a Golf Course
90 Degrees in a Right Angle
11 Players on a Football Team
13 Loaves in a Baker's Dozen
64 Squares on a Chess Board
15 Men on a Dead Man's Chest
23 Pairs of Chromosomes in the Human Body

The great thing about these riddles is that you can come up with new ones very easily! Plus, it keeps guests' minds occupied for quite a long time. Before the know it they've been hiking for an hour and a half!

When I'm setting up a meal for my guests I'll usually spend some time working on the presentation of the meal before I call everyone over to eat.  Sometimes this means organizing the packets of oatmeal by flavor before laying them out or just putting everyone's bowls, plates, and silverware in a line next to the big pot of food. It doesn't take much effort and making a guest feel a little pampered while they're supposed to be roughin' it can go a long way.