NIGHT 1: Open Sky

By the time we pulled the rafts onto the bank to make camp for the night, any apprehension I'd had about the trip was gone. Between the beauty of the river and the canyon, on the one hand, and the women around me, on the other, I was almost euphoric. It was the perfect antidote to the daily grind, the tedious routine of work and family life. I felt more alive than I had in a very long time.

And I could tell that Ady was in a similarly euphoric mood. It took her a while to loosen up, but by mid afternoon, when an intense...