Jill Harding-Goodson and Phil Goodson
Phil (Pat) Goodson and Jill Harding-Goodson were UT students when they first experienced the Lower Canyons as participants on a Recreational Sports adventure trip. Both were so enthralled by the adventure that they became guides for this physically demanding “wild and scenic” getaway. As trip guides, the couple have formed many lasting friendships with trip participants. Pat first experienced the Lower Canyons as a participant on a RecSports adventure trip in 1990 (Jill was an assistant guide on that trip) and has been on the river at least once each year since then. He notes, "This trip has always been an opportunity to maintain a connection to the University. Through the years we have met and enjoyed the company of so many bright people, a number of them having never spent a night outdoors. This trip provides the opportunity for us (and them) to unhook from the hectic daily routine and concentrate on a whole new set of priorities."
Jill Harding-Goodson - In Her Own Words
I started at UT an an undecided major and I took a wide variety of courses, mostly in Biological Sciences, before trying a Geology class. What I liked about the Geology class was that we did a lot of learning in the field and it was fun. I enjoyed it so much that I took another Geology class and another and another and finally, it became my major. I also made many lifelong friends in those classes (including my husband Pat Goodson). Several of us met on a 10-day field trip into Mexico over the Winter break with the Geology Club and we have remained friends to this day.
My first UT outdoor recreation experience was during my sophomore year. It was a canoe trip on the Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande. One of my older brothers (who was a senior at UT), talked me into signing up with him. He wanted to do something fun and adventurous for his last Spring Break before entering “the real world of work”. Back then, UT used aluminum canoes and packed all the gear in army duffel bags lined with plastic. There were two guides – Sue White, who organized the group and equipment from Austin and Larry Humphreys, a former Outward Bound instructor who met up with the group at the river. At our pre-trip meeting, Sue showed us a scary film (yes – it was a reel to reel film projector) about foot entrapments and the dangers of moving water – it got our attention. Sue also asked for volunteers to help with packing the food and gear. I raised my hand to help and later met Sue in a small room under the UT stadium (which is where UT outdoor recreation was located). It was a great experience. I learned to repackage the food and to consolidate items as much as possible to eliminate excess weight for our journey. I also knew where everything was packed which is very helpful knowledge to have.
We were a motley crew of undergraduates, graduate students, community members (mostly UT alumni) and a couple of professors. I remember someone asking if my brother and I were married since we had the same last name. I was horrified as was my brother. The Art professor, Michael Frary, would set up his easel every evening and paint the beautiful colors and shapes of the canyons and river. It was magic to watch. I remember at one point, his canoe got pinned on a rock just above a large rapid. We all worried about the paintings and hoped the canoe would stay upright. Eventually, we had to enlist the help of the Aggies, who were camped across the river, to get the paintings safely to shore. Professor Frary later published a book titled “Watercolors of the Rio Grande” which included paintings from our trip.
I remember that first trip so vividly. We all became very close and when we got back to Austin, we organized a reunion canoe trip on the Guadalupe River. We were so proud of ourselves as we practiced the skills we had learned on the river. We would get out and scout all the rapids and carefully plot our route – which didn't always work out but we knew what do when we tipped over in the rapids. I came back from that first canoe adventure and signed up for nearly every adventure trip offered by RecSports. I was hooked and I wanted to try everything. The coordinator saw me plenty and invited me to attend guide training and I have been guiding ever since. While I was still in school, I guided all kinds of trips - backpacking, skiing, horsepacking, kayaking and canoeing. Once I graduated and started working as a teacher for Austin ISD, my trips were limited mostly to Spring Break.
The Lower Canyons are one of the last truly wild places left in the U.S. and one of my favorite places on Earth. Once you leave the put-in at La Linda, you have made a commitment to journey through some of the most beautiful and remote canyons. A sense of adventure is all that is required. The first few days are a good warm-up for the larger rapids encountered later in the trip. Everyone gets a chance to practice avoiding the cane along the river’s edge and negotiating the many smaller unnamed rapids. We typically see several other University groups, some from far off places like Nebraska, Iowa, Indiana and even Maine. Each group forms a “family” of its own with their unique mix of boats, people, and gear. A sense of camaraderie echoes up and down the river among the groups and we often help each other get our boats through rapids or off of rocks when one is stuck. A much closer family forms within our own group. We learn to work together to load and unload boats, to cook, to set up camp, to run rapids, to rescue gear that gets away. We entertain each other with our stories, songs, music, games and our personalities.
I never tire of the Lower Canyons or making this trip. Every year, the river is different. The water is a different level or a different color; the river has formed a new rapid or removed an old one. The wildflowers are plentiful one year and barely noticeable the next. The wildlife varies also – javelina, red tailed hawks, blue herons, canyon wrens, turtles, horses, lots of cows (more when there is drought) and an occasional snake. The people are what make this trip special. So many hidden talents emerge when you are together on an extended trip. Pat and I have formed many lasting friendships with those we have met on these trips. Several of the participants have come back and become guides themselves much the same way I started. It is especially rewarding to see someone with little or no camping or boating experience return with confidence, a new comfort level in the outdoors and an eagerness for another adventure.