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Breaking Into the Current: Boatwomen of the Grand Canyon
In 1973, Marilyn Sayre gave up her job as a computer programmer and became the first woman in twenty years to run a commercial boat through the Grand Canyon. Georgie White had been the first, back in the 1950s, but it took time before other women broke into guiding passengers down the Colorado River. This book profiles eleven of the first full-season Grand Canyon boatwomen, weaving together their various experiences in their own words.
Breaking Into the Current is a story of romance between women and a place. Each woman tells a part of every Canyon boatwoman's when Marilyn Sayre talks about leaving the Canyon, when Ellen Tibbets speaks of crew camaraderie, or when Martha Clark recalls the thrill of white water, each tells how all were involved in the same romance.
All the boatwomen have stories to tell of how they first came to the Canyon and why they stayed. Some speak of how they balanced their passion for being in the Canyon against the frustration of working in a traditionally male-oriented occupation, where today women account for about fifteen percent of the Canyon's commercial river guides.
As river guides in love with the Canyon and their work, these women have followed their hearts. "I've done a lot," says Becca Lawton, "but there's been nothing like holding those oars in my hands and putting my boat exactly where I wanted it. Nothing."
Breaking Into the Current is a story of romance between women and a place. Each woman tells a part of every Canyon boatwoman's when Marilyn Sayre talks about leaving the Canyon, when Ellen Tibbets speaks of crew camaraderie, or when Martha Clark recalls the thrill of white water, each tells how all were involved in the same romance.
All the boatwomen have stories to tell of how they first came to the Canyon and why they stayed. Some speak of how they balanced their passion for being in the Canyon against the frustration of working in a traditionally male-oriented occupation, where today women account for about fifteen percent of the Canyon's commercial river guides.
As river guides in love with the Canyon and their work, these women have followed their hearts. "I've done a lot," says Becca Lawton, "but there's been nothing like holding those oars in my hands and putting my boat exactly where I wanted it. Nothing."
178 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
13 people are currently reading
187 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
May 31, 2016
Beautiful book... Brought me back to my river trip last summer. The women's stories felt relevant to being a woman in the male dominated field of engineering (and one of them was a programmer in the 70s before and after guiding) except being a boatwoman on the river and guiding trips is quite a bit more epic.
June 28, 2025
Read this as I was paddling the Grand Canyon and wow was it inspiring. It made me feel more inspired to work harder on the river every day. It made me feel as though I had a slightly better understanding into the lives of the wonderful guides that were on our trip. Coming from a place of no knowledge about the canyon I loved learning new things about it through these women’s stories
November 28, 2020
I worked with Marilyn Sayer years after the events in this book. She was a woman of strength and grace. She continued in strenuous activities of sculling and tennis and raising three children. She was a joy to work with and promoted my works and totally involved with managing success with out being domineering. Her spirit was relentless but co-operative and kind. She asked for my opinion on things and welcomed information and guidance in areas of my experience. Anyway, her experience on the water and her personality comes through wonderfully in chapter three of this book.
May 17, 2022
I loved the stories of women. However published in 1994 I'd like to see a new one.
May 16, 2025
Great stories, but felt a bit redundant. Would have loved some type of mix up. Go Georgie!
September 13, 2020
🐉🐍Jade Dragons🐉🐍
Arizona- Grand Canyon
Breaking Into the Current: Boatwomen of the Grand Canyon by Louise Teal
4 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/work/shelve...
The author is one of the women profiled in this book--the first professional boatwomen of the Grand Canyon, most of whom broke through in the 1970s or thereabouts (a few exceptions). She even names the other women who were doing this in the 1970s who are not profiled in the book. I found it quite interesting--you wouldn't catch me doing this in a million years--I did once think about doing very MILD river rafting because I loved being on boats, but not seriously enough to go out and actually do it. I found this more evenly interesting than most of the non-fiction Grand Canyon books because the writing was strong and the women interesting.
Writing books about women making breakthroughs didn't start with this new surge we have been seeing, although it often seems that way. What has changed is that more of the books being written now have been cleverly marketed for a wider audience and are riding on the big push for more STEM students, including more minorities and also women. However, women breaking into this field were pioneers and had to knock down stereotypes, etc.
Arizona- Grand Canyon
Breaking Into the Current: Boatwomen of the Grand Canyon by Louise Teal
4 stars
https://www.goodreads.com/work/shelve...
The author is one of the women profiled in this book--the first professional boatwomen of the Grand Canyon, most of whom broke through in the 1970s or thereabouts (a few exceptions). She even names the other women who were doing this in the 1970s who are not profiled in the book. I found it quite interesting--you wouldn't catch me doing this in a million years--I did once think about doing very MILD river rafting because I loved being on boats, but not seriously enough to go out and actually do it. I found this more evenly interesting than most of the non-fiction Grand Canyon books because the writing was strong and the women interesting.
Writing books about women making breakthroughs didn't start with this new surge we have been seeing, although it often seems that way. What has changed is that more of the books being written now have been cleverly marketed for a wider audience and are riding on the big push for more STEM students, including more minorities and also women. However, women breaking into this field were pioneers and had to knock down stereotypes, etc.
July 12, 2025
If you want to read about women who have through force of will and hard work and a love of place accomplished the impossible this is a nice little book. I was a river guide for 10 years, some of them in the Grand Canyon. The place is truly grand. I have three daughters whose opportunities in that area I may have lamented but because of examples such as these and on their own efforts and initiative two of them became river goddesses. With the third we all ‘ran the river’ on her wedding day. There is just something so majestic and amazing about it.
December 28, 2021
"And maybe just the simplicity of being in the Canyon brings us back on track - sleeping on the ground underneath the stars, waking when it's light, going to bed when it's dark. ... But to get back to the way it really is, the way it's supposed to be - your whole being recognizes that, and there's and overall feeling of peace." -Ellen Tibbetts
July 9, 2017
The perfect book to read after coming off an 8 day trip. Our female swamped read us a story from the book when we were above Lava and it was enticing. I so admire these women who had the guts to do what they loved. Also understood more about the pull and mystique of this magnificent place
June 26, 2020
Fun read that brought back great memories of my river trip through the Grand Canyon a couple of years ago
November 25, 2024
An interesting and easy read, definitely recommend to anyone contemplating a trip down the river!
September 14, 2025
Perf book to get me in the GC mindset!!!
July 8, 2017
A must read if you've rafted the canyon or just thought about rafting the canyon!
December 30, 2024
This was such a good book! It was so cool to hear the point of view from women that rafted in the grand canyon! It's amazing to hear how much they've been through...totally inspired me!
April 27, 2011
Louise Teal was seduced by the grandeur of the canyon when she
was a teen in the 60’s. “The canyon was beautiful and intense—a
completely fulfilling place to be.” Years later after she married and
moved to Seattle, she yearned to return to life on the river. In
Breaking Into the Current she profiles eleven other women from
varied backgrounds who cast aside civilization to raft rapids
and learn the secrets of the Grand Canyon. Georgie White opened
the way for female river guides in the 50’s, but there was still plenty
of resistance from a male dominated society to the having women
guides at the helm well into the 80’s. This book is a must read for
teens looking for empowered women role models. All of the women
profiled are brave, self-reliant and intent on self-actualization. I was
happy to learn about each and every one of these inspiring ladies.
www.lindaballouauthor.com
was a teen in the 60’s. “The canyon was beautiful and intense—a
completely fulfilling place to be.” Years later after she married and
moved to Seattle, she yearned to return to life on the river. In
Breaking Into the Current she profiles eleven other women from
varied backgrounds who cast aside civilization to raft rapids
and learn the secrets of the Grand Canyon. Georgie White opened
the way for female river guides in the 50’s, but there was still plenty
of resistance from a male dominated society to the having women
guides at the helm well into the 80’s. This book is a must read for
teens looking for empowered women role models. All of the women
profiled are brave, self-reliant and intent on self-actualization. I was
happy to learn about each and every one of these inspiring ladies.
www.lindaballouauthor.com
April 19, 2010
Good Book, I went down the River with Louise and others with Arizona Rafting out of Flagstaff in 2000. On day 5 (14 day trip) I broke my ankle and had to be medevaced out. louise and the other guides were so nice to me. Returned the next year and did the entire trip again..trip of a Life Time. so, many great memmories of those trips. nomad
September 9, 2013
Quick, fun read. Profiles many women from 50's to mid-90's who served as river guides on the Colorado. Book focuses primarily on their profession and its challenges (primarily chauvinism and discrimination), companies worked for, various guide boat types, descriptions of the trips and the areas they boated and hiked with clients.
March 4, 2008
I read this shortly after rafting the Grand Canyon and really related to the experiences and insights the author had in many of the same places that I visited. I would recommend this to people who have paddled the canyon, particularly women.
December 21, 2011
While preparing myself mentally for my upcoming river trip to the Grand Canyon, I read this book of some amazing women who tell stories of their experiences as boat women on the grandest river in the world.
January 7, 2012
An inspiring book about women who work as river guides on the Grand Canyon. Even if you aren't interested in rivera, it is a thought provoking book about work and life and how we spend our time on earth.
June 8, 2014
I think this would only be of interest if you were really interested in finding out more about the individual women who were early river guides. It didn't hold my interest and I do enjoy being on the river.
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March 15, 2011This is to help me grow a pair for the Arkansas.
October 1, 2015
Great book!
March 15, 2015
Excellent biography of the first women to work as professional white water rafting guides in the Grand Canyon.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews