I personally find this childish prank thing a discouragement, considering I would be paying thousands of dollars for the trip I expect to have a decent toilet, food, bedding available.
Toilet will have some of the best views you can imagine, changing daily. No. 1 goes in the river, #2 in the unit. On our trip, we had 2 female guides (including the trip leader) and several female clients, though less than half. First day, we were at our first stop, not camp, but just a kinda sorta beach with no trees. The question of doing #1 without any screening was bothering one of the women. The guide just walked to the edge of the river and did her business 20-30 yards downriver and told her that if she closed her eyes no one could see her.
Everyone's in the same boat, so to speak, took a day to get used to, but leave your modesty at home.
Food? I was amazed at how good it was. Not just that everything tastes better outdoors, but the cold packing on the specially designed rafts allows them to have fresh meats, fruits, vegetables, etc. Not just opening #10 cans of beans every day. A week in we had steaks over charcoal. We had eggs benedict. Fresh fish, chicken, taco salads, etc. etc. We also had dinner music... We took the String quarter trip with Canyon Explorations and Expeditions. Symphony musicians, including original compositions. Classical, rock, ragtime, wide variety. One of the early lunch days was at Whale's Armpit, and they put out the word to other groups that there would be a concert for all who could fit. It was jammed full, there was even a couple who were into ballroom dancing. Funny to see that on a beach in the canyon, with everyone wearing their shorts and t shirt, but a good time was had by all. The string quartet and the dancers got a standing ovation!
Bedding. Well, it's camping. Sleeping on the ground. Mostly on sand, but we had at least one night that I recall that was in the middle of the canyon that was on rock, no beach in that area. Rolled out an insulating pad first. Night temp got to around 80, but the rock stayed hotter. Never opened a tent. We were there in June/early July. Hot, but not yet monsoon season. Getting in a tent would've been even hotter, but they were available in the event of rain.
Bathing in 45 degree water takes a little getting used to. On the plus side, when you go to chill down a beer at the end of the day it happens quick!
When you book the trip, you have to sign a disclaimer saying that there will be rattlesnakes, scorpions, that you'll be hot when it's up to 120 out, but could die of hypothermia in the water. When I took the kayak out a wetsuit is required. Feels pretty silly putting on a wetsuit at 100+, let me tell you. I also got stung by a scorpion one night. Crawled up on me while I was asleep. Thankfully a mild response. Also saw 2 rattlesnakes.
Long post, but I have two more thoughts. First, the guide jobs are tough to get, and you will find some of the nicest folks, not making a ton of money. I enjoyed getting to know each and every one. Some have their own little things. For example, one day late in the trip, one of the oar boat guides specifically picked 3 of the women to go with him. Most days you just switched off. Turns out Charley knew of a spot that ran warm fresh water. He carries nice shampoo and conditioner, and calls it Charley's spa day. Each of the women had long hair and Charley did a wash and rinse for them. After 10 or so days of quick dips in cold water to clean, they were in heaven! He also did their nails.
Another guide had a couple of parasols that he pulled out on a non windy day. Unique personalities, good people.
Second thought, more of an anecdote. I asked one of the guides one day to share an experience about the customer from hell. He had been spending 180 days below the rim on commercial and research trips for over 10 years, so a lot of experience. He said he didn't have one. High maintenance people don't do these trips. If you really need to be pampered and can't roll with a prank, this might not be the trip for you.
But if you can deal with being hot, cold, and dirty for days on end, you will get some of the greatest outdoor views and experiences you can imagine. I have been to all 50 states, 4 continents, 25+/- countries, 20ish Caribbean islands, 40ish National Parks, and this trip still stands out as one of my favorites!
