Canyon Country Zephyr page 32

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told us." Nature is also a religion for her. "The Navajos are like that, the Nava-jos ARE nature," she explains. "Their original belief is complete nature. I could come on the river being a Navajo, because I've been with Navajos. I used to give 'em parties and get food and all for 'em, in the old days before there was civilization. I like the nature, I believe in nature, and I think everything's the way it's meant to be."

Georgie Clark (continued)

you need it. If you don't, to heck with it.

"I keep busy," she says. "People need to be busier. If they've got time, they think about themselves too much. Then even any little thing, they can FEEL it, and that little thing gets bigger. If they got too much time on their hands, they're going to think about their ills. Naturally!

"A lot of older people don't have interests," she continues quickly. "They go into condominiums, things are done for 'em, they don't have the interest. This traveling around by bus and all, tours, any of this stuff, that's for the birds." Her voice is impatient. "I could have less interest in a bus trip than the man in the moon!"

...she believes most young people lack

the strong fiber of her generation.

"I look at kids today and feel sorry for 'em.

They don't have a mother like mine,

who taught me to be self-sufficient.

She's healthy, lives on fruit, vegetables, cheese, and bread. She takes no vitamins. "I think they would be an off-balance to you," she says adamantly. "I don't eat a lot. As a youngster, I didn't get a lot of food. None of us did. I never smoked, because I couldn't afford it."

She likes beer and an occasional glass of blackberry liqueur, but only at night. A new law forbids anyone to drink and operate a boat on the river. She says some river runners used to drink beer all day and became dangerous to other boatmen.

Georgie has a number of young friends in river-related businesses. But she believes most young people lack the strong fiber of her generation. "I look at kids today and feel sorry for 'em. They don't have a mother like mine, who taught me to be self-sufficient. They aren't bad. It's just a case of the times.

Times change and they're going with the times. It's simply the different day they're raised in. They don't know different, so what would they do any different?"

She loves children and welcomes them on her trips. "I wish that more families would bring their children," she says. "We get some, but not as many as I'd like. Sometimes I'll get children of the Girl and Boy Scouts who hiked with me in the early days."

Georgie seems to be at peace.

What's the key? I ask.

"I see the good in everybody and just forget the bad," she replies. "I just forget it, pick out the good and leave the other alone, 'cause everybody's got good and bad faults. It just depends on the person who's judging."

When she turned 80, friends and admirers honored her. "Ted Hatch of Hatch River Expeditions put on a party, a great big party!" she exclaims. "They had 400, 500 people at Marble Canyon, at the Hatch Warehouse, and it was a real blow-out! No one will ever forget that party." She cackles.

"There was a guy with long blond hair in leopard-skin cape and tights who jumped out of a cake that came down from the ceiling. Then he took me on a ride in a Cadillac. I'm not so sure I liked that, because he liked to drink," she

"I keep busy," she says. "People need to be busier. If they've got time, they think about themselves too much.

At home in Las Vegas, Georgie drives blind people on errands. "I think of all things on earth, the worst is not being able to see. So my sympathy has always been terrific for them." She donates clothing and leftover food from the river trips to a local mission. "If I get two minutes, I do somethin' like this," she says.

She reads U.S.News and World Report, Reader's Digest, and The Wall Street Journal. "Not the financial stories," she says quickly. 'I'm not interested in that. I like their stories on the actual things in life. When they tell a story, it's really stated very carefully. They have a lot of stories on different things."

Later, she confides, laughing, she uses the newspaper to line the animals' litter boxes.

Her religion is the Golden Rule: '"Do as you'd be done by,' my mother always

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	told us." Nature is also a religion for her. "The Navajos are like that, the Nava-jos ARE nature," she explains. "Their original belief is complete nature. I could come on the river being a Navajo, because I've been with Navajos. I used to give 'em parties and get food and all for 'em, in the old days before there was civilization. I like the nature, I believe in nature, and I think everything's the way it's meant to be." Georgie Clark (continued) you need it. If you don't, to heck with it. "I keep busy," she says. "People need to be busier. If they've got time, they think about themselves too much. Then even any little thing, they can FEEL it, and that little thing gets bigger. If they got too much time on their hands, they're going to think about their ills. Naturally! "A lot of older people don't have interests," she continues quickly. "They go into condominiums, things are done for 'em, they don't have the interest. This traveling around by bus and all, tours, any of this stuff, that's for the birds." Her voice is impatient. "I could have less interest in a bus trip than the man in the moon!" ...she believes most young people lack the strong fiber of her generation. "I look at kids today and feel sorry for 'em. They don't have a mother like mine, who taught me to be self-sufficient. She's healthy, lives on fruit, vegetables, cheese, and bread. She takes no vitamins. "I think they would be an off-balance to you," she says adamantly. "I don't eat a lot. As a youngster, I didn't get a lot of food. None of us did. I never smoked, because I couldn't afford it." She likes beer and an occasional glass of blackberry liqueur, but only at night. A new law forbids anyone to drink and operate a boat on the river. She says some river runners used to drink beer all day and became dangerous to other boatmen. Georgie has a number of young friends in river-related businesses. But she believes most young people lack the strong fiber of her generation. "I look at kids today and feel sorry for 'em. They don't have a mother like mine, who taught me to be self-sufficient. They aren't bad. It's just a case of the times. Times change and they're going with the times. It's simply the different day they're raised in. They don't know different, so what would they do any different?" She loves children and welcomes them on her trips. "I wish that more families would bring their children," she says. "We get some, but not as many as I'd like. Sometimes I'll get children of the Girl and Boy Scouts who hiked with me in the early days." Georgie seems to be at peace. What's the key? I ask. "I see the good in everybody and just forget the bad," she replies. "I just forget it, pick out the good and leave the other alone, 'cause everybody's got good and bad faults. It just depends on the person who's judging." When she turned 80, friends and admirers honored her. "Ted Hatch of Hatch River Expeditions put on a party, a great big party!" she exclaims. "They had 400, 500 people at Marble Canyon, at the Hatch Warehouse, and it was a real blow-out! No one will ever forget that party." She cackles. "There was a guy with long blond hair in leopard-skin cape and tights who jumped out of a cake that came down from the ceiling. Then he took me on a ride in a Cadillac. I'm not so sure I liked that, because he liked to drink," she "I keep busy," she says. "People need to be busier. If they've got time, they think about themselves too much. At home in Las Vegas, Georgie drives blind people on errands. "I think of all things on earth, the worst is not being able to see. So my sympathy has always been terrific for them." She donates clothing and leftover food from the river trips to a local mission. "If I get two minutes, I do somethin' like this," she says. She reads U.S.News and World Report, Reader's Digest, and The Wall Street Journal. "Not the financial stories," she says quickly. 'I'm not interested in that. I like their stories on the actual things in life. When they tell a story, it's really stated very carefully. They have a lot of stories on different things." Later, she confides, laughing, she uses the newspaper to line the animals' litter boxes. Her religion is the Golden Rule: '"Do as you'd be done by,' my mother always www.walkabouttravelgear.com

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