Albert Quist, our father, ran his first river rafting trip on the Colorado River during the summer of 1947. He organized a group of Boy Scouts for a trip through Glen Canyon from Hite, Utah to Lees Ferry, Arizona. He continued organizing these and other Utah river rafting trips through the 1960s, expanding to other Colorado Plateau river canyons.
The best part was that Dad started taking us along beginning in the early 50s. The experience back in those days was very different than it is today. The "put-ins" and "take-outs" were remote locations accessible only by long, dusty and sometimes nearly impassable roads. Many times we rode in the back of the truck on top of all the rafts and gear. The rafts and gear were war surplus - ten-man navy assault rafts, old kapok "Mae West" style life vests and a lot of surplus "c-ration" food. Notwithstanding these "hardships", we had great fun and retain priceless memories.
Having had the good fortune of "growing up" in the river canyons, we made the decision in 1969 to "launch" a commercial whitewater guiding business, Moki Mac River Expeditions, Inc., the company we still own and operate today.
We’re often asked about our company name. Boy Scouts from that bygone era who participated in the early trips will remember Malcom (Mac) Ellingson, a boy-scout leader who led many of the early trips. Mac was a born "river-man" and he loved to read all he could find, and then pass on stories about ancient Native American lore, including tales about the so-called "Moqui", pre-historic inhabitants of the Colorado Plateau’s river canyons. His tales told around the campfires couldn’t help but result in his nickname becoming "Moki Mac". Mac was our partner in the early years of our formal organization, and we thought it natural to name the company after him.
We hope to meet you on the river very soon!
Annie Quist, Bob Quist, Clair & Pam Quist, Richard Quist
Make your reservation with our office today!
Call 800-284-7280 or email info@mokimac.com
