Fiercely independent, with no respect for danger while possessing a single-minded commitment to life on the river, Georgie Clark represents what a grip the Colorado system can exert on the lives of those who run it for a living.

Born in Chicago, she moved with her husband, Harold Clark, from New York to California in 1936 by riding bicycles.  In the 1940s she met Harry Aleson, a veteran river runner who was showing movies of his experiences on the lower Colorado.  They subsequently became business partners and on trips in his new 10-man neoprene boats she learned to read the rapids and handle a boat.  She went on to acquire her own boats and river guide business.

Clark’s excursions on the river have been unique, shunning many of the amenities offered by other companies.  She also developed the “G-rig,” an innovation that lashes as many as three large pontoon boats together, beam to beam, to offer greater stability in rapids.