Raft "Grover" donated to BOEC in memory of Dan Grover.
Dan Grover didn’t let his muscular dystrophy hold him back. He was a larger than life friend to so many, making a significant impact during his life while looking out for others with accessibility challenges. Dan, who had a degree in outdoor education, also had a real curiosity for the outdoors. In memoriam, a group of his close friends donated a new 14-foot Hyside raft named “Grover” to BOEC to benefit many future participants of the BOEC Wilderness Program.
BOEC is a grateful recipient of gifts like Grover which support the impactful programming offered to the diverse community the BOEC serves. Thanks to BOEC Operations Manager, Lydia North and her family, who were longtime friends of Dan Grover, BOEC was the beneficiary of this beautiful raft that will serve participants for years of river trips. Grover will explore the great west just as Dan Grover had in his lifetime.
Dan was an avid concert goer with rock and roll and American jam bands as favorite genres. He frequented Red Rocks, in Morrison, Colorado and attended annual festivals around the U.S. such as Burning Man in Black Rock Desert, Nevada, and Lockn’ Festival in Virginia. When a show by String Cheese Incident, one of Dan’s favorites, performed in Costa Rica, he figured out a way to attend. Dan learned from his father to be adaptable at an early age. As a child, he couldn’t ride a bike in rural New Jersey due to his disease. His dad found a six wheel amphibious ATV for Dan to cruise through the outdoors. As an adult, with skills in mechanics and wood working, Dan found a similar machine and restored it. He then took this ATV as art to Burning Man.
Dan at Badwater Basin in California Death Valley.
With a contagious, positive energy and eagerness to try new things, Dan was the planner of all fun things such as rock and roll movie nights, live band shows and band trivia. He was a big Rolling Stones fan and loved to dress up in a Sargent Pepper jacket. Going backstage at concerts with his friends was not uncommon, in fact, he got to know the String Cheese Incident band so well, they gave him a shout out after his passing at a concert in Santa Cruz. His avid interest and education in many things like teaching, sound engineering, and outdoor recreation gave him a wide range of expertise with which he could connect with a diverse group of people.
Dan often took on the responsibility of manning the wheelchair ramp at concerts with accommodations for those with disabilities. He ensured that those who needed it were welcome and it became a space he was comfortable filling. After years of attending concerts that were lacking in accessibility accommodation, Dan began a company called “See the Show” offering turnkey ADA services for events of all sizes. From safe, wheelchair-friendly ramps to accessible camping close to the venue and golf card transport, See the Show ensured that concerts could be an opportunity for many that had been historically excluded. Dan was often seen assessing, charting, and tracking accessibility possibilities at concerts carrying around a folder with information to help increase accessibility.
Dan and Lydia, BOEC’s Operations Manager, at a show.
He traveled often despite his disability, his friend Phil Johnson attributes this to his “mix of ingenuity, personal charisma, and good planning.” Phil explains Dan’s adventurous spirit and how his friends were able to lend a hand. “He was able to get himself into some amazing, scenic places throughout his life. His muscular atrophy weakened his legs to the point that he needed a wheelchair. His arms were not strong enough for most athletic activity, yet he found a way to get himself into the wilds.
From the backcountry of the High Sierra’s, to the sand dunes of Death Valley, to the snowy slopes of New Zealand’s mountains, the Redwoods, the boiling mud pots of Lassen Volcanic National Park, he found a way in. One of his means of getting to remote places was via a two wheeled rickshaw that he had custom made. It consisted of two bicycle wheel/axle beneath a seat (for him), with two long pole handles reaching forward, two short handles reaching back (for two people to pull, push, lift). It enabled two people to wheel/carry him over rough terrain and on uneven trails. We got him to remote waterfalls and sand dunes that a chair could not go to.”
Phil continues, “The process that he used to make this happen is my favorite part. First, he enlisted the help of University engineering students to come up with the design. They got senior credit for the project. Then he scavenged for any bicycle parts that he could get donated. Eventually he found a welder that was wanting the challenge of building it. Then he found outdoor recreation based students to help propel it.
Perhaps the most important component of all his endeavors was the creative, judicious use of his personal charisma to enlist assistance when he needed it. Dan loved people and always took an interest in their lives. The people that he surrounded himself with would naturally want to find a creative way to assist in his visions and help get him outside in any way they could.
Taking a job with the National Park service was a start of Dan’s ability to get outside. He could lead naturalist programs in Kings Canyon/Sequoia, and Hawaii Volcano from his electric wheelchair. Once he got to be part of the team of naturalists and rangers, he was able to make connections with those who had the physical means and desire to assist him into more remote areas of the parks.”
Dan enjoyed the outdoors from a young age.
Dan’s friend Chela Lewis shares her memories this way, “Dan Grover was one fine human. We met more than thirty years ago. Over the years, sharing experiences of music, art, food, wine, and family, were a huge part of our friendship. We learned about appreciating wine together, tasting at many wineries in Northern California, sometimes even meeting the wine makers. If they weren’t around, you could be sure Dan was going to glean as much knowledge as possible from the people pouring. It made for wine country trips that were always delicious, informational, and fun!
Several “theme dinners” were held at Dan-O’s house. During the prep days, a lot of thought and research was put into creating those dinners. Often Dan would designate dishes to be made. We learned together about types of fondue, sushi, Cornish game hens, and so many other cuisines. Once we even had a “Midwest Foods” themed dinner to honor friends who grew up in those areas of our country!
Coming together at his home on those nights was something to look forward to by all who were involved. The guest lists varied so during the dinner, one might be speaking with an old friend, or perhaps talking to someone in Dan’s life who maybe they had never met before. Setting up the house before the dinner party, decorating, dressing up, was part of Dan’s attention to details. It was all encompassing and we always were keeping in mind that the presentation was just as important as the dinner to Dan. And we loved it!”
Chela continues, “Our sons were born after we met Dan. Throughout their lives, Dan was an important male role model. Since he was one of my dearest friends, he knew our boys well, and he helped nurture a love of learning and traveling, a love of outdoors, a love of music, and a love of good food. We went to many weekend music festivals with Dan, often camping together. Sometimes the kids would disappear with Dan and come back with tales of meeting musicians, perhaps finding a camp that was serving ribs, or maybe checking out the fine craftsmanship of various vendors. We have many friends whose children grew up going to these music festivals, knowing and loving Dan and I bet their stories are similar. With Dan, mutual love and respect was apparent between him and all of our children.
Dan’s first time going to Burning Man was 2003. He came back so excited to share the experience with us, a few of us just had to go the following year. It was an engineer and artists playground out on the playa and Dan LOVED it! We went many years together and Dan stopped going as his needs for care increased and the challenges to do that on the playa were too difficult. He never tired of the stories and photos we brought back to share with him. Our children went a few years after he stopped going and he loved that our kids loved and experienced it too!
After each paragraph, I‘ve wanted to write, “and I miss him.” I miss his love of life, the twinkle in his eyes, his lack of fear in trying new things, his intelligence on so many subjects, his sense of peace and calmness, his willingness to listen or his willingness to party. All of it, I miss dearly.”
The Women’s Heroic Rafting Trip is a great example of a BOEC river trip.
Given Dan’s adventurous spirit and love for the outdoors, a raft in his memory is such a fitting part of his legacy. The gift of this raft will be a welcome addition to river trips for a variety of BOEC programs that venture down the rivers that flow through the West. These programs include the Heroic Military Program, both women’s and family trips, trips for those with intellectual disabilities, brain injuries, hemophilia, and participants from Wilderness Camp, open enrollment rafting programs, Evergreen Parks and Recreation, Traveling Gnomes, and Minds Eye View. The new raft, Grover, will be a welcome addition to BOEC’s fleet of rafts that carry participants on these awe-inspiring adventures every summer.
We are truly inspired by Dan’s impact and his ability to live life to the fullest despite the health challenges he faced. Grover will take its maiden voyage down Labyrinth Canyon on October 16, 2023 with some of Dan’s closest friends led by BOEC’s Lydia North, Operations Manager and close family friend. This will certainly be a bittersweet reunion with plenty of tales of the entertaining days with Dan Grover!
