Garth Bundy - Cowboy retirement
Dear Friends of the Grand Canyon,
As you might have heard, Garth Bundy from the Bar 10 Ranch is retiring from full-time work alongside Gavin Heaton and others at the Whitemore helipad in the bottom of the Grand Canyon- and he will be sorely missed by all. When I learned of the retirement of Garth, I asked Gavin if those who love him might do a little tribute video and GoFundMe campaign as a gesture of our love for Garth and the river community is a large one. Gavin helped orchestrate interviews for a tribute video and I am so appreciative of all who participated. Since Garth is not tech savvy, I have asked Gavin to help process the funds raised and get them to Garth. He has agreed to do so.
Have you watched the video ? Garth Tribute Video (click to view)
Cowboys don't have a lot of financial means and retirement will not be lucrative for Garth. Please watch video and then share with friends. Lets Go Big for Garth, see if we can help him have a small unexpected nest egg. #GoBeyondGiving #GivingTuesday
Garth has given to hundreds of thousands of guests in the Grand Canyon over 3 decades as depicted in the video above. This is our opportunity to give back in a small way, to help him provide for his family in a modest way.
Garth has loaded perhaps close to 400,000 guests on and off the choppers safely during his 30 plus years working in the canyon. Known for his famous one liner "You lie, you die" when asking passengers weight. 
Garth is in his sunset years, and has nearly worn out his body as a hard working cowboy.
As it is, cowboys don't make much money in the course of their lives. The work is hard, but the nature of the work is not lucrative.
Garth has touched the lives of guests from many river companies over the span of 30 years. With his retirement is an opportunity for the aggregate of river companies and guests to let him know how much we love and appreciate what he gave to us. Hence the idea of a "retirement gift from those he served" ....as he rides off into the sunset. 
I have been fortunate to interview Garth and will continue to work on capturing some of his life wisdom, but during the course of filming him, I wondered if all of those whose lives he touched would like to let him know he made a difference and if we could really pull something off in a big way. 
I wondered if we were each to make a modest donation, what kind of gift we could give back to Garth to let him know he is loved and appreciated and his 82 years on earth, made a difference. 
Can you imagine what we could do if everyone Garth loaded into a chopper made a modest donation. After making a donation, please also leave a comment, letting Garth know however brief your experience was, that he did impact your life in a positive way. If you would prefer to email comments or send me a photo of you with Garth, I am collecting those as well.
I will lead off on this fundraiser and would challenge others to match my small contribution if you can. I'd give Garth and his good wife the world if I could, but with our resources combined, I do believe we can do something truly significant and meaningful for Garth and his family.
We hope to still run into Garth at the Bar 10 ranch, and yet if not, we pray his sunset years will be filled with much happiness. Happy Trails to you Garth.
Please share this with others, post the link on your river groups, or let others know about this small opportunity we have to make Garth's sunset years happier.
Here is a link to copy and paste or email to others who might like to participate in this unique opportunity.
https://www.gofundme.com/garth-bundy-happy-trails-to-you
Thank you very much,
Mark Allen (former Grand Canyon guide and social media producer for Western River Expeditions)