Not old news at all.
I had the privilege of paddling with Boyce on the Grand Canyon two years ago. I would say that the nick-name of "Batman" definitely did him justice. Before I met him, the only thing I knew about him was that he was some kind of banker and a partner in Legacy Paddlesports. After having spent 13 days with the man, I knew him as a dedicated father and husband above anything else, then a kayaker, and finally a financial broker. He talked of his family on the trip daily, even recounting a very funny story of his first daughter's birth. But I'll share one of my fondest memories of Boyce and leave it at that. Celebrate life and if you have children, cherish them....I believe that is what Boyce did daily.
Upon meeting Boyce for the first time, he was exactly as I expected. Very timely, schedule oriented, detail minded, and very type A. He also definitely struck me as a gadget guy, which was confirmed later after seeing his fire pan and make-shift, homemade shelter for the 13 day trip. I later found out from Woody that Boyce spent a considerable amount of time in his basement, tinkering with gear and inventing new gadgets, including the infamous "duct tape sun visor". It takes about $50.00 worth of duct tape to make one, but damn if they aren't bomb proof!
As the trip progressed, it became clear to me that I hadn't packed enough beer/libations for the trip. On day 4, Boyce did something that I didn't expect, but at first seemed just another one of his "gadgety" eccentricities. Boyce began walking along the camp site beach with a GPS, a paddle, and some sort of printed piece of paper. He was pacing back and forth, punching buttons into his GPS, and muttering something under his breath that I couldn't really hear. He stopped at a very innocuous looking shrub and sand bank....dropped his GPS on the ground and began digging furiously! I was thinking that this guy had lost it! Until...he unearthed two cases of Modelo Especial and Tecate from out of the ground!!! BATMAN!!! Apparently Boyce had the forethought to have some friends on a raft trip about 2 months ahead of our launch date, stash some drinks for us. INCREDIBLE!!! He reproduced this little ritual 2 more times as we moved down the Grand Canyon...
While there are people who knew him better than I did, it is definitely a very very sad day for the paddling community. My thoughts and prayers have been with his wife and kids and his other paddling family. I don't think that I'll ever forget digging for beer on the Grand Canyon...
R.I.P. Boyce....
