Adventurers coming off the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon are reporting more than just sore muscles. The National Park Service says it's probing a string of illnesses in rafters who developed fever, chills, headaches, breathing trouble, fatigue, body and joint aches, or localized swelling, reports People. One rafter, Matthew Wappett of Utah, told NBC News a skinned knee ballooned and reddened midtrip, then gave way to days of flu-like misery: "It feels like I did a hard workout every day, even though I've done nothing but sit on my butt."
Wappett later found others online describing similar post-rafting symptoms. Investigators are zeroing in on possible culprits but don't have a smoking gun. One theory is valley fever, a fungal lung infection caused by inhaling spores common in the Southwest. Another is leptospirosis, a treatable bacterial disease spread through water or soil contaminated by infected animals. Tick- and mosquito-borne illnesses are also on the list.
Infectious-disease expert Dr. Nahid Bhadelia says the cluster "deserves a bit more attention" but isn't a reason to cancel trips, urging rafters instead to use insect repellent, sport long sleeves, and seek medical care quickly if symptoms appear. The NPS is asking anyone sick after a 2026 Grand Canyon rafting trip to email publichealthprogram@nps.gov. Meanwhile, as for Wappett, he tells Paddling Magazine: "I just want to feel normal again."
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