Travelogue

The Upper Canyon groupToday was to be the “exchange,” where those in our group (9 out of 20 of us) that had signed up only for the 6-Day Upper Canyon trip would be leaving us.

We were very sad, because we had come to love the ultimate frisbee guys and George, a very funny and interesting character from Vancouver.

Before they left us, we gathered for a group photo, which I will cherish. Afterwards, Jose (one of the Frisbee guides) said they wanted to give one of their frisbees.

Jose awarding me the "Badass" FrisbeeJose wanted to leave one of their frisbees behind to remember them by. After a little speech about what an unforgettable time they had had with the rest of us, Jose said they wanted to leave a Frisbee behind for us to remember them. He then said they wanted to award it to the “badass” of the trip, which turned out to be me - hahaha. I think it was more like I reminded them of their mothers.

I was very touched and that frisbee now holds a proud place in my bookcase.

They and their gear were loaded up on two of our oar boats, which would take them downriver where they would be dropped off at the bottom of the Bright Angel Trail. We sadly waved goodbye to a big chunk of our “canyon family.”

Phantom RanchFrom there they would hike the grueling 8 miles (with 4,460-feet elevation gain) in 100 degree weather up to the South Rim. Herb pointed out that this was reason enough for us doing the 14-day Full Canyon trip.

While they were hiking up the Bright Angel Trail, another group of 9 people, who had signed up for the 8-Day Lower Canyon trip, would be hiking down to replace them - although we were very doubtful that any group could possibly replace the Frisbee boys in our hearts.

Cold lemonade - first cold drink in a weekWhile we were waiting for the new arrivals, we had time to take a quick hike over to Phantom Ranch, an historic oasis nestled at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. It’s the only lodging below the canyon rim, and can only be reached by mule, on foot, or by rafting the Colorado River. Teddy Roosevelt once stayed here.

Like many national park structures, this one was built of wood and native stone to blend in with the natural beauty of its surroundings.

Hermit RapidIt was our first exposure to civilization in a week. Herb and I bought ice-cold lemonades, the first non-warm beverages we had since we left Flagstaff. It was amazingly good.

Then we went back to the boats to await our new friends.

The “exchange” didn’t go quite as smoothly as hoped because some of the people hiking down to join us had hired mules to bring their duffle bags down to the river. Unfortunately, mule service is not quite the same as Amazon prime, so we lost a few hours while the guides tried to find where the mules left them.

Hermit RapidOnce the “9” had joined us, we set off on the river for what would be a pretty wild ride. In just a 5-mile stretch, we would hit back to back huge rapids: Horn Creek (a Grand Canyon 9), Granite (a 9+) and Hermit (another 9).

It must have felt a bit like a fraternity hazing for the new people. One poor guy banged his face on a river bag during one of the rapids and cut his forehead with his glasses - and this was just the first hour of his adventure.

This trip was not for the faint of heart.

Our campsite (with view) after HermitWe camped that night at a campsite with a nice view, just after Hermit Rapid at Mile 96. The new group had to be exhausted after getting up super early to hike down Bright Angel Trail, and then getting pounded by three very significant rapids.

I was a bit nervous tonight because I knew that Crystal Rapid was just 3 miles downriver. This was one of the rapids (along with Lava Falls) that I had been obsessing over ever since Herb booked this trip over a year ago.

I made sure to ask Robin tonight if Herb and I could go in her boat, as I definitely did not want to run Crystal in either the paddle boat or the dory.