Travelogue

Last dayI couldn’t believe this was it - the final morning waking up on the river - the last call for Coffee, the last delicious meal cooked by our amazing guides, the last time taking down our tents, the last fire line to load bags onto the boat (Thank God), the last run to the groover, and the last time one of our guides would gather us together for a river story or poem, a plan to run a rapid, or just general words of wisdom.

This morning before departing downriver for the last time, Robin, our trip leader, read us a very humorous, and far too real, description of how to prepare for a 14-day rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. I wish we had known this before we signed up for the trip - just kidding. I wouldn't have missed this trip for the world.

I won’t read all of them, but here are a select few:
The Lower Canyon Gang

• One week before the trip, have a yard of sand delivered to your house. Sprinkle liberally in bed, dresser drawer, kitchen and bath counters. Fill your salt shaker, cereal boxes, sugar bowl and use as usual. Place a garbage can lid with sand in front of fans and run them continually at maximum speed.
• Have your friends form a long line and systematically pass the contents of your home out the front door of your house. Later on, repeat the entire process in reverse.
• Between your mattress and boxspring, place 2 or 3 medium-sized rocks. Try to sleep as usual for 14 nights
• Sit on the hood of your car while driving through the carwash
• Twice a day practice changing while your neighbors watch.
• With 22 friends standing in the shallow end of a swimming pool, practice looking nonchalant as you carry on a conversation and pee simultaneously

Leonard in the doryThat pretty much sums it up.

Ok, time to get on the boats and cover those last 10 miles.

Oh, but first, the group photo, or more correctly second group photos, since half our group had been “exchanged” at Phantom Ranch. Herb, the appointed photographer, lined everyone up on the beach, set up his tripod, hit the timer photo button and ran into the picture. We had to repeat it several times to get it right, but I think we finally got a good one.

Me in dory and Diamond PeakSince this was Herb’s and my last chance to ride in the dory, I asked Leonard, who had taken over the dory after Wes’s evacuation, if we could ride with him today. He gladly accepted us as passengers. Wes would have been proud of me.

Despite Leonard telling me it was a very chill day in terms of rapids (apparently “chill” is in the eye of the beholder, we did have to run a 6 called 217 Mile Rapid, which can get pretty dicey with rocks at this water level. Leonard handled it like a pro.

Funny how at the beginning of this trip, these would have been scary for me. Now, I actually rode through some of them in the dory yelling the occasional “WooHoo!”

Cleaning the raftsWe knew we were definitely close to the end, when Diamond Peak came into view, a beautiful 3,512-foot-high, pyramid shaped peak that reminded me of a cinder cone (but it wasn’t).

It looks tempting to climb, but the approach to the summit consists of sharp bands of unreliable limestone, making reaching the top very difficult. It was sure nice to look at though.

It’s located at the mouth of Peach Springs Canyon, where Diamond Creek meets the Colorado River, which is also where we would be meeting our bus to take us back to civilization, also known as Flagstaff.

Loading the truckWhen we got to Diamond Creek there was a lot of work to do unloading all the equipment and supplies from the boats, dismantling and cleaning them, and loading them onto a truck where they would be brought to a warehouse until the next trip down the river.

I can’t believe all the stuff that came off those boats. Apparently, a lot of stuff is needed to keep 20 passengers and 8 guides fed, entertained, and safe for 14 days on the river.

Once everything from the boats was loaded, we were loaded onto a bus which would take us back to Flagstaff. The first half hour of our 3 hour drive, which took us through the Hualapai Indian Reservation was very bumpy and slow. Then we were back on I40 (Route 66).

ice Cream stop in civilizaitonIt was a bit of culture shock for us after being in peace and solitude with incredible natural beauty for 14 days. Not so sure if I was ready for civilization yet.

However, the ice cream stop in Seligman reminded me that civilization did have some benefits.

I had many mixed emotions about ending our life on the river. It was really only hitting me now what an incredible, life-changing experience it had been.

Now the challenge was going to be to keep that spirit of the river with us after we returned to our “normal” lives.

Travelogue

Time to hit the riverBetween Wes’s evacuation last night and our reaching Diamond Creek (the end of our river journey) tomorrow, the mood had become more subdued and reflective.

Since we were now short a guide, a lot of reshuffling as to who would row which boats had to be done. Leonard took over the dory, Robin the paddle boat, Kayla and Daniel remained in their oar boats, Ivan was promoted to being allowed to take passengers in the third oar boat, and Olivia and Mitchell (assistants who were not allowed to take passengers) took the gear boat by themselves.

Our assistants now with their own boatWes had been asking Herb and me all along the way, when were we going to ride with him in the dory. Figures, I finally told him that today would be the day, and then he goes and gets evacuated. Leonard was now in charge of the dory, but I wasn't sure just how much experience he had in one, so I chickened out. Maybe tomorrow.

It was a pretty mellow day in terms of rapids. The only ones of note were 205 Mile Rapid (a 7) and 209 Mile Rapid (another 7). At this point 7’s were becoming less intimidating and more fun.

Formations like templesAs we got further down the river, the canyon began to widen and open up.

Many of the rock formations looked like ancient temples

We pulled over to camp on a nice beach around Mile 216, which meant we only had 10 miles to go before reaching our take-out point at Diamond Creek tomorrow. Wow! The end of this trip was starting to feel real, just when I was really getting into the groove of river life.

From camp we had a lovely view of the canyon walls lighting up at golden hour.

Travelogue

Morning stirrings in campToday was going to be a very big day, as we would be running Lava Falls (a Grand Canyon 10+), the most famous and challenging rapid on the Grand Canyon. Even the guides seemed nervous. I know I certainly was.

To make matters worse, Herb had convinced me last night to sleep out in the open for the first time. Most of our group didn't set up tents, but just slept on their mat out under the stars. I had been very reluctant to do this for so many reasons: critters, privacy, etc.

So, I did and it went okay, but I still prefer having a structure of some sort around me when I sleep. Well, I was probably right because at coffee that one of our friends, who had slept out in the open every night, was bitten on the toe by a scorpion during the night. The numbness was already moving up his leg. Apparently no medical attention is needed for a scorpion bite. You just have to wait it out.

Wes drawing Lava Falls RapidI told Herb that under no uncertain terms that the tent was going back up tonight.

But scorpions were the least of my worries today, as today we would be running Lava Falls, a rapid that I had been obsessed with ever since Herb booked this trip over a year ago.

Whenever we had a big, challenging rapid in store for us that day, one of our guides would draw the "features" of the rapid in the sand and tell us their plan for running it. This morning it was Wes’s turn and, as usual, he was quite entertaining and dramatic in his presentation.

Getting ready!Rapids can have different “features," which are to be avoided. This one had all more “features” than a multiplex cinema in summer time: a huge hole to avoid at the top, followed by the infamous V-wave which flips 18-foot rafts like bath toys, and ending with two static 10-feet-tall static waves known as the Big Kahunas.

As we got ready to take off, everyone (including the guides) seemed a little quieter and more tense this morning, and rightly so.

The calm before the stormWe chose to ride in Robin’s raft today, as she was the trip leader and had been down the river over 40 times. She could play the features of this rapid in her head with her eyes closed.

As we set off down the river, Herb tried to act nonchalant to keep my fear levels down. It wasn't working. I wanted to smack that smug grin off his face - just kidding

Well before we could see Lava Falls, we began to hear its thunderous roar.

When we did, we pulled the boats quickly over to a small beach on the right side of the river, so that we could hike up above it to scout the river.

Scouting Lava FallsI’m sure the guides didn’t need our input, but it was nice of them to invite us along, so that we could learn their plan and know what to expect.

As the guides observed the rapid and confirmed their plans for how they wanted to run it, we just gazed down in awe at what is the most famous and challenging rapid in the Grand Canyon and possibly even the world. It’s even listed by the Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest navigable water in all of North America at 20 m.p.h.

Okay, enough spectating. It was time to get this over with.

Maybe a little too nonchalantWe were in the lead boat with Robin, our trip leader, at the oars. As we approached, she let out her usual cry, "READY? HOLD ON!"

It was probably one of the most exciting 20 seconds of my life, because that’s all it lasts, if you do it right. Since we were the lead boat, we got to sit back and watch the other five boats in our fleet come through. Everyone ran it perfectly - right to plan.

Running Lava Falls RapidIt had been exhilarating and in retrospect, so much fun! However, I was glad the scariest rapids of the trip were behind us.

Immediately after getting through Lava Falls, we pulled over to a small beach, where the guides, who had just successfully navigated us through one of the most challenging rapids in the world, were now slicing and dicing vegetables for our healthy lunch.

They truly are amazing.

Our amazing chefsThat evening at camp, we got the disheartening news that Wes, our most experienced guide (over 50 runs down the river) had to be evacuated because he had a "bat encounter."

It had actually happened last night, but there was no way he was going to miss rowing his dory for the first time through Lava Falls. He knew he had 72 hours before needing to start the rabies shots.

It was a very sad evening as we watched the helicopter make its approach. The pilot has to zig zag up and down the canyon as they can't approach too quickly.

Wes's evacuationWe had already set up camp, so we had to take everything down and tie it together, as the winds from the helicopter would have blown everything around.

It kicked up so much sand that we had to huddle together and cover our eyes.

Then off he went..

We collected ourselves and all kicked into gear working together as a team - setting up the tents again and helping the guides put the kitchen back together.

Bye bye WesUndeterred by whatever hits them, they cooked us a delicious steak dinner, which we ate in the dark that night. We were all pretty solemn.

We would miss Wes’s entertaining stories, dramatic simulations of the rapids we would face, and his skill and calmness running the mightiest of rapids.

But the show must go on. We still had 2 more days and 46 river miles to go.

Travelogue

Good morning Grand Canyon!I was still a little bit shaken from our frightening experience in Bedrock Rapid two days ago when we actually slammed into the large rock dividing the rapid, so I asked Daniel if we could ride with him in his boat again today.

All the guides were really great, but Daniel had a very comforting way about him. Plus he could read the river really well and was very strong, which I felt might be an advantage in getting out of a bad situation.

Havasu CreekSo after breakfast, we loaded the boats and set off once more down the river.

About four miles down the river, we came to our only challenging rapid of the day. It was called Upset Rapid (a Grand Canyon 8), named in 1923 when the head boatsman in a U.S. Geological Survey Expedition, dropped into the steep “hole” at the bottom of the rapid and “upset” his wooden boat.

Havasu CreekIt was Daniel’s job to run either left or right of that hole, but not into it, where it could possibly flip our boat.

He and the other boats in our group ran it perfectly. It was actually quite fun.

From there, it was pretty much flat water for the next seven miles where we beached for our main stop of the day, Havasu Creek (Mile 157), another side canyon similar to the Little Colorado River in that it had beautiful warm turquoise water.

Hanging out on the ledgesFor over 700 years, this creek has been the home of the Havasupai, the “People of the Blue-Green Water.” Approximately 450 Havasupai still live along the creek, mostly upstream in the tiny village of Supai, which is located 2,000 feet below the South Rim, a short distance from famous Havasu Falls.

It was a very popular stop for pretty much all of the river trips, so it was a bit difficult finding a place to squeeze our six rafts in near the mouth of the creek.

Cooling off in Havasu CreekOnce we did, we all piled out of the rafts and headed up the creek for about a mile to a series of lovely pools in which we could swim and frolic for an hour or two.

Its beautiful cobalt blue water was very much like that of the Little Colorado River, but a little more on the green side of the blue-green spectrum.

Havasu CreekLike the Little Colorado, the brilliant color of the water is the result of magnesium and calcium being absorbed into the water from the rocks around it and forming calcium carbonate. These minerals in the water reflect the sun, creating the electric blue coloration.

The calcium carbonate also creates a material called tufa, a harder, chalky limestone material called travertine settles out of the water and coats the rocks and boulders in a white hue, adding to the river’s color palette.

Heading to campThese travertine-coated ledges and boulders have created ledges to sit on and a wonderful array of pools, making it possible to swim in many different places throughout the canyon.

We spent a few leisurely and fun hours hanging out on the ledges and playing in these lovely pools.

Back on the boats, we had seven miles of relatively flat water to get to Tuckup Canyon, our planned camp for the night, so Daniel gave Herb the chance to row as much as he wanted.

My birthday partyDaniel told him he was good enough to be a river guide, but perhaps that was his way of getting Herb to row more while he got to pretend he was just a passenger laying back against the bags and watching the canyon walls go by. I think Daniel had a little bit of Tom Sawyer in him.

That evening I was really touched when everyone remembered that it was my birthday. Mitchell, one of our assistant guides, even baked me a rice krispie cake, a recipe from his grandmother, complete with candles for me to blow out while they sang Happy Birthday. These people had become very special to me in our short time together.

Travelogue

Helicopter evacuationToday was a relatively relaxing day - no major rapids or big hikes. Rather we would spend most of the day at the Deer Creek Patio and Falls, just a relatively short 2-mile hike up from the river.

After breakfast and packing up the boats, we set off down the river for about 3 miles to a beach from which we could walk up Deer Creek.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the river, there was a lot of excitement going on, as a motor-raft expedition was getting ready for a helicopter evacuation.

Starting up Deer CreekI spoke to a gentleman from that expedition and he said it was not anything serious. A 9-year-old boy had cut his shin badly on a rock and needed stitches. Hmm… this hit a little too close to home, as I had cut my shin right down to the bone just 5 days ago and was still watching it closely for any signs of infection.

Well I was certainly glad this evacuation wasn’t for anything really serious.

As skilled as the Grand Canyon helicopter pilots are, they can’t just land anywhere, but need a reasonably-sized patch of flat sand. It’s surprising how small that can be.

A little friend we met along the wayWe watched in awe as a helicopter appeared at the canyon rim and began gradually descending by going back and forth up the canyon several times, each time getting a little lower.

Wow! To think that could have been me.

Ok, back to our hike to Deer Creek Patio and Falls.

From the boats we had to climb up atop several rock ledges and through a prickly pear cactus grove, with barely enough room to navigate through without getting stabbed with one of their very sharp spines.

Heading up Deer CreekPrickly pear cactus is found throughout the Grand Canyon, and some evidence suggests that ancient people may have cultivated the cactus and harvested their fruit, which can be eaten raw, or used to make juice, jelly, syrup, candy, or chewing gum. Excess fruit was dried and stored for winter.

The Southern Paiute people who live on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon utilized the Deer Creek drainage for hundreds of years before white settlers expanded into the southwest. Perhaps it was these people that planted these prickly pear cactuses as a source of food, or to keep tourists away.

After making it relatively unscathed through the prickly pear cacti (their spines can be 1-2" long), we reached Deer Creek.

Nap time on the PatioWe hiked through the actual creek a bit before climbing up and walking along the rocky ledges alongside the creek. One short section was quite narrow with a precarious drop below, so we took our time and carefully made it across.

We eventually got to the patio, a shaded large ledge alongside the creek, where we could sit and relax for a while and swim in the lovely pool.

View of the River from Deer Creek hikeThe narrow slot canyon downstream from the patio is of spiritual significance to the Southern Paiutes, as they believe it to be a conduit for spirits passing from this life to the next.

I think the group was hitting the wall from all the activity, so everyone decided that it was a good time for a nap, even on hard rock.

Everyone that was except me, the photographer, and Cosmo, who was only 13, and had lots and lots of energy. My God. I just realized that I was more than 5 times older than him.

The gang looked a bit too much like Southern Paiute spirits passing from this life to the next.

Deer Creek FallsAfter what was apparently a much-needed nap, we continued our hike up towards the waterfall.

But first, we came to an overlook with a beautiful view of the river down below. Wow! I didn’t realize we had hiked up that much elevation.

The water looked so emerald green. I always thought the Colorado River water would be a murky chocolate brown from the sediment, but I guess that depends on the time of year.

We continued on to Deer Creek Falls, the most beautiful falls we had seen so far in the canyon. Yesterday’s Thunder River Falls was more powerful and impressive, but this one was more subtle in its beauty.

Cooling off in Deer Creek FallsIts 100-foot cascade dropped into a pool surrounded by green vegetation. It was a lovely place to cool off.

What a nice way to spend a few hours - hiking, napping, and then refreshing ourselves beneath a beautiful waterfall.

Then it was back down to the boats to continue downriver for about another 9 miles. There weren’t many rapids today, so Daniel let us each take a turn at the oars.

I found out that there was a lot more to it than appeared. I have rowed a boat before, but never one that weighed about 2,000 pounds, with all the passengers and gear in it.

Lolo, the river runnerAt Mile 146, we pulled the boats up onto a beach to set up camp at Olo Canyon.

This was probably our most difficult camping spot to date, because there was no real flat spot close to the river to set up the kitchen.

Instead the strongest of the group (mostly the under-40 crowd) had to lug some really heavy equipment up a steep sandy hill. The fire line where we unloaded our bags from the boats and the up above the steep hill was no picnic either.

Our Olo Canyon campsiteDuring one of those slogs up the sandy hill, the strap on my Teva sandals broke, meaning that I would be spending the rest of the trip in my hiking boots if we couldn't find a way to fix it. Fortunately, Herb is very handy, and one of the guides had a speedy stitcher, so Herb was able to do a make-shift fix that would hopefully get me through the trip.

Finding camping was a bit challenging as well, as we had to go pretty far from the river to find a flat spot.

Herb and I did manage to find a very pretty (albeit inconvenient) spot up against the limestone cliffs, with our own private little waterfall nearby, where spring water from the canyon above spilled over a limestone lip, cascading about 20 - 30 feet down to the sandy ground below.

It was nice falling asleep to the sound of trickling water.

Travelogue

Camp LifeSeven days down, seven to go. We had reached the halfway point of our trip, and had already seen and done so much that it felt like we had been away for a month - but in a good way. But there was still lots of fun and excitement awaiting us over the next 7 days.

Today I would experience both my trip highlight and trip lowlight, all in the span of one hour. As Charles Dickens once said, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” I’ll explain more later.

Breakfast cookingThe day started like any other on the river: rising to the 5:00 call for “COFFEE,” the guides cooking us breakfast in the kitchen down by the river, taking down our camp and loading everything onto the boats, and getting ready for another day on the river.

Then, we set off down the river for just only a mile or two before stopping at the entrance to Blacktail Canyon, which for me, as well as most of the others in our group, would be a true trip highlight.

Let's hit the riverAfter beaching the rafts, we made our way up a short path and soon entered the cool, deeply shadowed world of Blacktail Canyon, a magnificent narrow slot canyon, less than a mile long, composed mostly of overhanging Tapeats Sandstone.

It felt like we were entering a cathedral. We found ourselves lowering our voices to a whisper. There was a sense of reverence and spirituality about the place.

Entering Blacktail CanyonUnlike the smooth sandstone of other slot canyons we had been in, this one had angular blocky walls of stone, rising up steeply on both sides of a narrow, twisting and turning trail.

The walls were so close together that the sky was only visible through a very narrow gap at the top, revealing a fantasy land of stone and shifting shadows. The walls of the canyon were lit up in golden, turquoise and purple hues.

Ivan, our musical guidAlthough the canyon went on for almost a mile, dead-ending at a deep pool of dark green, algae-filled water, most of us stopped less than halfway through, because we found Ivan, one of our guides, sitting on a large rock with his guitar.

As Ivan started to play, we all sat down on the nearest rock, because no one wanted to leave. This was much more interesting than an algae-filled pool.

The acoustics in the canyon were beautiful and the music was mesmerizing.

Cosmo joins inEventually Ivan shared his guitar with Cosmo, the most amazing 13-year-old I have ever met, who played a beautiful rendition of House of the Rising Sun.

We leaned back, listening,and gazing up at the sky through the narrow canyon walls.

It was truly a magical moment which none of us would forget. Back on the river, the guides told us that even they had never had such a moving and spiritual experience in that canyon before. Thank you Ivan and Cosmo (plus others: Tim, Gib, Van, and Paolo).

We were mesmerizedBesides its sense of reverence and great acoustics, there was one other thing about Blacktail Canyon that was special, but in a geological way.

The Grand Canyon is a geologist’s paradise, because its distinct layers of rock, ranging from 200 million to almost 2 billion years old, allow geologists to study the earth’s history. The oldest rocks are on the bottom and the youngest rocks are on the top

Looking upOccasionally, however, there are gaps in the geological record that occur when rocks or sediment are eroded away, and time goes by before new deposition occurs and forms new rock layers on top of the eroded surface. This missing piece of the geological record is called a “uniformity,” or sometimes “The Great Unconformity” (TGU).

Well, it turns out that one of the best places to see and touch a TGU is in Blacktail Canyon, where 500 million year old Tapeats Sandstone (lighter colored rock) sits directly atop 1.75 billion year old Metamorphic Gneiss, leaving a 1.2 billion year gap in the geologic record. You can actually span all that missing time with your thumb and forefinger.

Walls of Blacktail CanyonUnfortunately, I only found out about this after doing research when I got home.

Ok, that was the “good times.” Now onto the not so “good times.” After leaving the peace and tranquility of Blacktail Canyon, our day was about to drastically change.

Before we settled into camp tonight, we had two fairly big rapids to run, but nothing that required drawing them in the sand this morning or stopping to scout them out.

Our little concert hallThe first one was Bedrock. This is a description of it from Western River Expeditions:

An enormous chunk of hardened metamorphic and igneous rock splits the current in two. The best run is on the right side, which requires adept and precise handling to bring a craft around the rock and into calm water. The left side is an unforgiving place, as the river pinballs through a narrow rock studded channel.

Before entering the rapid, Kayla, whose boat we were in today, explained how she was going to take the line to the right side of the rock as suggested.

Unfortunately, that’s not what happened, resulting in what was the most terrifying moment of the trip - both for us in the boat, and our comrades behind watching.

Back down the river we goRather than getting to the right of Bedrock (large boulder in the river) as we should, we were drawn too far to the left and slammed right into it, getting pinned and almost flipping the boat stern over bow. Herb and I were in the bow of the boat, which was tilted bow-side down at more than a 45 degree angle. Water was rushing in up to our knees.

Kayla kept her cool and yelled for us to climb up to the back side of the boat that was sticking up in the air (the “high side”). I amazingly remained calm (for the moment anyway), and Herb and I were able to climb up over her seat and she grabbed my hand from the stern and pulled me into the stern.

Aerial view of Bedrock RapidNow all five of us were crowded into the stern, which caused the weight to shift enough to set us free from the rock. Kayla jumped back into the rower’s seat and we went flying out of control to the left (wrong) side of the rock, hitting a few more rocks along the way before finally ending up in the pool at the end, where everyone greeted us with cheers.

Kayla had to do all that with just one oar, because one of the oarlocks was twisted out of position.

She had done a great job getting us out of a very precarious situation which could have had a much worse result.

Stone Creek WaterfallThe calm I had managed during the height of the crisis was now gone, and I was shaking and could hardly speak. Herb’s first words: “You can plan the next vacation.”

The amazing thing was that Herb’s camera, which was strapped onto one of the bags in the bow, had held on. Even more amazing, when he went to pick it up afterwards, the strap broke in his hands. Somehow it had stayed on long enough to get through the chaotic and violent slamming in the rapid, but decided it didn’t need to anymore. Thank God or we would have lost all the photos we had taken so far.

For some reason, Herb didn’t have his GoPro running through this rapid, so I had to go on the internet to find an aerial view of Bedrock Rapid. Wow!

Safelyl settled into campI was a bit shaken, but we had to get right back on the horse again, because Deubendorff Rapid (9), an even bigger rapid, was just around the bend.

At this point I was pretty numb. Kayla ran it perfectly and we were home free (at least for today).

Immediately after running Bedrock and Deubendorff rapids, we pulled onto a beach and walked the short distance to picturesque Stone Creek Waterfall. It was lovely and I finally had stopped shaking.

River cocktail hourThat afternoon when we landed at Thunder River Camp (Mile 135), our guides announced that we would be staying there for two nights, rather than our usual one.

WOO HOO! We practically danced with joy at the thought of not having to take down camp tomorrow morning and set up camp again somewhere down the river again tomorrow night.

Thunder River HikeFinally, a day of leisure - hahaha. Who was I kidding. The guides had an 8-hour hike planned for tomorrow.

Well, we would worry about that tomorrow. Tonight all I wanted to do was join my friends in the river for cocktail hour. A warm beer never tasted better.

The next morning we awoke as always at 5:00 am to the sound of one of our river guides announcing “COFFEE.” But today was going to be different, because for the first time the entire trip we would be staying in the same campsite for two nights.

Thunder River HikeSo no rushing around taking down the tent, packing our bags, forming a fireline, and loading up the boats.

This morning we had a more leisurely breakfast, but not too leisurely, because today we were hiking from the campsite to Thunder River Falls, a strenuous 8-mile (out-and-back) hike with 2,500 feet elevation gain, which would take us an estimated 8 hours.

Crossing Tapeats CreekSome in our group were concerned about being able to go the whole distance, especially in 108 degree weather, which was a valid concern.

However, not everyone had to go the whole distance, because there would be several shaded areas along the way for people to just hang out and stay cool while the rest of us went on.

Plus, there would be places along Tapeats Creek to jump in and cool off.

Cooling off in TapeatsSo off we went.

Although the hike was called the Thunder River hike, the first three miles of it were actually along Tapeats Creek, which cascades through a lovely open valley.

We had to cross Tapeats Creek twice on the way up to Thunder River. The current was really strong, so we all linked arms while carefully maneuvering ourselves over slippery rocks to the other side of the creek.

Getting closeOne of our guides stood guard a little bit downstream to catch us if we slipped.

We also took several breaks along the way to cool ourselves off in the creek. There was one particular section that was like a water slide that everyone found particularly fun and refreshing.

Thunder River Falls3 miles into the hike, we came to the confluence where the Thunder River flowed into Tapeats Creek.

At this point the trail made a sharp left, as we moved away from Tapeats Creek and started tracing the Thunder River.

The trail really began to climb more steeply now as we hiked the remaining mile to the Falls.

We knew we were getting close when we saw about a dozen small waterfalls cascading out of the limestone canyon walls. It looked like the walls had sprung a leak.

A little bit further and we arrived at the main event - Thunder Creek Falls, a stunning waterfall erupting from the side of a steep canyon wall.

Thunder River FallsFrom there, it flows ½-mile downstream into Tapeats Creek, making it one of the shortest rivers in the world. During that ½-mile it drops approximately 1,200 feet over a series of waterfalls, also making it the steepest river in the country. It’s very rare for a river to be a tributary of a creek.

The mist it threw off was so refreshing.

We had already gone through 2 liters of water each on the way up, so we were very relieved that the guides had brought a water filter so we could refill our water bottles from the falls - the first ice cold water we had had in over a week. Water never tasted so good.

The long way downAfter a while, we tore ourselves away and began the long, steep trek down, repeating the two stream crossings we did on the way up.

Funny story on one of the stream crossings. I mentioned how we all linked arms and gingerly navigated our way across, stepping sideways along slippery rocks. I happened to be linking arms with Mitchell, one of the assistant guides, when I mentioned that I had found a particularly good foothold. He very nonchalantly replied, “That’s my foot.” We both started laughing hysterically.

We eventually caught up with the part of our group (about 5) that stayed behind on the shady ledges. They looked a lot less tired than we did, but I wouldn’t have missed this hike for the world.

Travelogue

Morning light hits the riverI was definitely a bit nervous today, because we would be running Crystal (a rapid rated 10 on the Grand Canyon scale), which, along with Lava Falls, also a 10, are iconic Grand Canyon rapids that are considered some of the most difficult to run in the Canyon.

When Herb first announced we were going to do this trip, I spent far too many hours watching YouTube videos of rafts running Crystal and Lava Falls, with mixed results.

Well, at least we were going to get it over with almost right away, so then I could relax the rest of the day, although Waltenberg Rapid (an 8) still had to be dealt with before we got to camp.

Crystal RapidI had arranged for Herb and me to ride on Robin (our trip leader's) boat, an incredibly skilled and knowledgeable oarswoman who has been down this river more than 30 times. She knows this river and all its features so well that I am convinced she could just close her eyes and run all 226 miles of it in her mind.

We started the day with a warmup rapid before Crystal - Boucher (a Grand Canyon 4). Easy peasy.

Next up was Crystal. Crystal has quite a history behind it, much of which is described in the book The Emerald Mile, which I highly recommend to anyone interested in the geology, cultural history, the damming of the river, and the history of rafting through the canyon. It’s a very interesting and exciting read.

Smiling through CrystalCrystal is not just a rapid, but a legend.

Before 1966, what is now Crystal Rapid was a minor riffle. Then in December of that year, a once-in-a-century flash flood tore through the canyon, spilling large boulders and debris into the river at the mouth of Crystal Creek, constricting the river to less than a quarter of its original width, thereby creating a monstrous rapid with one of the largest holes in the river.

Below the holes, a large rocky island splits the channel into two distinct sections. Crystal can be run to the left or the right of the island, but both sides have their unique challenges.

Sinumo Creek FallsThen in 1983, because of a particularly large snow melt, the reservoir (Lake Powell) behind the dam was overfilling, placing the integrity of the dam itself in jeopardy. Dam Operators had to rush to let out as much volume as they could before water began spilling over the top of the dam.

The result was that rather than flowing at the usual 10,000 - 20,000 cubic feet per second, Crystal was running with a flow of 70,000 cubic feet per second, birthing a three-story high hydraulic wave that ran across the river.

Unfortunately several river trips were already in progress, and they had no idea what was going to hit them. By the time the park service closed the rapid to commercial passengers, four large motorized rafts and several smaller boats had capsized and several people had drowned.

Shinumo Creek FallsSince the flood, Crystal has continued to change, as over the decades the river has moved rocks around and broadened its width, making it less intense than at its peak in 1983. However, it’s still a significant rapid and one of the greatest challenges for river runners in the Grand Canyon.

Robin was not as fearful of Crystal as she was with other rapids such as Hance, Hermit, and Lava Falls. She didn’t feel it necessary for us to stop and scout it out, as she was confident that she knew how to run it.

Heading to campBeing the trip leader, we were the first raft to go through, and she executed it so well that at the end, I even asked, “Was that it?” I felt a definite sense of relief knowing that that rapid was now behind us. Herb even has a photo of me smiling through the rapid.

We still had a few more rapids to go though, but nothing as significant as Crystal. At Mile 100 we entered The Gems - a series of six rapids in 5 ½ miles named after gems: Agate (3), Sapphire (7), Turquoise (6), Emerald (5), Ruby (6), and Serpentine (7).

They were actually quite fun.

At Mile 109.5 we stopped at Shinumo Creek where we took a walk literally through the creek to a lovely little waterfall with a pool below it - a perfect place to cool off in today’s 108 degree temps.

Interesting geologyThen it was back in the boats to head for camp with one more daily major rapid along the way - Waltenberg (a Grand Canyon 8)

After that we pulled over onto a beach around Mile 119, where we did our usual get off the boat as quickly as we could to run and select a good campsite. We had a new strategy.

The ladies of the riverThere were 11 of us that had formed a very strong friendship and desire to be together, so, whichever one of us 11 got off the boats first, would run madly around, finding a good place to camp, and then scatter various belongings over a wide area to create a sort of compound with several campsites.

Once ownership of a section of sand was established, we went back down to unload the boats, before setting up our individual camps.

Then it was time for some mingling, laughing, and drinking warm beverages with our friends.

It had been another pretty exciting day, but then they all have been so far.

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.

Jose awarding me the "Badass" FrisbeeAfterwards, Jose announced that they wanted to leave one of their frisbees behind for us to remember them by. After a little speech about what an unforgettable time they had had with the rest of us, he said they wanted to award the frisbee 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. He had a good point.

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. They were amazingly good and refreshing.

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.

Travelogue

Setting off down the riverAs of yesterday, we had left the sedimentary limestone sandstone of Marble Canyon behind and entered the Upper Granite Gorge of the Grand Canyon, an area of igneous and metamorphic rocks that had been twisted and thrust upwards during mountain building events over millions of years.

Along this section of the river, you can see exposed 1.7 billion year old Zoroaster Granite and Vishnu Schist.

Because the rock in the gorge does not easily erode, the river becomes swifter and the rapids grow larger, so today was going to be a very big rapids day - Hance (a 10), Sockdolager (an 8) and Grapevine (another 8), all within 5 miles, so sort of boom, boom, boom.

Big rapids day todayIt’s hard to capture the feeling of what it’s like going through a major rapid with a photo, so today Herb used his GoPro for the first time on the trip so that we could record what it actually felt like while running it.

The best way I can describe it is that it’s like sitting in a rocking chair while having a friend use all their might to knock you off of it, while another friend is simultaneously throwing buckets of water in your face.

Scouting Hance RapidBefore any really major rapid, the guides scout it out by hiking up to a point from which they can look down on it to see if it’s what they expect (the features in the rapid change a lot based on water levels) and to plan their “line” to run it.

Hance was the most concerning one of the day, so we pulled the rafts over on a small beach before it and hiked along a path to an overlook. I’m sure the guides didn’t need our input, but it was nice of them to invite us along, so that we could learn their plan and know what to expect.

Hance RapidThis particular rapid has lots of large rocks constricting the channel, forming powerful hydraulics (or “holes” as they are known. This causes the water on the surface to be pulled back towards the obstacle, creating a recirculating vortex-like zone, which can flip a boat or flip one of us out of the boat in what they refer to as an "unintentional swim."

I have to admit that my heart was pumping pretty fast as we got back in the rafts. We were in Robin (our trip leader’s) boat today, so I felt we were in good hands. She has run this river more than 40 times, and I am convinced she could run it with her eyes closed - she has every rapid and its features etched in her mind.

Running Hance RapidSince Robin is the trip leader, we were the first to go. She definitely didn’t sugar coat what running this rapid was going to be like. As we approached the start of it, she said “Ok, this is going to be violent,” which is a term I didn’t want to hear, and “get ready for a big hit!”

The kicker though (no pun intended) was when she said there is a potential “donkey kick,” which meant that people sitting in the back of the raft (which happened to be me and Herb) could potentially be catapulted up and over the raft. She laughingly said, “if it happens, try not to land on me.”

Between the rapidsShe then instructed us how to avoid that. We should stay down low behind the bags, spread our legs apart, and hold onto straps fairly far apart.

I probably assumed the “donkey kick” position much earlier than necessary, but better to err on the side of caution I always say.

Running Hance was actually very exciting (and perhaps a little terrifying), but Robin executed it perfectly.

Lunch stop at Clear CreekBeing in the lead boat allowed us to watch all the other rafts in our group come through - one at a time leaving lots of space in between. There was lots of whooping and hollering as our fellow boats safely made their way through Hance.

One down, two to go.

We had a brief breather before running Sockdolager Rapid (a Grand Canyon 8). The key to running this one was to start in the center and hit everything straight, because there are large holes and waves that flank the sides of the rapid, both on river right and left.

My shin colliding with some metamorphic schistThis rapid was actually named by John Wesley Powell’s crew on their second expedition down the river. Sockdolager is an old boxing term meaning a heavy, decisive blow that can knock someone down. Glad I didn’t know that before we ran it.

However, once again, Robin safely brought us through, running her line exactly as planned.

Last up for the day was Grapevine Rapid (another Grand Canyon 8), a bit less powerful than Sockdolager, but much rockier. The plan for this one was to enter it center-right, just to the left of the rocks on the right and avoiding the hole at the top, and then work our way back towards center, avoiding another hole at the bottom of the rapid at center-right.
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My river guide docNot to be redundant, but another perfect run by Robin

Okay, I was pretty ready to get to camp and get a river cocktail hour going, but we had one more stop to make before getting to camp - a hike up to Clear Creek Waterfall.

As I mentioned above, the geology had been changing as we drifted downriver, and we were now in the Upper Granite Gorge, an area of metamorphic schist and igneous granite, much harder and sharper than the limestone of Marble Canyon.

No kidding! I hadn’t gotten more than 100 feet into the hike to Clear Creek Waterfall before I had an encounter with a metamorphic schist and it won, cutting my shin down to the bone.

My Boo Boo during a sandstormI hardly felt it happen and was actually quite surprised when I looked down at my leg, which looked pretty bloody with skin flaps exposing stuff, that probably shouldn't be visible, underneath.

Leonard, one of our trusty river guides, was in charge of first aid, so he stayed behind with Herb and me and cleaned my wound, put some antibiotic cream on it, and bandaged it. It was really hot out, so he set up a beach umbrella for me so I could have some shade.

My river spouseUnfortunately, the wind picked up as it often does in the afternoon, practically blowing the umbrella down the river. I really needed the shade, so I held onto it for dear life, with sand blowing in my face, for the hour or so it took the gang to get back from their hike to Clear Creek Falls.

Ok, between Hance, Sockdolager, Grapevine rapids, and metamorphic schist, I think I had enough fun for today.

I was pretty ready for camp. I was dreaming of a nice river cocktail hour, and then I remembered Leonard told me not to get my wound wet. When we beached the boat, Van, a wonderful 17-year-old with us, offered to carry me ashore like a baby. Very sweet. I only wish I had a photo of that.

Afterwards, I did manage to have a nice warm beer at the edge of the river.