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GRAND CANYON RAFTING 1998
20th May 1998 Las Vegas
Flew Virgin Atlantic to Los Angeles and then United Airlines to Las Vegas. Flew over part of Death Valley, which looked quite barren. There were slot machines as soon as I got off the plane. Got a shuttle to the La Quinta-Airport hotel, which was next to the Crazy Horse Strip Joint. My room even has a whirlpool hot-tub but I didn’t try it out.
Went for the meeting at 8pm to meet the rest of the Canyoneers and Roger. I seem to be the youngest, and the only non-American. Got issued with a waterproof bag and silver ammo case. Bough a crate of beer to take also.
Packed my bag, and marked the rest to stay until I return.
21st May 1998 Mile 20
Up at 4am to catch the coach at 4:45. We didn’t take the direct route to Lees Ferry (Mile 0) through Flagstaff as I expected we went near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon and Kanab to pick up Bob (River Guide), Donna (Swamper) and Sue (Geologist). We arrived at Lees Ferry and our boats were almost ready. We were introduced to JJ (River Guide) and Zeke (Swamper) all good American names, on the ‘Gneiss Canyon’, the other boat was the ‘Mystic Spring’.
I sat up front for the first day, the rapids were fairly small. The canyon walls soon started to form from the beach where we set up. At the Navajo bridges, which are at Mile 5, there were already pretty tall and starting to have a nice red colour. We were entering Marble Canyon.
We passed a rock in the middle of the river at Mile 10 (Ten Mile Rock). It was as big as a house. The water is cold (47oF apparently, dunno what that is in centigrade), but it’s a nice colour almost fluorescent green in places I expected it to be a murky brown.
Sue, the Geologist told us about the different kinds of rock which we will see on our expedition, it’s the different rock types which give the canyon its magical colour and structure. She also taught us as poem to remember them by:
Kaibab LimestoneKissing Toroweap LimestoneTakes Coconino SandstoneConcentration Hermit ShaleHowever Supai GroupSex Redwall LimestoneRequires Muav LimestoneMore Bright Angel ShaleBetter Tapeats SandstoneTalent
We stopped for the night at Mile 20. Spaghetti bolognaise for dinner, and then to bed. It was only about 9pm I haven’t been to bed so early since I started primary school, but I was tired. A clear blue sky so I slept under the stars I never realised there was so many!
22nd May 1998 Mile 47
Up at dawn, whatever time that is I dispensed with my watch as the guides were working on ‘River Time’. Had nice cooked breakfast and then a short run to North Canyon where we stopped. However, it was flooded (for the first time in the guides memory), so we went on.
After a few more rapids we were at Vasey’s Paradise at Mile 32. Not as amazing as I’d read in Powell’s Journal but still surprising A spring starting halfway down the canyon wall surrounded by many trees almost growing out of the vertical limestone. A mile further on we stopped at Redwall Cavern this was impressive.
Dug into the wall of the canyon by the river carving, a large semi-circular beach directly under the rock had been cut. Large and interesting I liked it.
On the river again and passed the Bridge of Sighs (natural bridge high up in the walls of the Canyon), and Kissing Rock which from a certain angle looks like a couple kissing.
Hiked up Saddle Canyon at Mile 47 where we also camped. Quite a tight Canyon with a small pretty waterfall at the top. The setting sun on the Canyon walls made them even more spectacular.
Another cloudless day and night.
23rd May 1998 Mile 72
Ran the River until Nankoweap Canyon at Mile 53. This is where the Anasazi Indians had a village, farms on the flat land and granary high up on the walls of the Canyon. We hiked up to the Granaries which was quite steep, and very steep and slippery at the top I wouldn’t like to carry a sack of grain up here. The view from the top was superb the blue Colorado snaking between the high Canyon walls with the sun shining on one side. The best view of the Canyon which I have seen.
Further down the river we stopped for lunch and Sue gave a talk on Trilobites.
We then went downstream as far as the Little Colorado at Mile 61. The water looked milky bluey-white (due to Calcium) at the confluence with the Colorado this is a good sign as it means the river will stay clear for the rest of the trip.
We hiked a small distance down the Little Colorado, there are some travertine rocks and some which look pebble-dashed with pebbles. We took our life jackets and used them for buoyancy for running a rapid this was great fun.
We then entered the Grand Canyon which starts directly after the Little Colorado (Canyons are named between the major tributaries). The Canyon walls are really high now, and the colours make it look very spectacular. We saw the Desert View Watchtower which is on the South Rim of the Canyon.
We camp at Mile 72. I went hiking around the campsite and found a good spot to watch the sunrise in the morning. Some are worried that it may rain tonight I slept under the stars as usual.
24th May 1998 Mile 118
Up before dawn and watched the sunrise on the Canyon wall. The rocks change colour very quickly and must look stupendous from the Rim I’ve never seen a decent sunrise or sunset from the Canyon rim.
I sat up front on the raft today as I knew we’d be entering the Granite Gorge where there are the best rapids. I got soaked, but it was great fun. We saw the oldest rocks in the Canyon, the Vishnu Schist and Zoroaster Granite which are 2 billion years old (the Earth is 4 billion years old).
We went under the Kaibab and Bright Angel Suspension Bridges, past Phantom Ranch and Bright Angel Canyon. This seems small from the river, especially as the Canyon is 16miles long and looks very wide from the South Rim. Plateau Point on the South Rim was directly above us at Mile 89.
Hermit Rapid at Mile 95 was a roller coaster, very long and undulating. I got drenched, but it was the best rapid on the river for me. Crystal Rapid at Mile 98 was soon after, we watch a boat flip, but fortunately we didn’t!
We took a hike to Elves Chasm, Mile 116, a beautiful waterfall surrounded by moss and fern. Very pretty. We camped at Mile 118 at Stephen Aisle which had a terrific view of the Great Unconformity where layers of rock are ‘missing’.
Clear view of the Milky Way tonight.
25th May 1998 Mile 137
Up at dawn as usual and stopped off at Blacktail Canyon (Mile 120). This gave us a good close view of the Great Unconformity.
Sat in the middle of the boat today after yesterdays dunking and stopped at Stone Creek, Mile 132, for a hike to a cascading waterfall. We then went through the Granite Narrows, Mile 135, where the river passes through a narrow passage in the granite. Very pretty.
We then stopped for a longer hike at Deer Creek at Mile 136. Quite a steep hike to the top of an excellent waterfall and an overlook with a great view of the Canyon, followed by a narrow path with a huge drop on one side very scary. The reward was a nice slot canyon with clear water.
One the way back we saw handprints made by the Anasazi Indians and some fossilised tracks made by large worms.
It is very hot today.
Camped at Mile 137 on a sandy beach. Still no need for a tent.
26th May 1998 Mile 168
Saw a sheep on the rocks this morning. Stopped at Havasu Creek, Mile 137 for a hike up the Havasu River. The water is a beautiful blue-green (due to magnesium and calcium sulphates), and travertine has created terrific Aero-like bubbles of rock on the Canyon walls.
We camped at Fern Glenn Canyon, Mile 168. Went for a hike down the side canyon in search of the Promised Land of a waterfall, but must have dried up. Some rocks on the Canyon floor were as big as a house.
My mind turned to poetry (for the first time in my life), only one more night in the Canyon.
27th May 1998 Mile 220
We travelled to Lava Falls at Mile 179. There are ribbons of dark lava oozing down the Canyon walls into the river. We pass Vulcan’s Anvil, which is thought to be an ancient Volcano plug, now in the middle of the river directly Toroweap Overlook on the North Rim. We disembarked just before Lava Falls to get a good view, these are the most infamous rapids on the river with a 13’ drop.
We all got drenched. Then watched the other boat come through. They got drenched too.
We pass more lava flows, hexagonal blocks have been created by the erosion of the lava. We go past a group of paddle rafts they hold up a simple sign ‘ICE’. It is still very hot, we haven’t seen a cloud for days it would be unbearable in summer.
We stop at Pumpkin Springs, Mile 213. An orange-sided reservoir is full of brown-green water. Not pleasant.
We camp at Mile 220. I hike a sort way up the Canyon wall, but then find it difficult to get down. A young Grand Canyon Pink Rattlesnake is found in the campground the first time I’ve seen a wild snake. Steak for dinner. Still no need for a tent.
28th May 1998 Las Vegas
Last Day. We go past Travertine Falls at Mile 230, which is a pyramid of rock with a brown-green waterfall cascading over it. We travelled to Separation Canyon at Mile 239. This is aptly named as not only Powell’s expedition separated here, but so too did ours. A speedboat, named Separation Canyon was waiting for us to speed us across Lake Mead to Pearce Ferry. The Hoover Dam’s influence on the River floods the rapids from this point making the water flat.
We transferred our gear to the speedboat, and waved good-bye to Zeke, JJ, Bob, Sue and Donna. The speedboat was fast, it created quite a wash. We stopped halfway at Mile 266 for a talk on the extraction of bat guano from huge caves.
We sped past the marker for the end of the Canyon, at Mile 280. We then met up with the coach at Pearce Ferry. We sped back to Las Vegas past the Great Wash Cliffs and across the Hoover Dam.
Our Expedition was over.
29th May 1998 Seattle
Up at a sensible time in the morning and said good-bye to the other Canyoneers at breakfast. Caught a Shuttle to the airport and flew Alaska Airlines to Seattle for a tour of the Canadian Rockies.
The rafting down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon was an exceptional adventure. The scenery, the camaraderie, the adrenaline riding the rapids and the excellent waterfalls and side canyons. I had the best time.
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