Our River Journal

Day 0

The ride was very bumpy and the planet hot, making the ride kind of unpleasant; but, the scenery was magnificent. We flew over Hoover Dam and over parts of the canyon. Beautiful but bumpy.

Because Las Vegas was so hot, there were weight restrictions on the flight, meaning our backpacks had to be bussed from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon. While waiting for them, we scoped out the head of the Bright Angel Trail and the "village" [and had our last hot shower for 8 days!]. Our packs thankfully arrived at 9:30 PM, and we tried to go to sleep.

So much for sleeping! Alycia and I were so pumped up for the hike that we hardly slept! At 4:15 AM, we gave up trying to sleep and got up. Bagel (yeah carbohydrates!) and soy bar (tasted okay, but left gritty aftertaste) for breakfast, and then we were off!

Day 1

The Hike

It was a hell of a hike, but we made it. The first part didn't seem so bad, which Alycia unwisely voiced aloud. In truth, the first 5 miles weren't so bad. We started the hike at 5:10 AM. We were amazed at the scenery and took a couple photos to try to show just how far down we came. Indian Gardens was the halfway point, where we heard the story about the pack mule which had fallen off the trail and had to be helicoptered out [dead].

We trekked on... More and more tired, and needing to stop more and more frequently.

It was the last stretch of the hike which was tortuous. Around 10:30 and already over 100 deg, the landscape changed and became more desert like -> of course conveniently corresponding to the uphill part of the hike! We stopped more times on the switchbacks at Devil's Corkscrew and the uphill desert than on the entire rest of the hike. Each time we put on the packs after resting, it seemed to get harder. Finally, we saw the bridge...but it was still a long hike to it. but, we made it, and promptly collapsed in a heap where our river guide, Scott, met us on the other side. Amazingly, after all my concerns about being late, we were the first to arrive.

Father and son (Carlton and Trey) from Birmingham, Alabama came soon after. Then came Jim and Gail (friends from Virginia Beach), slightly quieter after the strain of the hike. Alycia and I felt exhausted and a little ill, but extremely proud of ourselves. Alycia, myself, and Carlton and Trey were the only ones who carried "our own" stuff into the canyon. Everyone else had packed their stuff on the mules! Amazing! All that stuff and we still beat the Virginia Beachers and the Germans into the canyon.

After lunch and LOTS of water and gatorade, we packed our stuff into waterproof bags, which are stashed and tied to the rafts. Actually, we let the guides stash stuff while Alycia collapsed in the shade and I repeatedly soaked my shirt in the cold river. And oh, is the river water COLD! The guides kept encouraging me to just jump in. I kept reminding them that I have nerve endings!!!

Finally, everything was together and we took off, but not before a lecture on lifejackets, our new best friends.

On the River Day 1

The big drop was Horn Creek. It was definitely a big drop.

There were a couple more rapids and then we tied up for the night. We camped just before Granite Falls. The roar of the rapid resounded around the camp all night. It was a short first day because we got started so late in the afternoon. A short rafting day...by the time we went to sleep, I was exhausted!

The camp was sandy and the grade so fine that it's almost like mud. A hot strong wind blew down the canyon so we just threw our bags on the beach. Even without my glasses on, I could see a zillion stars. And I knew when I awoke that I'd been asleep for hours because the big dipper had traversed half the sky. Tonight, I'll have to keep my glasses handy!

Dinner Menu:

soup: chicken noodle
pasta and cheese
salad
cauliflower
steak

YUM!

Day 2

Breakfast (a definite exception to the no pork rule -> the bacon was simply too good to pass up). French toast and the pasta made a second guest appearance. Also had grapefruit juice, honeydew melon, and grits (neither of us ate grits though! Had to draw the line somewhere since Alycia did eat the pasta twice!!).

Wasted no time setting out and since we'd slept right above it, we hit Granite Rapid immediately. An excellent way to start the morning. Alycia and I chose to ride in Chris' boat, and were joined by Phil, Carlton, and Trey. After Granite came Hermit (we can't even remember all the rapids we went through today -> Today was a serious rapid day (and also rapidly went by!!). Funny we don't remember all of them -> they were all huge!

Phil said that today's rapids were better than ANYTHING on the upper half of the river. Good to know and not too surprising. today was AWESOME!

Then came Boucher Rapid. Next, Crystal Rapid -> definitely our favorite thus far! We really got tossed around and there were definitely moments when I thought we were going to flip front to back. Before attempting Crystal, we stopped to scout it out. Alycia says it was as scary as it looked! Walking from the overlook, we crossed a little creek with really warm water and tadpoles! I've never actually seen tadpoles in the "wild." Chris told us that Crystal Rapid didn't exist until 1965. it was formed in the flash floods when boulders were washed into the river. he also said that the red color we see is from the limestone which washes down. It's this red mud wash which picks up boulders and carries them into the river. [1]

Besides the gems (the rapids named thereafter, that is), we did two great side hikes. The first was just before Shinomu rapids. We walked up a little creek to get to a pool (fairly shallow - maybe 3 ft deep) with a pounding waterfall (maybe 15 ft). We could barely stand under it, the force of the water was so great, but my back needed a massage. We could walk behind and through the fall and splash around the pool. We neglected to bring the camera for this one, but were appeased by the information that we'd be stopping somewhere even better later in the day -> which was - Elves Chasm.

It's amazing, when put to the test, or given the opportunity (or necessity) what you can do. The climb up to Elves Chasm is one example! They told us to climb places I never thought I'd be able to. but, with directions such as "step on the red, not the white rock" and "put your foot there, and grab my wrist" we made it up the rocks. Meanwhile, of course, while I'm beaming having made it up with lots of help, the guides merrily leap up barefooted. Experience or no sense -> I'm not sure which...

What we saw at the top was every bit worth the hike (although the climb itself was lots of fun!).

In a semicircular cavern at the end was a bit of a waterfall, almost more like a water trickle from a ledge about 10 feet above the pool - itself 8-10 feet deep. But like it was sculpted for humans, you could swim across the pool, climb into a small cave and there were perfectly placed footholds so you could climb up to the ledge. And the way down was to jump, of course! It was a bit terrifying, but exhilarating! (There are pictures of this.) There was another raft full of people climbing up as we left, and we told them the climb was well worth it.

We found a campsite kind of late, but enjoyed our dinner!

- Catfish in pepper
- rice
- zucchini
- salad
- apple strudel cake

This time I kept my glasses near, so when I woke I could see the Milky Way. Absolutely lovely! (Of course, I woke because I desperately had to go to the bathroom - I think I'm finally rehydrated after the hike down.)

Camp was in a gorgeous spot with high cliffs on both sides. Sunset made them glow. [3]

Day 3

A random observation -- people on this trip (and Americans, not just the Germans) seem to be big beer drinkers -- is this what most people are like? (and bad beer at that!!)

Our first real rapid of the morning was Blacktail. Then, we hiked into Blacktail Canyon. Time crept up on us, and suddenly we leapt about 1 billion years! In other words, we saw the "Great Unconformity." This is a place where the geologic record skips from ~500 Million to 1.8 billion years. Big jump. We took a few photos here of us reaching through time. At the end of the canyon, there was a pool with a trickling waterfall at the end. Eve and I were the only ones who went in.

Also on the hike, we were serenaded by Wolfgang singing "Oklahoma." Who would have thought he'd choose that one?! Alycia says his rendition made Oscar and Hammerstein sound like Gilbert and Sullivan. I think this effect came from his deep, throaty bass voice and his thick German accent. "The wind came rolling down the - what?"

But back to those rapids. Did I mention that sitting in the front of the boat is the best! The raft moves like a roller coaster up and over the waves. I'm no good at predicting which ones will splash all over the boat. But it's the side moving waves that really make us bail.

Back to the hike. I'd never seen fossils in their native habitat (so to speak). In Blacktail Canyon we saw nautiloid fossils. Very cool!

Back on the boat we went through Forster Rapids. I think it's the one that has the big rock you have to be VERY careful to avoid. Steiner did an awesome job and we didn't get nearly as close to it as some boats. Oops, it turns out that's Bedrock Rapid, which came much later. so, the rapids went: Forster, Fossil, 128 Mile Rapid (what kind of a name is this??), Specter [5], Bedrock, Dubendorff (How did this one get its name? Well, three boats when down the rapid: one on the right -> they were fine; one on the left -> they were fine; one down the middle -> he "swam.")

Then we went on a short hike up Stone Creek. Alycia got a warm massage as the water from the waterfall pounded her back. There are pictures of us here that Steiner took.

The water in these falls and in the creek below is so warm! Also, the moss that grows on the rocks below and behind the waterfall was spectacular and came in different shades of green and different textures. I like the dark green fuzzy one the most. Of course, to Alycia, it was ALL fuzzy since she wasn't wearing her glasses!

The other thing about these creeks is that there are lots of tadpoles. Some of them look like they're dangerously placed. It's so hot, it's amazing their little pools of water don't dry up!

Tonight was our second experience bathing in the river with Dr. Bonner (well, his peppermint soap anyway). Oh, oh, oh, is the water frigid. A hot wind blows down the canyon so it's like stepping in front a full body hair dryer when we get out (thank goodness). The water is sandy, so we remain gritty, but we do smell better (a little).

Steiner challenged Eve to "ride the bull" on the last couple rapids: Tapeats and the 135 mile rapid. This meant to sit on the very front end of the boat with her legs out front while holding on for dear life. She's still with us, so I guess she tamed the bull.

Today was also my first time rowing! Steiner let me row for a while (not down the rapids, of course!) -> see photo. I think I did reasonably well. It was a lot of fun!

Tonight we tied up on a short stretch of beach which is crowded with lizards. It's amazing how unafraid they are of people! One even jumped on my leg while I was sitting talking to Eve and Alycia. I'm not sure which of us was more startled: me when it jumped on me, or it, when its rock moved!

We just watched Mark climb the steep, rocky hill by our campground. One of the boats stopped briefly to recognize the place where a guide had died a few years ago while climbing. You'd think this would deter them from climbing, but it doesn't.

Alycia and I have decided to pitch a tent tonight. there's a breeze that's almost cold that's blowing across the shore. ( In the end, no tent - the cool breeze felt great) Between the breeze and the red ants, the tent is sounding better and better. Besides, it seems like they've chosen a particularly difficult to get to place for the porta-potty tonight. So a little privacy for the bucket-use would be a good thing.

Day 4

Judging from Alycia's comments, that "improvement" was ephemeral. She did the whole hike up to the "thrones." I stayed at the "patio" where there were delightful waterfalls and a stream. It was a heck of a hike uphill, even to there, though Dad wouldn't believe how close we got the edge of the side canyon. I definitely improved my mountain goat impersonation -> I guess it's an imitation, since mountain goats aren't people.

Anyway, the waterfall I played in was really beautiful (only wish I had a photo). There were fronds hanging down behind the 10 foot fall. They were so green! Next to the pool was an old tree. The roots were so gnarled. They were amazing! There were zillions of lizards. I can now identify two types: the Western Whiptail and the Chuckwalla. The Western Whiptail is cool. It's tri-colored and its back feet have really long toes. Their front feet are more webbed.

We also came through the narrows -- the most narrow part of the canyon. We camped at ledges -> treacherous potty placement. Shawn told me that there was a little exposure there. I agreed -- I could see all the boats while peeing, which meant they could also see me. but that's not what he meant by "exposure." It's a rock climbing term referring to how close you are to a drop-off! Yeah, it was that type of exposure I was a little more concerned with!! We joked that they were trying to kill women at night, since we were the only ones who had to schlepp up there at night...

The hike up to the waterfall started along a lovely creek and mostly in the shade. Alas, the last part was back out in the sun -- memories o f the hike in, believe me! I went through a liter of water on the way up, so I was grateful for a waterfall refill (the boatmen just drink the water straight from the river, so waterfall water is just especially pure). About the first thing I did below the waterfall was wet my hat and enjoy the head swamp cooler.

The thrones area is so named for large slabs of redish (sandstone?) rock which are arranged (somewhat by hand, I believe) into large chairs. A previous visitor had made a stack of rocks (like the ones on the beach at Gay Head), and the guys had to take pot shots at it from 30 ft; testosterone poisoning I guess.

Then I climbed up behind the waterfall to look through and down (and fill up that water bottle!!). Steiner leaned out over the falls in such a way that I swore his center of gravity was not above the ledge. This was one of the few times I saw Carlton protective of Trey - he definitely didn't want his son too close to the edge. I thought of Dad.

The hike back was easier and we got back to the patio. I was pleased to see Michelle had made it up there. Thought I admit that seeing her scoot along the precipice was scarier than doing it myself.

Day 5

After lunch, a male spiny head lizard came to investigate Alycia's bag of fig newtons. I think many of the lizards, especially this one, have seen people and had people food. That, or they've NEVER seen people and therefore have no reason to be afraid of them. That's the newest lizard I can identify. It has these little spiny things on both sides of its head, and VERY red lips.

Unfortunately, Dorothy Sayers took a dive and tumble into the water. But, she dried.

Coming back, there were a few paths we could take. Alycia opted to hike back...I decided to swim. I walked down the small falls with a few people and then had to swim the rest of the way. After making it back to the boats, we swam back, against the current and back a couple times. The travertine (CaCO3 deposited from liquid) was beautiful. We saw it encrusting small plants which grew on the rocks. In the entrance to the river from the falls, the sun played off the water onto the wall. It was lovely. Eve rescued a lizard from the water. It immediately climbed to high ground: the top of her hat! It was quite content there.

We tried making a but dam, but only Trey, Alycia, Eve, and I were willing to stay seated in the water.

We camped at mile 165-166. Of course, we had pork chops for dinner (see photo in Belknap). Also had yummy hot apple sauce and cole slaw

I had Steiner (whose boat I was in today while Michelle was with Chris) tell Michelle he'd made the pork chops just for her. The look on her face was priceless!

Day 6

The whole morning was immense build-up to Lava Falls. Steiner told us a story about a woman who thought from the aerial photos that Lava Falls was a waterfall we simply shoot over and plummet 37 feet (actually, the rapid only drops 14 ft). Thankfully, that wasn't the case. It was a really cool rapid, though. The waves were huge! Steiner did a great job of getting us through and then pulled us into an eddy so we could climb the rocks and get a picture.

For future reference: it's hard to climb out of a moving boat onto a rock. In fact, you can't -> if you're me. Steiner had to haul me back into the boat. It's really amazing how strong he is.

But I did manage to make it out onto the rock (so did Alycia). But before we saw Dave's boat come through the rapid, we saw our own start to drift out of the eddy. It had come untied. Thankfully, Rien was in the boat (he had painfully straddled a rock while climbing out of the boat and had decided the boat was a safer place for him). Steiner leapt off the rock to the rescue. His carabiner had come off. In the end, Alycia and I got a couple photos of Dave's boat coming through Lava Falls. It was a joint photo effort: Alycia pressed the button, I would the film. Good cooperation!

We saw lots of igneous rocks. There was one particularly large one called Vulcan Rock. You can see in the cliff behind it the intrusion of igneous rock where lava came shooting up out of the ground.

By the way: Lava Falls wasn't so bad. Alycia and I rode in the front. Oh yeah, did we get wet though! The waves were BIG! And the first drop was pretty big!

The boatmen were so nervous that we ate lunch AFTER the rapid...since none of the boatmen were going to be able to eat before it. You know a rapid is rough when the boatmen want pictures of themselves going through it!

That afternoon, we hit "son of lava" and what Alycia calls "grandson of lava." We camped at mile 191.

Note from Alycia: must call Todd from Las Vegas and tell him to buy oatmeal baths and tequila (Souza) and have it ready for us when we get back.

I think all the buildup about lava (and I'm still not sure how much of it was genuine and how much was just yanking our chains) made me more nervous about rapids. Or maybe prior to lava, I was just too enthralled to be nervous.

Day 7

Steiner took advantage of the water -> his boat instigated a water fight. We, in Dave's boat, jumped in. Of course, Shawn took it a little further and jumped into Steiner's boat. The ensuing battle saw Steiner follow Shawn into the river and lose his favorite pair of sunglasses in the process. Did I mention how essential my glasses strap has been on this trip?

Note: don't have a water fight with a guy who's strong enough to hurl a whole bucket of water at you!

(pause to exercise Eve's technique)

That is to say -> stick the book in your shirt, underneath the life jacket, in the hopes it doesn't get wet in the rapid.

We also did 209 Mile rapid. Steiner lost his umbrella -- thought he could leave it up through the rapid. WRONG! The hole on the right of 209 was very cool. Of course, it wouldn't have been so cool if we'd hit it.

At lunch, we went on a cultural artifact walk. We went up to an Indian roasting pit (Alycia says all of the rocks around it make it a human roasting pit); age unknown, but old - you could see the build up of burnt rocks and ash. Under a ledge, up a little further, was a collection of old glass jars, whose contents were unrecognizable. Scotty says they were most likely left by early ranchers who were stupid enough to try to raise cattle in the Mojave Desert.

After lunch, we went to "jump rock." It's a huge overhang about 30 feet above the water. Unfortunately, because the water level has dropped so much, there was only about 8 ft of water below - not enough to jump from so high up, even with a life jacket. Alycia did jump from the low ledge, though.

We also went to a really cool rock before this. The swirling eddies with rocks caught in them and water of old had carved perfectly circular holes and patterns into the rocks. This was the first time I'd ever been really afraid of the exposure. I made it over to the rock, with Chris' hand for guidance and support, but coming back was terrifying! I had to watch Alycia and Eve do it before I had the nerve.

There was a hole you could climb down through - but I was a little shaken by the jump over and still VERY wet, and opted not to try. But I did get to see a perfect example of Chris as the Human Fly. Dave asked him to dip his hat into the water. So, he climbed in flip flops down to the water's edge. he looked like Spiderman!

As we drifted by the rock later, we saw that there were actually really good footholds. But from the top, it looked like he was simply sticking or using inspector Gadget suction cups.

We saw a rattlesnake - the first on this trip. It was happily sunning itself, saw us, and decided to slither off. Eve got a fright when she nearly stepped on a Racer - a nonpoisonous snake that moves REALLY fast!

Dinner: Shrimp Jumbalaya

Dave had the misfortune to be our boatman today, so he had to listen to a thousand preliminary versions of "Under the Scree," our contribution to the Captain's night "talent" show (I sang along - my first public vocal performance since 5th grade. Hopefully, Michelle and Eve's lovely voices drowned me out). Actually, I think the song was a hit. Other contributions to this post-dinner revelry included limericks by Phil (very clever) and jokes about Europeans by the German group.

Eve and I also awarded distinguished recognitions such as "best bruise" and "best looking in a speedo." I think these were a big hit too. (Definitely the highlight!!) Alycia also gave a star talk.

I'm glad I hauled the binocs down the canyon, the skies have been amazing. I found a globular cluster in Serpens to look at. My sky talk clearly bored the non-English speaking Germans, but some seemed to like it.

Day 8

After a short float, we stopped to hike up to Travertine Falls. The start of the walk was over the human barbecue of lava rocks. This hike was a little different from the others -- it required clinging to a rope which was fastened into the cliff. The photos we have don't do this project justice. Footholds were few and the rocks slippery, hence the rope. But, this wasn't the worst of it. We really clung to the wall while trying to cross to the waterfall. Steiner was great about showing us places to put our feet (especially coming back. Going down is way harder than coming up - it's harder to see where your feet go!). But, it was so worth the adventure. At the top, there was a huge waterfall. The walls around the falls were covered in travertine (hence the name of the waterfall). It was really beautiful. There are photos of me and Alycia, and of Eve and Phil up here. The waterfalls on this trip were truly awesome!

When asked to comment on travertine, Alycia said, "I was really glad that rope was there." She said that coming down the rope wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. But the scary part was that the rocks were so slippery that even though it wasn't such a steep drop off there'd be no way of stopping yourself before you did get to the drop off and went plunging off. We watched as Steiner slid down the rock (intentionally of course) in his flip flops.

We had lunch on the beach after the hike and everyone was quite relaxed - just a few small rapids lay between us and Lake Mead. Ha ha.

We were on Scott's boat, so we were the first to go through "Mile 231" rapid. It was a wild ride with Scott pushing the raft back and forth into a long series of waves. We were still exulting over our ride when we heard Shawn on the baggage boat saying (rather calmly) "Scott - we've got a flip." They had actually watched Dave's boat (yes, winner of the "most likely to flip" award) go end over end.

Hans, Stephan, Jim and Gail were the passengers and we saw their suntan lotion and water bottles go floating by us. We shortly also saw Stephan who was calmly gathering bottles and sandals as he floated. We took these and he climbed ashore on some rocks. We could see the raft and all four other heads safely bobbing along side it, so I got out the camera! Steiner picked up the others and towed the upside-down raft to where we'd moored by some rocks. Dave didn't look very happy, but the others seemed to be having a great time (their stories of the flip kept getting better, too). To right the raft, the boatmen ran four lines under it and we all lined up on shore to haul it over. Amazingly easy actually! Stephan's ammo can had water in it, but he pulled out the camera to photograph the re-flip. The only casualty of the whole event was a disposable camera, and the sunscreen we saw go by was even fished out downstream. The passengers had a couple drinks (margaritas and beer) before getting underway again! But nobody fled Dave's raft!

After all that excitement, I was happy Scott said there was only one more small rapid before the lake - another unnamed one at mile 232. Sure, they should name it "Fang Falls" - I think I'll write the park service.

As Scott put it, we "flossed the fang." That is, we got through the top of the rapid alright, but we took on a lot of water. Before we had time to bail (I was still hanging on with one hand and fumbling for the bucket with the other), our heavy water-filled raft started following the current to the "fang" - a big toothy rock in the river. Scott was grunting and cursing but he couldn't keep our raft from hitting it. He opted for sending the back nose of the raft straight into it since he figured we wouldn't capsize that way - but guess who was in the back of the boat! Michelle and I were hanging on for dear life and leaning into the boat so we didn't become dental floss ourselves. As we hit, the back of the raft folded up (I had visions of it popping and collapsing, but they sure are sturdy). Unfortunately Michelle fell down onto (and maybe under) the wooden boat frame (she was on the side that took the harder hit) and bashed her knee. she screamed and was obviously in pain, so I don't really even remember sliding off the rock. I used the bailing bucket to empty the cold water from the raft onto her knee (ready-made ice pack). So, it wasn't for a few minutes that I saw I was bleeding all over the raft. There were drops on the seat and quite a bit all over the bucket. That took Michelle's mind off her knee. I had a nice cut in my right thumb and no memory of putting it there.

Eventually, and luckily, it turned out that Michelle's knee was only bruised and my thumb stopped bleeding. What a day!

Soon we really did hit the start of Lake Mead - it just looked like our good friend the Colorado, but the boatmen knew it right away. They practically ripped off their life jackets! Michelle jumped in and floated by the raft for a while -- more knee icing!

We camped our last night at Separation Canyon. Those mighty rapids that scared three of Powell's men off the river and into the wilderness are peacefully quiet under the lake.

Day 9

Footnotes

[2] George Rhee - the astronomer at UNLV who does these trips. Every time one of the guides hears that Alycia is an astronomer, we hear about him again... and again...

[3] It became a running joke for the rest of the trip - at least I made plenty of jokes about it to Chris - this was the day I "hopped" out of the boat. Actually, Chris asked one of us up front to be ready to hop out when we got to shore with the rope. I was ready and sitting perched on the side of the raft. And there it was -- the rock. Well, I was good at hopping out of the raft, it's just that my timing was a little off. This was my first experience with the current. But there were no worries. Alycia says they were poised to go in after me, until they saw that I was fine swimming to shore. I thought it was funny, but Chris kept apologizing and Scott kept asking if I was okay. Really, I was fine and very amused. But Chris never asked me to "hop out" again.

[4] Scott told us that the first raft he ever flipped was a private one at Lava Falls

[5] This rapid is the one where Steiner flipped his first raft - not this time though.