Astral Camino PFD sale

I just returned from NOC and tried on an Astral Camino PFD. Way comfortable. It is designed for hot weather as it has all these features that vent air through the vest. As I mentioned before, REI has a sale on Astral PFD's right now. Here is the link for the Camino. It's usually $109 but is now $79.99. It is approved for the Canyon. This has been your public service announcement for the day. Thank you.

397 Days to Go - Silver Grotto

TL Report:  Nothing to report this week.

What the GC Private Boaters Assoc is chatting about this week:  Tons of people are ticked that the NPS limited burning driftwood with little or no notice to private trips. I guess a lot of folks had a rude awakening at the put in when the ranger informed them of the new regulations. On a lighter side, one trip raved about their Zodi battery operated shower. You just heat some water in a pan and add it to clean cool water for a warm shower. Sounded like fun.Here is the link to Cabelas. May be some of us could go in on a few things like this, what do you think?

Mileage this week: River Mile 27-29. We finish up with the Roaring Twenties and arrive at our second camp, Shinumo Wash. This camp is very popular and we'll have to leave early to be sure to get it.

This is a nice camp, offering early shade and late morning sun. From Shinumo Wash camp we can access the wonderful limestone slot canyon called Silver Grotto. This is a popular summer side hike requiring good scrambling skills and swimming through deep pools of water. You can access the rim from this side canyon, but it's probably too long a hike for us. Here are some photos.

GC History:   Powell's first camp below, circa 1859. Not so different than camps today really.

Equipment/Camp Check:

REI is running an Astral lifejacket sale for about 25% off . They are also giving 20% off for one full price item for REI members until 5/31. Make sure any jacket you buy is for whitewater or the NPS ranger will laugh snidely at you before informing you that you can't go on the river. Really.  Lifetime membership for REI is only $20 and you get a 10% dividend payout at the end of the year. Also orders over $75 ship free for members.

What's your personal camp going to be like? It's up to you but here's the usual set up with and without tent. Basically after you finish your camp chores you set out to find your own real estate. Since it wil be summer and hot, most folks till either use a camp cot to get off the hot sand but this is optional. A small ground tarp is a must. A sheet usually is fine for sleeping, sleeping bags are too hot. If the weather is frisky (rain/wind) you may need to set up your tent. Always put rocks in your tent in the corners as they have a nasty tendency to fly away and into the river when you least expect it. (The video I posted earlier today has a great segment of a tent flying intp the river and the subsequent rescue attempt downstream.) It's best to leave all your stuff in your drybag or on top of your cot until bed to avoid desert visitors. On our last trip Bill took video of a frog that had climbed in my bag with me when I was sleeping. Nice! Expect sand, sand and more sand. You just ignore it after awhile.

Next Deadline: $500 per person is due September 1st. If your trip status changes at anytime (ie, need to do a half instead of a whole trip), please let me know as soon as possible so we can fill your ½ space. This will lower your cost.

Comments, questions, concerns? Email me and I’ll include it in the next post. The comment link isn’t always working correctly.

2004 GC video

This is the best GC video I ever remember seeing. It's long but totally entertaining and you gotta check out the runs at Lava. If you can't see the picture of the video below click the link at the bottom.

Grand Trip 2004 from Mundo Bravo on Vimeo.

404 Days to Go - Roaring Twenties Con't

TL Report: Hmmm, 404 days till launch. I don't know why, but I'm really looking forward to the date I can post 364 days to go, cas then the trip will be less than a year away. As we approach the end of May, we are about 13 months from launch. Seems like forever! Plans were for our family to spend the summer on the water boating around here but I'm getting the summer travel itch and have been looking at Abacos (Bahamas outter islands) plane fares for July. Just a couple of days of snorkeling in a marine sanctuary will hold me for another year till we head out West. We'll see.

Here's a link for a trip report on a self supported kayak trip (no rafts to carry fud/gear) of the GC last December. This is quite a feat due to all the stuff the NPS requires you to bring on the trip, not to mention the cold weather gear. A couple of the folks on the trip, Kelly Fisher and Mike Hipsher, are old NOC friends.  

 I’m reading “Writing Down the River; Into the Heart of the Grand Canyon”. This book asked 15 women writers to boat the Canyon and write about their experiences. Here's what Kathleen Jo Ryan had to say about her first day on the river:

“In her depths, the Canyon seduces us as we slowly float downriver. The first rapids are playful riffles and there is an imposing silence, the only sounds the boatman’s oars slipping in and out of the water, punctuated by the occasional song from a canyon wren. In the distance a murmur begins, a quiet rushing sound that escalates and demands attention. Soon it is thundering. The boatman repositions and alerts the passengers to prepare for the descent into the rapid. We slide seductively down the tongue into a crescendo of energy and water; the water seems to be laughing as we enter for the ride. We gasp from cold water hitting our hot skin and from the exhilaration of the rampaging power. We have been awakened, our senses aroused. Yet the Canyon does not impose – it awaits perception, recognition, interpretation. With each day I soaked up the environment: Space, magnitude, color, texture, wind, and water became more familiar while the power of the water demanded more and more attention and respect. I am in awe.”

What the GC Private Boaters Assoc is chatting about this week: There was a thread on the NPS’s new restrictions on driftwood collection. Pretty much, you can now only collect driftwood for fires in the winter. I believe the old cutoff was April 15th (help me out here Stevie). I remember how nice it was on the early days of my previous April trips to collect driftwood along the river then sit and warm yourself before a dancing fire in the evening. The thread mentioned that many trips are now bringing in their own firewood to burn at camp. Our trip, being mostly in the heat of July won’t need the heat of a fire, but the ambiance of one is a very nice thing on occasion. One efficient way to bring wood is to buy kiln dried seconds from a flooring company and load it in the empty groover ammo cans. It stacks compactly and can be used as needed/wanted. We’ll have the fire pan out anyway for grilling some nights so maybe we’ll bring some wood along for kicks. What does everyone think? Is it worth it?

Another thread was a rant by a gentleman who wanted to run the river on his vacation (in three weeks) and was shocked/enraged/indignant at the fact that you had to have a permit to run the Colorado through Grand Canyon. Apparently the rangers are tyrants, the government is out of control and his personal liberties are being squelched. I had to laugh as someone who has waited since 1995 for a permit to read all the raving. Four words: Get In Line Buddy.

Mileage this week: River Mile 24-26. We continue with the Roaring Twenties. As you can see from the map, there are a lot of fun read-and-run rapids through this section. At River Mile 25.7, we have Cave Springs Rapid, which has some cool caves the kayaks (as in me, I guess, at this point) can paddle into (below).

GC History: The August morning John Powell was about to enter the main part of the river, which he called the “Great Unknown,” he wrote,

“We are three quarters of a mile in the depths of the earth, and the river shrinks into insignificance as it dashes its angry waves against the walls and cliffs that rise to the world above; the waves are but puny ripples, and we but pigmies, running up and down the sands or lost among boulders.”


– Powell Report, August 1869

One of the boats on Powell's second expedition portaging a rapid in Marble Canyon.

Equipment/Camp Check: So, what should you expect at camp? The TL/boatmen will pick where we are camping due to a lot of factors we will encounter on the river (we already touched on this in previous posts). When we arrive in camp, the first thing we will do is form a baggage line (left) to unload everything needed for camp. This is mandatory for everybody.

 I know I've mentioned it before, but I'll reemphasis that this is a working vacation. Everybody pulls their weight and maybe even somebody else's weight on any given day. It's really important we all have a good tribe culture about working to do whatever is needed. No griping!! At the beginning of the trip, we will divide up trip members into teams (choose a team name if you are so inclined but be sure to make it amusing). The teams will mostly have 3 members each, any more and you just get in each other's way. Each of these 4 teams (the kids will have other duties) will rotate camp responsibilities over a 24 hr period. Camp responsibilities include, as Bill likes to say, "Poop, Fire, Water". That equates in non river speak to a four day rotation including groover set up/clean up, kitchen/cooking/dishwashing, pumping enough water for the next day and hallelujah! an off day.

As we arrive to camp, the different teams will deal with their responsiblities first, then set up their personal "camp". After that everyone is free to hike, explore, swim, laz around, etc.  Everyone usually brings a chair to the communal area and hangs out. During this time we will go over what we will see/run/experience the next day so everybody is on the same page.

Click here for a good NPS video on camp rules and regulations. It's about 8 mins and has lots of the current regulations.




Next Deadline: $500 per person is due September 1st. If your trip status changes at anytime (ie, need to do a half instead of a whole trip), please let me know as soon as possible so we can fill your ½ space. This will lower your cost.

Comments, questions, concerns? Try to post a comment or email me and I’ll include it in the next post. The comment link isn’t always working correctly.

GC Condor Update

If you are interested in the wild Condors who are nesting young in GC this spring check out this link.

Somewhere in Marble Canyon. Great picture.

411 Days to Go - Roaring Twenties & Indian Dick Rapid

TL Report: We’ve had a little shake up in the GC tribe members, which I imagine will keep happening on and off for awhile. Bill R and Beaz have had to drop out of the trip. Sad news. The good news is this allows Elaine and Meg to do a full trip. :-) We also asked my brother, Jim, and Bill’s brother, Mike, to split a 5th boatmen position, which will really de-crowd the rafts with 15 people on the oarrigs. They are green but eager! I’ll post the tribe list when it’s more settled. Other than that, I’ve “friended” a guy on facebook that had a July trip last year and have been watching his videos. He went with Moenkopi Riverworks (as we are) so it was great to see the River House in Flag that we will stay in for the day before and the day after the trip, watch how the rafts were rigged, etc. Once I figure out how to download other people’s facebook videos, I will ask him if I can post them for you guys. Not much else to report, this was the week I work in ATL and besides a Mother’s Day trip to REI to check out camp chairs and canyon hats, I didn’t do much else. It’s been great.

What the GC Private Boaters Assoc is chatting about this week: Apparently everyone took the week off. Some chatter on camping up Havasu and a trip report or two, and some information on backcountry permit requirements for hiking in at Phantom. Here’s the deal: If you are day hiking in to Phantom to meet our trip on that very same day, you do not need a backcountry permit. You are considered a day hiker. If you have reservations for Phantom cabin lodging, you do not need a permit. However, if you are coming in a day or two in advance and plan to camp out in the Cremation use area or Bright Angel Campground, then you do need a back country permit.

IMPORTANT IF YOU ARE HIKING IN AT PHANTOM: Reservations are taken 13 months in advance for Phantom Ranch lodging. If you want to hike in on July 4th, spend the night at the Phantom bunk house/cabin, then meet up with us at the boatmen’s beach in the morning, Here’s what Xanterra (the Phantom concessioner) says about reservations:

Reservations are accepted for stays up to 13 months in advance. On the first of each month, we will begin accepting reservations for the entire month of the following year. For example, on September 1, 2009, reservations through September 30, 2010 are accepted. Reservation Request Forms are not recommended when requesting reservations at Phantom Ranch. Please call us at 888-29PARKS (888-297-2757) for reservations on the first of the month. Phantom Ranch is extremely popular and advance reservations are strongly recommended.

Ok, just so we can beat this horse dead, dead, dead, apparently you have to call the first of the month for reservations in the next 13 months. Therefore, you'd call July 1, 2010 for reservations for July 4, 2011 reservations. Here’s the link for reservation information.

Backcountry permits for camping are requested 4 months in advance so I will goose you when it’s time next March 1st.

Mileage this week: River Mile 21-23. The next ten miles are called the Roaring Twenties and consist of a number of smaller rapids spaced one half mile or so apart. All of these rapids are “read and run”, no scouting needed, just a continuous fun rollercoaster ride (and a preview of things to come).

River mile 22.8 Indian Dick. See pix. Do yourself a favor and don’t search by this name on youtube for a rafting video. It’s rather an eye opener. There is a small sneaky rapid called Indian Dick rapid at river mile 23 known for flipping rafts. We'll try to avoid this :-).

GC History: Glen Canyon Dam. Hate it or love it but pick a side, because there doesn't seem to be any middle ground. Here are the facts. Glen canyon Dam impounds the Colorado River to form Lake Powell and regulates the water flow through Grand Canyon. Construction began in 1956 and took 10 years to complete. It is 1,560 wide and 710 feet high. But these are all boring facts. However, there is a high drama story concerning the dam and it all began with an unusually warm spring in 1983....

Ok, how to make a complicated story simple!? In May of 1983, due to record snowfall and rain, Lake Powell was taking in more water than Glen Canyon dam could release. Basically, the water was rising and the dam wasn’t high enough to contain it. The Lake was taking in about 110,000 cubic feet per second (CFS) of water and the dam could only release about 32,000 CFS by power generation. At this point, and as inflow continued to rise, the engineers at the dam realized how critical the situation was. The dam was at risk and breach was eminent if they couldn’t release more water. Glen Canyon finally decided to open the dam spillways which had only been used to divert the river during construction. The spillways released an additional 70,000 CFS into the river below. In several days, noticeable vibrations began to make themselves felt in the dam wall and surrounding rock. The spillways were shut down and inspection showed the water had carved huge gouges into the 3ft concrete walls of the spillway, some as big as SUVs. The tunnels could not be closed for long, however: the National Weather Service was reporting more rainstorms in the Colorado River Basin, and Lake Powell continued to rise. Glen Canyon had to reopen the spillways or risk the water breaching the dam. As the water level increased, dam engineers had a stroke of innovation and nailed sheets of plywood on top of the dam. On July 15, 1983, the water levels crested above the normal top of the dam and 1/2 way up the plywood before beginning to recede. A dam breach, and untold catastrophe was averted.

Here is a link to a for a very cool video of the 1983 flood from a river runner’s perspective. Our trip will see the river at anywhere between 7,000 to12,000 CFS. The people on the river in 1983 saw Colorado River levels of over 100,000 CFS. The video starts out with a shot of the waterproof bags the NPS was dropping on river trips from helicopters informing them of an eminent dam breach, and warning them to get to high ground. To the left is a photo of Crystal Rapid during the 1983 flood. Wow, that's some hole.

Equipment/Camp Check: My brother, Jim, right, one of our green-as-a-spring-leaf boatmen, was asking about how we poop while on the river. Here’s all your “groover” essential knowledge:

For many first time GC river runners, the notion of carrying out all our human waste may be a new concept and a bit difficult to wrap your mind around. Imagine this; 29,000 people/year pooping 15 to 24 times/trip and just leaving it where it lays in the beautiful Grand Canyon. Nope. Not happening. So packing out waste is a GC necessity.

The term 'groover' referred to the old practice of using metal ammunition cans to sit on while you did your business. The resulting grooves on your hinny sparked the name “groover” for the box. A modified toilet seat took care of the “groove” problem, but the name stuck.

Groover site placement is best left to experienced GC folks. The best placement consists of: proximity to the kitchen (downwind and not too close), proximity to the river, (no peeing in the groover, only the river) and, to some the most important consideration, a stunningly beautiful and private spot to remind you of your place in the universe (very small, indeed).

So here’s the deal, it’s pretty easy. First, you pee in the river, then, you poop into the ammo container, finally, you sprinkle deodorizing powder on top of your deposit. And that’s it, you’re done. We will have a well marked “pee” bucket next to the groover if you can’t make it to the river.

In a wilderness setting hand washing is 100% critical after using the groover because the consequences can be catastrophic for the entire group. 

.

So...how do you know someone's "on-the-unit"? We'll need to decide as a group what the bathroom door key is. Some trips will use a paddle, some trips will use a throw cushion. The paddle sits at the start of the trail when the groover isn't occupied. If it's there, you 'should' be clear to grab the paddle and head down the trail to the unit. Don't forget to return the paddle!

Finally, all groover related items (properly cleaned every morning before the trip leaves camp for the day), go on the groover boat (which does not carry any food stuff).

Ok, that's more than you ever wanted to know about pooping in GC. (and slightly more than I wanted to think about this morning!).

Next Deadline: $500 per person is due September 1st. If your trip status changes at anytime (ie, need to do a half instead of a whole trip, please let me know as soon as possible.


Comments, questions, concerns? Email me or use the comment link and I’ll post you back.

Would you take ride with this guy?

Bill here. I just had to post this video taken in 1959.  As an Air Force brat, I like to see old flying footage, especially of this caliber.  Imagine a Grand Canyon without air travel restrictions and your sitting in this air craft. This is a T-33 on a training mission out of Nellis Air Force Base flying through the Canyon. At one point, you can even see Vulcan's Anvil, the big, black lava rock above Lava...only tens of feet from the plane.  Enjoy!
http://www.airspacemag.com/multimedia/videos/Jetting-Through-the-Grand-Canyon.html

T-shirts

Hi its Rye my Mom owns this website and shared it with me. Last night my sister Callie and I got A Grand Canyon Private Boaters Association. OMG They Were So COOL!!!!!!:)
That is all.

P.S. If you want to learn more about our Puppies Go to www.lockettandlillie.blogspot.com .

418 Days to Go - House Rock

Hello GC tribe, thank you for your deposits!

TL Report: I put some new stuff on the blog this week. There is now a campsite itinerary page on the right hand column. This page lists the camps we are shooting for. Of course a lot depends on whether we will actually get a particular camp. Factors that might affect this would be our activities of the day (hiking/scouting rapids/wind/etc) and whether another trip on the water is camping there already. Most of the campsite names are linked to photos of that specific camp. You can click and see where we’ll be staying that night. Thank you, Annie, for providing the website that I used for the photos and thank you, Stevie, for providing input on campsites. This camp itinerary also lists what activities we’ll experience each day, such as hikes, sights, and notable rapids. I tried to plan for short river miles on heavy hiking/playing days like Matkatamiba, Deer Creek and Havasu. Typically, the river current runs 4 miles/hr, and we will run between 5 and 25 river miles a day. We will also run several big rapids (Granite and Lava, for example) first thing in the morning to take advantage of higher water levels/cooler morning temps for scouting. First thing? Yep, SPLISH SPLASH! GOOD MORNING! Who needs coffee with that kind of adrenaline rush?

I also added a calendar to the Trip Dates/Deposit Deadlines page. Just to be clear (and I’ve tried to be REALLY clear on this) a whole trip is 3 weeks long. A half trip will still take you 2 weeks, especially if you are planning on the 2nd half, which is longer than the first. If you are one of those visual people that need a calendar versus words on a page to figure out your timeline, take a look.

Now that we’ve decided on our itinerary, I’ve set a date for the Phantom Exchange. It will be on July 5th. That means anyone hiking in at Phantom will need to be at the South Rim on July 4th to hike down Bright Angel Trail in the early morning hours of July 5th. This also means if you are hiking out at Phantom, you will do so on July 5th up to the South Rim.

Speaking of July 4th, I’m pretty sure fireworks are prohibited by the NPS (trash/fire hazard).

What the GC Private Boaters Assoc is chatting about this week: One of the forum members posted a link to figure out the moon phase during our trip. And good news, we should have a full moon during our float across Lake Mead. We are really fortunate in this as we'll have light for the night float and it's supposed to be really beautiful.

GCNPS publishes guides to the North Rim and the South Rim several times a year. Here are the new ones if you are in the mood to peruse what’s going on in the park right now. (I know, I know, it’s not about the river, but sometimes you just need a GC fix anyway you can get one.)

Mileage this week: River miles 17.2-20. Click below to see a video of a group of folks this March rowing House Rock Rapid (class 4-7) at river mile 17.2. Not the best of runs, but it gives you an idea of the rapid.

River mile 18.5: Boulder Narrows. This block of Supai rolled into the middle of the river recently (how recently is anyone’s guess in “canyon” time), it is one of the larger blocks in the Colorado.

Finally at River mile 20.5 we have beautiful North Canyon. I’ve never hiked here and I’ve always wanted to, so we’ll definitely stop to enjoy the shade and the hike.

GC History: The California condor is regarded as one of the rarest birds in the world. Condors were a common resident of the Grand Canyon judging by bones, feathers and eggshells found in caves where they once nested. A dramatic range reduction occurred over the last 10,000 years. By 1982, the total population had dwindled to just 22 birds. Extinction loomed.

What's Being Done to Save the Condor?

As a result of the continued downward spiral of the condor population, one of the longest wildlife recovery efforts ever attempted began. After being placed on the federal endangered species list in 1976, a captive breeding program began. But in the wild, condor numbers continued to decline until by 1985 only nine wild birds remained. A controversial decision was made to bring all remaining condors into captivity, and the last wild bird was captured on April 19, 1987. With successful breeding, the captive condor population increased dramatically from 27 birds in 1987 to 150 in 2000.

In December of 1996, six young captive-bred condors were released into the wild in Arizona from a site in the Vermilion Cliffs, just north of Grand Canyon National Park. Subsequent releases have occurred every year since then. The world total of condors today is over 320, more than half of which are in the wild.

Currently, over 70 condors soar over Grand Canyon, especially during the summer. Condors, being curious, are attracted to human activity. If you see a perched condor, do not approach it or offer it food; just enjoy this remarkable sight! If you haven’t yet seen a condor in the wild, keep on the lookout from your next Grand Canyon trip. You may appreciate the majestic scenery of Grand Canyon all the more for knowing that it provides important habitat for one of the world’s most majestic—and most endangered—bird.

Equipment Check: What will the oar rigs look like?

The 18-ft self bailing Moenkopi rafts come equipped with everything we'll need. Paco Pads are stored on the two deck hatches (that also make great sleeping areas). Stern covers make for easy rigging (top, right). In the pix to the left you can see the chair bin under the hatch (chairs are impossible to pack/safely secure so they need their own space). On the high side pix to the right (can anyone identify the rapid?), you can see how the bags/equipment/ammo cans are rigged. That is what you are looking at, right?

Next Deadline: $500 per person is due September 1st. If your trip status changes at anytime (ie, need to do a half instead of a whole trip, please let me know as soon as possible, don't wait for the next deadline.

Comments, questions, concerns? Email me or use the comment link and I’ll post you back.

Paco Sumo