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.