341 Days to Go - Nankoweap

TL Report: Heads up! The next deposit deadline is 6 weeks away and is $500 per person, half or full trip. I've posted a few shared videos on my facebook profile of Wayne Gulmantovicz's GC trip. These are the exact camps we hope to use for on day 1 and 2, and the second video is of their hike up Silver Grotto which is really beautiful. Thanks, Wayne, for sharing these!

What the Grand Canyon Private Boaters Assoc has been chatting about this week: Big dust up this week about a trip that had boatmen who chain smoked the entire trip. I know we have a few closet smokers in the tribe for this trip (no heavy smokers that I know of). Please remember if you need to smoke on the trip please be considerate of your other tribe members. Try to smoke downwind, especially if you are on a raft. Better yet, wait until we are on land and people can get a little distance. All butts need to be packed out.

Mileage This Week: River mile 50-53. Just like with Redwall Cavern or Vasey's Paradise, anyone who's been to the GC before absolutely loves to return to Nankoweap and it's graneries.

The hike up to the Nankoweap graneries is one of the most memorable in the GC. The granaries were built over 1,000 years ago by Pueblo Indians to store fodder which they farmed in the Nankoweap Delta. The NPS asks that river runners/hikers do not touch the granery walls but as you can see, unfortunately people still do so.The granaries were used to store bean and squash seed.  I remember the thrill when we identified petrified beans inside one of the graneries when I was there last. It was really cool. Even if you are not interested in the archeology of this amazing site, the hike is still worthwhile because of the great downstream view (see photo above).

The picture at the very top of this blog entry is the view of the Colorado River from inside Nankoweap Canyon, which is also an amazing hike, but a hot one. In July, with no shade, we'll probably skip this one :-(. 

GC History: Hey! I thought the Anasazi were the Native Americans who built those graneries?! 

Well, sorta. Contrary to popular belief, there was never a Native American tribe known as the Anasazi, despite the fact that the term 'Anasazi" is frequently used. The term is a descriptive label used to classify the residents who lived in the Four Corners region of northeast Arizona between 1 and 1300 AD. The "Anasazi" are the ancestors of Modern Pueblo People. 

Some of the Modern Pueblo People dislike the term Anasazi since the label is based on a Navajo word that means “ancient stranger” or “ancient enemy.” This has led some groups to argue that Anasazi is essentially an ethnic slur.

That being said, the ancient Anasazi/Pueblo Indians were farmers, but also spent time hunting and gathering in times of drought or cold weather. They lived in pueblos made from clay that covered a lattice of sticks and was anchored to a row of foundation stones. (photo, right, of ruin near South Canyon, with Vasey's Paradise in the background). Many of these pueblos were multi-family dwellings, since expanding an existing pueblo was an easier task than building a new home.

Archaeologists believe the Ancient Pueblo People may have spoken several different languages, including Tewa, Tiwa, Keresan, Zuni, and Hopi. They wore clothing that was woven on large upright frame looms and often made necklaces, bracelets, earrings, arm bands, and hair pins from bone, wood, coral, turquoise, or slate. Moccasins, sandals, and snowshoes were the preferred Anasazi footwear.

Anasazi religious activities were most often based upon a belief in the importance of nature and harmony with the world. Careful observation of the stars, moon, and sun was a vital part of Ancient Pueblo culture. There were many prayers and rituals designed to encourage successful hunting and farming.

Traditionally, Pueblo societies were matrilineal. Clan affiliation was typically determined by the female bloodline, with children belonging to their mother’s clan. When a woman married, her new husband was expected to move into her family’s household. However, the Anasazi men did enjoy special positions of civil authority.


Here are some really cool pix of John W Powell with the Kiabab Paiute Indians in 1871-72.

Powell the white guy on the right side of the circle.

Equipment/Camp/Trip Check: WIND. The Monsoon winds, July through September, can really, really blow.Wind in the Canyon is ALWAYS a headwind and can make life incredibly difficult for the boatmen. Imagine rowing into the wind for hours on end with little or no current. There is nothing more frustrating than actually being blown upstream when you are trying to row downstream! So, to avoid afternoon wind we will be striking camp early, and on the water by 8:30 or 9am. This means an early wake up time. Please wake up with a smile!

Also, if you set up a tent with the intention of taking ONE step away from it then attach it to something first such as a handy rock or put a couple of heavy rocks inside it. Better yet, don't put it up until you're going to get into it. Tents with sleeping bags, paco pads, duffel bags AND ammo cans in them are even now at the bottom of the river. They can really fly and you cannot always leap across rock-strewn beaches to catch them. It's an amazing sight, and one you don't want to see, especially if it's your tent sailing off into the river! Ditto your life jacket. Bring a carabiner to keep on your life jacket, then you can clip it to a rope, boat, gear bags, or another jacket whenever you take it off.

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 working correctly.