215 Days to Go - Finishing up the Gems

Stars over the Canyon.

TL Report: Did everyone check out the cool GC Google Earth file I posted earlier in the week? It's fun to play with! Try zooming in to see Crystal (river mile 98), Lava (river mile 179) or our next camp Bass (river mile 108).

Here's a great video slide show of a GC trip that is really entertaining to watch:

 



Powell Plateau

 Mileage This Week: River Mile 104-106. As we travel through the final "Gems", the lower canyon walls fall back from the river. The Canyon really opens up and the Powell Plateau becomes visible on the skyline (photo left).

At river mile 104.4 we will run Emerald Rapid, class 5 (out of 10). This rapid is also known as "wanna-be Ruby" and is a read and run rapid with large waves.

Ruby Rapid at 105.2 is formed by debris from Ruby Canon on river left. This class 5 rapid also has a large wave train.

Waves in Serpentine Rapid

The final Gem, Serpentine, drops 12 ft and is rated class 7. It has a large pour over at the top right that we will definitely avoid.

GC Wild Burros are still found on reservation land

GC History: Feral Burros in the Canyon. 

Many Grand Canyon National Park visitors  recall the heartwarming story of the little burro named  “Brighty” (you did read the 1953 classic Brighty of the Grand Canyon, right?). Upon arriving at the park, many of these Brighty fans are shocked to learn that there are no more feral burros in the park. In fact, pursuant to a carefully worked out plan, the last of the park’s wild burros were captured and relocated more than 40 years ago.

In the 1960's, burros were considered an nuisance species that unfairly competed with the Canyon's indigenous animals. The NPS developed a plan to rid the parks of burros, but the public was firmly against the idea. The NPS plan called for wildlife managers to cull the animals (call it the quick, efficient, and cheap approach); however, animal protection organizations demanded the use of non-lethal methods (call it the slow, inefficient, and expensive approach). This was a recipe for confrontation and both sides were deadlocked. 

In response to the issue, Congress passed The Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act (Public Law 92-195)  in 1971, which gave feral burros permanent tenancy on most Western public lands; however, it specifically exempted national parks and wildlife refuges.The public was appeased, and the burros were subsequently captured and relocated. 

Statue of Brighty at the North Rim

__________More on Brighty____________

Brighty of the Grand Canyon, the beloved 1953 children's novel by Marguerite Henry, is an account of a real-life burro named "Brighty", who lived in Grand Canyon from about 1892-1922.

Originally named "Bright Angel" after the creek that flows from the North Rim to Phantom Ranch, Brighty spent summers carrying water from a spring near the canyon floor back to the North Rim .By all accounts, Brighty was a very friendly fellow, and allowed children to ride on his back for hours on end. His favorite food was said to be pancakes, which the camp cook frequently feed him.  

Brighty was involved with a number of Grand Canyon historical events. In 1921, he participated in the dangerous construction of the first Kaibab suspension bridge across the Colorado River. According to legend, Brighty was the  first to cross the new bridge when it was completed. Brighty also met Teddy Roosevelt, whom we have to thank for protecting and preserving the Grand Canyon.

Although almost a century has passed since Brighty roamed the North Rim, his legend lives on. When you visit the Grand Canyon North Rim today, you’ll find a life-size bronze statue of Brighty in the lobby.Rubbing the nose of Brighty's statue is said to bring good luck.

Pulling over for lunch

Lunch Time!

 Equipment/Camp/Info Check: What will lunch be like on the river? Well, I'm glad you asked. 

In January, I'm going to send out a little questionnaire on what foods anyone is allergic to or what you absolutely hate to eat. I'm also going to grab a couple of you to work on the menu. That being said, we will never please everyone (especially with three kids along), so I have already decided to have PB&Js as an alternative lunch everyday. :-) Who can't be happy with that?

Below you'll find some of the menu options for lunches. If the lunch is something that needs to be made up like pasta salad or tuna salad, it is usually prepared at breakfast. If it's cold cut sandwiches or something similar, we'll just pull the meat from a freezer. All lunch stuff will be stored in a day cooler on one of the rafts until we need it. There will always be some sort of snack, and during the summer it's important we retain salt, so salty snacks will probably be our main accompaniment.  We will also have some sort of Gatorade-type drink mix and a water cooler.  When we stop will depend on what we are doing that day (rapids, hikes, etc).

Lunch	Suggested Sides
Cold Cuts	Pringles/Cookies
Veggie Cuts	Chips/Cookies
Chicken Salad	Chips/Cookies
Tuna Salad	Chips/Cookies
Tuna Wraps	Chips/Cookies
Chicken Wraps	Chips/Cookies
Pasta Salad	Chips/Cookies
Salmon Lox	Chips/Cookies
Tostadas	Cookies
Mexican Wraps	Cookies
Mexican Tacos	Cookies
Taco Salad	Cookies
Hummus/Cheese/Pita	Chips/Cookies
Tabouli Salad/Pita	Chips/Cookies
Egg Salad	Chips/Cookies
PBJ	Chips/Cookies
Cheese/Salami/Crackers	Chips/Cookies

 I want to be sure to tell everyone to bring one Power Bar type personal snack for every day we are on the river. Cliff bars, Lara Bars, anything is fine as long as it won't melt to mush in the heat (chocolate is not a good choice). 


If you get hungry and lunch is not for a few hours, you'll get cranky and/or weak. Save yourself (and all of us) the threat to group dynamics by preparing ahead and bringing a daily personal snack. Full trip people need 18 for the 18 days we are on the river.  If you are hiking in or out at Phantom, you may need a similar amount when you factor in the hike. Hikers (and rafters)  be sure to do your homework and  look for a higher sodium (salt) content of your snack (to retain water and electrolytes).




Next Deadline: Final trip balance is due February 15th. 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.