8 Days To Go - We are on our way out West

We are on our way out West. I leave you with this Powell quote from the end of his book, The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons:

The glories and the beauties of form, color and sound unite in the Grand Canyon - forms unrivaled even by the mountains, colors that vie with sunsets, and sounds that span the diapason from tempest to tinkling raindrop, from cataract to bubbling fountain. It can be seen only in parts from hour to hour and from day to day and from week to week and from month to month. A year scarcely suffices to see it all. It has infinite variety, and no part is ever duplicated. it's colors, though may and complex at any instant, change with the ascending and declining sun; lights and shadows appear and vanish with the passing clouds, and the changing seasons mark their passage in changing colors. You cannot see the Grand Canyon in one view, as f it were a changeless spectacle from which a curtain might be lifted, but to see it you have to toil from month to month through it's labyrinths. It is a region more difficult to traverse than the Alps or the Himalayas, but if strength and courage are sufficient for the task, by a year's toil a concept of sublimity can be obtained never again to be equaled on the hither side of Paradise.

12 Days To Go - Night Float, Delgadillo's, Flagstaff



The last stop before returning to Flagstaff: Route 66's funky Delgadillo's Snowcap


TL Report: We're packed and ready to go... and pretty darn excited. Two more days of work in ATL then home for a night's sleep and off we go at 5am for the drive West.



Here's the front,
 the back is a surprise.

 MOE says they have received four bags from our group. Just FYI.

The GC Tshirts came out great! Girl shirts for girls, boy shirts for boys.

Welcome to last minute substitution Colleen Davis, a friend of Kathy and Don's. We are delighted you are joining us!


Here's the NPS's video for Diamond Down.

Rigged up for the night float

Mileage This Week: The Night Float from Separation Canyon (River mile 240) to the Pearce Ferry take out (River Mile 280).
After making dinner at Separation Canyon, we will rig the rafts together and float the remaining miles across Lake Mead to the Pearce Ferry take out. With Lake Mead so low, we will have current the entire way and a full moon to enjoy as we transition out of the canyon. We will sleep on the rafts with 2 people manning the oars in shifts to keep our floatilla off the shore or any trees. If we time it right, we should see the sun rise as we reach the Grand Wash Cliffs, a spectacular site which marks the end of the Grand Canyon. Imagine how Powell felt when he saw them, knowing he'd survived his epic journey.

Areial shot of Pearce Ramp

We should reach the new Pearce Ferry take out about 7am, where Moenkopi will be waiting for us to de rig the rafts and load up the trip.



Pearce Ferry



We will all want to hike down from the ramp to see the epic Pearce Ferry rapid, about 1/2 mile downstream. Just to be clear, we are not running this rapid. As the water level for Lake Mead has dropped, this rapid has gone from bad to worse. It is now considered unnavigable.

End of trip pix at Delgadillo's

On the way back to Flagstaff, it is a tradition to stop at Delgadillo's SnowCap restaurant in Seligman, AZ. This place is really fun and is a must stop for any trip reentering society!



Behind Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In, Seligman, Arizona in Arizona


Finally, after about a 4 hour trip, Moenkopi will drop us off at the Monte Vista Hotel in downtown Flag where we can shower, eat non-camping food, and "plug" ourselves back into the world (sigh). Everyone on the trip is staying here, so after a scrub, we will all go out to dinner to celebrate a wonderful adventure completed.

In the morning, several of us are headed off to Arches and Yellowstone NP for another couple weeks. Several others are flying directly home.

GC History: Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the United States. It is located on the Colorado River about 30 mi  southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada, in the states of Nevada and Arizona. Formed by water impounded by the Hoover Dam, it extends 112 miles behind the dam.

No water is present near a no fishing sign (above) and boats in dry dock near the Lake Mead Marina in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Nevada.

Due to the prolonged drought in the West, and increased water demand spurred by explosive population growth in the Southwest has caused the water level at Lake Mead, which supplies water to Las Vegas, Arizona and Southern California, to drop over 100 feet to its lowest level since the 1960s. In June 2010, the lake had dropped to 39 percent of its capacity, and on Nov. 30, 2010 it reached 1,081.94 ft setting a new record low threatening Hoover Dam's ability to generate power.  

The National Park Service has been forced to close or extend boat launch ramps, and move entire marinas to try to keep up with the receding water levels. Because the water at the lake isn't being replenished as fast as it's being used, water managers are now working to come up with plans to combat the effects of continued population growth, drought and a dwindling supply of water from the Colorado River due to climate change. 

Generous snowfall this winter (2010-2011) has resulted in increased inflow to Lake Powell (above Lee's Ferry) which has resulted in our higher river levels for June and July, and a subsequent increase in the level of Lake Mead.  While the increased water inflow has provided a stop-gap measure for power generation at Hoover Dam, Lake Mead's declining water level is a crisis situation for the 6 Western states that rely on this reservoir for their water.

Info Check: Ok, just for a good laugh, here is a cheesy video of a jet boat run up Pearch Ferry rapid in 2010. Check out how much the rapid has changed from the above video in just one year. Doubtful if they could get a jet boat up it in 2011. Gotta love the "Top Gun" music, reminds me of the 80's.

19 Days To Go - Diamond Down

Separation Canyon Plaque

TL Report: I've been fielding lots of last minute questions about the trip... anyone else?


What the Grand Canyon forums are chatting about this week: Difficult runs at Lava with the high water level (24K). Apparently alot of trips are getting trashed. Should be interesting....

Mileage This Week:  Diamond Down. Diamond Creek (River Mile 226) is the "end" of the traditional run through the canyon and the start of the Diamond Down section. We will spend day 17 leisurely exploring this section form Travertine Falls to Separation Canyon. Below are Brady Black's (from Moenkopi Riverworks) notes on Diamond Down.

There are smaller camps on this section

230.5 Travertine Falls Popular small sloping kitchen nook with a giant sleeping area a short walk away at the base of a giant Travertine Fall.                                                 

231 Rapid **Great Long Rapid at low water, scouting difficult because of length** < 10KCFS

232 THE FANGS Another Great Rapid at low water, flushes out at high water >14K

234 Great Fun Long Rapid with fun lateral hole on the right “read and run”

236 Bridge Canyon Rapid Early Shade in the summer at Bridge Canyon Camp**Do not nightfloat from here it’s not the last rapid
237 Gneiss Canyon Fun, interesting small rapid. Great little hike in the granite. Small beach camp.

239 Bridge Canyon City Great ½ to full day Loop Hike Possible from Bridge Canyon City over to Southside of Separation. Also 2 hour hike to great views of Separation and upstream on top of the Tapeats. Go up obvious steep drainage with seep. There is a well worn trail to the mother of all cairns overlooking camp and beyond.

240 Left side of Seperation—Great Hike up Dry Creek bed. Through the hike and at the tapeats level one can see the Powell parties hikeout. Glorious. You can hike back to Bridge Canyon City on the trail where the tapeats hits the drainage.

Separation Canyon

240 Right side of Separation-Popular Camp, and dinner spot for nightfloaters. 12 hours to Takeout by nightfloat. No rowing. If one leaves at 7 pm you may be at Pearce at 7 am

Our trip will eat stuffed Pork Chops at Separation Canyon for dinner, then rig the rafts for the nightfloat.

Glen and Bessie Hyde - famous honeymooners who disappeared in the GC

GC History: Glen and Bessie Hyde and Separation Canyon

Glen and Bessie Hyde were newlyweds who disappeared while attempting to run the rapids of the Colorado River through Grand Canyon, Arizona in 1928. Had they succeeded, Bessie would have been the first documented woman in history to do so.


The couple set off down the canyons of the Green and Colorado Rivers in October 1928, as a honeymoon adventure trip. Glen wanted to set a new speed record for traveling through the Grand Canyon, while also putting Bessie in the record books as first documented woman to run the canyon.

They were last seen in November 1928, when they hiked Bright Angel Trail out of the canyon to resupply. They approached photographer Emery Kolb at his studio and home on the canyon rim, where they were photographed before returning down into the canyon. Some historians note that Adolph G. Sutro traveled back into the canyon with the Hydes, taking photographs and even riding a short distance with them in the scow. Sutro was the last person to see them, on November 18, 1928, as they launched back into the river at approximately river mile 95.

A search was launched when the Hydes did not return to Idaho by December. In mid-December, a search plane spotted their scow adrift around river mile 237; it was upright and fully intact, with the supplies still strapped in. A camera recovered from the boat revealed the final photo to have been taken near river mile 165, probably on or about November 27. There is some evidence to indicate the Hydes made it as far as river mile 225, where it is believed they made camp. No other trace of the Hydes has ever been found. It is thought to be most likely that they fell or were swept out of the boat in heavy rapids near river mile 232. Their disappearance is one of the enduring mysteries of the canyon.

Separation Canyon

Separation Canyon (see photo of plaque above)

On August 28, 1869, at a place now called Separation Canyon, O.G. Howland, his brother Senaca, and Bill Dunn came to Major Powell during the first Powell expedition, and spoke of "how we surely will all die if we continue on this journey." They could only see more danger ahead. Try as they might, they could not convince Powell to abandon the river.


The next morning, the three men bid farewell to Powell and the remaining five adventurers. Powell left his boat the Emma Dean at the head of Separation Rapid in case they changed their minds. With the other five men Powell ran what would turn out to be the first of two remaining major rapids they would encounter. The Howlands and Dunn climbed out of the canyon walking towards civilization only to meet their death at the hands of Shivwits Indians who mistook them for miners that had killed a Hualapai woman on the south side of the river. At least that was the story Powell heard the next year when he visited the Shivwits area with Mormon Scout Jacob Hamlin.

It was ironic they parted company then as two days later Powell and his men reached the mouth of the Virgin River (now under Lake Mead) and were met by settlers fishing from the river bank. The adventurers had not been heard from in three months and were presumed dead.

Powell had completed what he sought to do ... explore and confirm his theory on the Grand Canyon of the Colorado, a region up to that time almost wholly unknown and concerning which there were many vague and often wild rumors. His theory was the river preceded the canyons and then cut them as the Plateau rose.

Returning a national hero to Illinois, Powell promptly hit the lecture circuit then raised funds for a second expedition in 1871 which would produce what the first did not -- a map and scientific publications.

26 Days To Go - Diamond and Travertine Falls

Diamond Peak - This formation is cool as it represents the elevation
the river has dropped over the length of the trip (226 miles).



 

 TL Report: Tribe, You all should have gotten several emails from me this week for trip housekeeping:

1. Libation acquisitions
2. Flight information
3. River House information
4. MOE sat phone battery rental information
5. MOE electronics recharging rental information

What the Grand Canyon forums are chatting about this week: Iridium satellite phone connection. I posted a thread asking what people's experiences have been with up link times and call duration on GC. Consensus from the forum is, mostly poor. You need a southern exposure for up link, and it can take anywhere from 0-20 minutes for a satellite to pass over to get a connection. Then call duration is usually about 1 minute or less before being cut off. Enough to say, "All's well here!" and "I love you!"

The cool thing about the Iridium phone is people can text your phone for free from Iridium's website and you can get the messages on the trip. I have asked my group to be discrete if calling home. Most folks want an "unplugged" wilderness experience, and I personally like being out of touch for the length of the trip.

Mileage This Week: River Mile 209-230



Diamond Creek take out

 After running a few rapids and some raft-loving holes we will arrive at Diamond Creek. This is the 226 mile marker and a frequent take out for trips before the Pearce Ferry take out road was completed on Lake Mead. This is the first place since Lee's Ferry, 226 miles upstream, that a road comes right to the Colorado River. This land is owned by the Hualapai Nation, and fees are collected for it's use. Our trip is not taking out here, but we must pass this point sometime on Day 16 to be in compliance with our GC permit.

Travertine Falls

Travertine Falls

Just below Diamond, we will run Diamond Rapid, (class 4) a 25 foot drop, and camp at Travertine Canyon, at mile 229. We will cover about 21 miles today. Dinner is Italian Chicken with an appetizer of Brie/dried cranberries/crackers. While at camp we can explore Travertine Falls, a series of impressive waterfalls close to the river.

Grand Canyon of the Colorado, near the big bend near Diamond Creek, by William Henry Jackson, probably 1892,  Jackson was the official photographer of the Hayden Survey of the American West, 1871-1878.The National Museum of Art, Smithsonian Institution.

GC History:
Diamond Creek, is a frequent take out for river runners. It is a 22 mile dirt road from the town of Peach Springs, Arizona, to the river, all through the Hualapai Nation. The Hualapai charge a whopping fee to take out here, so many trips, including ours, are now taking out at the newly constructed Pearce Ferry takeout downstream. The first part of the "road" is the streambed, which can be extremely rough and is subject to flash flooding.

The town of  Peach Springs was named by early explorers, who found Peach trees growing at the fresh water springs. Spanish legend states the trees were planted by Jesuit Missionaries from San Bernardino, who were looking for a silver mine in the area. Others credit the Peach trees to Mormon pioneers who passed through in 1852 looking for a crossing of the Colorado River back to Utah. Today, there are sadly no peach trees growing at the springs.

Spanish explores visited Diamond Creek in 1776 and Lieutenant Joseph Ives and Doctor Newberry, the famous botanist , visited in April, 1858. The journey down Peach Spring Wash (the Diamond Creek Road) still follows pretty much the same route as followed by these early explorers and the scenery has changed not all all. Ives reported seeing Hualapai, and being somewhat frustrated that they ignored his party.




Iridium Sat Phone



Equipment/Camp/Info Check: I've already sent the group email about this, but for the general public:

Moenkopi rents batteries that they state will power everything/anything electronic on the trip, $72 rental. I wish we knew this before we spent a fortune on Solar panels. :-(

Moenkopi will also rent extra batteries for the Iridium Satellite phone if you want to call home often (trip batteries are reserved for emergencies on our trip), $30 rental.

Thanks to Wendy, my gear guru, who passed on the SPOT Connect Satellite Communicator. This little device ($150 at REI) apparently hooks up to your smart phone to make it a Satellite phone. Cool. I'll let you know if it works in GC, as Wendy is bringing one.