130 degrees in the sun

Just read a great August 2010 trip report here. Click on the "Wanna go on the Grand..." link at the top of the page. Here's the pix of the thermometers at Phantom first in the shade, then in the sun. Yozza.

 

285 Days to go - Nevills & Upper Rattlesnake Camp




View from The Tabernacle



What the GC forums are chatting about: There's been a lot of stories about people heading to pee in the river late at night and subsequently falling, tripping, or dropping off a ledge into the river. There's usually either a lack of headlamp or a wee bit of alcohol involved or sometimes both. Conventional wisdom is to have a pee bucket/jar near your real estate so you can pee without triping over rocks, scorpions, sleeping tribemates, etc.  Falling into a 40-plus degree river in the middle of the night is not only stupid, it's stupidly dangerous. People have drowned this way.

Remember you can only pee in the river or in a container that's dumped into the river. There's no exceptions, so prepare ahead! You don't pee in the Groover (what's the Groover? See this post) and you can't pee in, around or out of camp. This is the desert and urine doesn't get washed away with rain.

Modesty is thrown by the wayside on a river trip! People are quite modest on day one, searching for a rock or boat to stand behind but after a day or two, well, you just look the other way. Hey, no big deal.  

It's an honor system to obey the rules, and I promise you they are there for a reason, so lets be sure to be good stewards of the Canyon!!

Here's a really great trip report (and a fun read) of this guy on the right who fell into the river one night after imbibing.




Hiking up to The Tabernacle from Upper Rattlesnake Camp.







Approaching Nevills Rapid



Mileage This Week: River mile 74-76. After we  finish our Cardenas hike and pass Unkar Delta, (boycotting the-death-by-dehydration march), we will arrive at our fifth camp, Upper Ratttlesnake, at River Mile 74.5. This is a nice, medium sized camp with a side canyon coming in. This camp is supposed to have shade at 4pm in July which is why we are camping here. There is a neat hike (if the weather is not crazy hot) to a butte just west of the camp called The Tabernacle (see photo above). I couldn't find anything on why this camp is named Upper Rattlesnake nor any pictures of it. (Sorry, I really looked, too).







 



Google Earth image of Nevills Rapid



After we break camp the next morning we have a BIG day of whitewater. We'll start off the day with Nevills Rapid at River Mle 75.8. This is a class 6 (out of 10) 16ft drop that requires us to manuver around several pour-overs. We probably won't scout this rapid as it is "read-and-run". However, if anyone is uncomfortable we can certainly stop and take a look. Check out the Google Earth image of Nevills Rapid to the left. The water is running from the top right of the picture to the bottom left. You can see the hydraulics (frothy white bits) throughout the rapid.

This will be a good warm up for everyone because as I mentioned, we have a big day in front of us. Besides Nevills, we will run Hance (class 8), Sockdolager (class 7) , Grapevine (class 7) and a host of smaller stuff before making camp again. More on these rapids in upcoming posts.  



 GC History: Nevills Rapid was named after Norman D. Nevills (April 9, 1908 - September 19, 1949) who was a pioneer of commercial river-running on the  Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.

Nevills met and married Doris Drown (wow, unfortunate name for a river runner's wife) in July, 1933. For their honeymoon, they floated the San Juan in a boat that he had built from his mother's horse trough.





Nevills' chance for fame came in 1938, when he had the opportunity to escort Dr. Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter, two botanists from the University of Michigan who wished to catalog the flora of the Grand Canyon, these were the first women to run the Colorado.



Always the gregarious adventurer, Norman obtained his pilot's license in 1944 and purchased a Piper Cub in late 1946. He delved into flying and quickly amassed hundreds of hours' flight time and intended to launch an aviation business. Norman and Doris were tragically killed on September 19, 1949 when the plane's engine cut out on take-off in Mexican Hat, Utah.

Wildlife Check: As long as we are talking about Upper Rattlesnake camp, lets check out the Grand Canyon Rattle Snake (Crotalus viridis abyssus).

This is a medium to large (16" to 54") rattlesnake with dark blotches on a variety of base colors ranging from reddish, pink, yellow/green, light tan, to gray. The blotches usually become bands near the tail. It is only found in northwestern and north-central Arizona. It is primarily diurnal (daytime active) but can be out and about around the clock when conditions are favorable. It feeds on squirrels, mice, lizards, and birds and is not aggressive. They usually flee if given the opportunity. Here's our lesson of the day: don't pick up any snakes. Any at all.    At anytime.    Don't do it.    Really.





Next Deadline: Next Deadline: Final trip balance is due January 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.

"So this is the River”

“THE River," corrected the Rat.

"And you really live by the river? What a jolly life!"

"By it and with it and on it and in it," said the Rat. "It's brother and sister to me, and aunts, and company, and food and drink, and (naturally) washing. It's my world, and I don't want any other. What it hasn't got is not worth having, and what it doesn't know is not worth knowing. Lord! The times we've had together..."

                     - From the Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahme

The Colorado River through GC voted best whitewater rafting trip in US

Just saw this website had rated the top ten whitewater rafting trips in the US. I think this is more outfitter driven than anything else but it's nice to see our trip at number 1. I do think the Chattooga was robbed at just 8!

1. Rafting the Colorado River. In the grandest canyon of the Colorado, experience the excitement, serenity, joy and enchanting beauty of the river as it transforms this divine chasm and those who venture down it. Raft 279 miles in 18 days. The Grand Canyon is ever-changing, with massive walls that step back to expose eons of natural history, at one place dark and narrow, and at another lush with waterfalls thundering hundreds of feet in luminous free fall.
2. Oregon - the Rogue
3. Idaho - The Middle Fork of the Salmon
4. West Virginia - The Gauley and the New
5. Washington -  the Skykomish
6. Montana's  the Middle Fork of the Flathead
7. Idaho - the Salmon
8. Rafting on the Chattooga River - GA, SC, NC Boarders
The Chattooga begins at the Whitesides Mountain in North Carolina and flows in a southwesterly direction to form the border between South Carolina and Georgia. One of the wildest and most beautiful whitewater rivers in the America, the Chattooga was the first river in the Southeast to be designated "Wild & Scenic" by Congress and was used as a location for the movie Deliverance.
9. Alaska -Tatshenshini and Alsek Rivers
10. Durango Colorado - The River of Lost Souls

292 Days to Go - Unkar Delta

Unkar Rapid, Class 6 (out of 10) dropping 25 ft

TL Report: Ooops, sorry guys I gave you the wrong date for the final trip balance. I said last week that it was January 1st, but it is really January 15th. Sorry for any confusion! and Whew! I did fine on my first Patho exam, so I have a moment to catch up the blog.

Furnace Flats

Mileage This Week: River Mile 71-73. As we leave Marble Canyon, we'll enter into Grand Canyon, and the very first thing you realize is wow, it's now seriously HOT. Grand Canyon is much wider than the narrow walls of Marble. This first section is appropriately named Furnace Flats (left). This is an active archaeological dig so there is no visitation on river right from river mile 71.5 to 72.

Cardenas ruins overlooking Unkar Delta

Just across the river from the start of Furnace Flats is Cardenas Camp. We will probably be doing a side hike here up to an overlook of the Unkar Delta which we will pass further downriver at river mile 73. There are some intact ruins at the top of the overlook. The structure (right) was discovered by the Stanton Expedition in 1890 and they think it might have been a watchtower. It stands 6 ft tall and has rectangular slots at the top for shooting arrows.

Unkar Delta from the North

Once we arrive at the Cardenas ruins we can see the Unkar Delta. This is an expansive archaeological site with many building foundations and pottery shards. It was extensively inhabited between 850AD to 1350AD. While we are allowed - and even encouraged - to stop here and check out the site, it is phenomenally HOT. I am not inclined to spend any time here due to the lack on shade. If it's overcast, and the tribe is up for it, we can reconsider a visit. 

Just before passing Unkar Delta we will run Unkar Rapid (see photo at very top) Here's a video of a paddle raft running Unkar.  Hey, this brings up a point, is anyone interested in taking along a paddle raft?

GC History: Cardenas Camp is named for Don Garcia Lopez de Cardenas, who was the first non Indian to see the GC in 1540. Here's what George Simmons in Canyons of the Green and Colorado Rivers has to say,

"In August 1540, Pedro de Tovar returned from an expedition to what are now called the Hopi Pueblos and reported that the Indians had told him of a great river to the west. The Spaniards sent Cardenas to investigate, and in Sept, they reached the Grand Canyon at this vicinity Three days were spent in trying to reach the bottom of the canyon, and the three men who attempted it only reached one third of the way down. The Indian guide knew the way, but did not inform the explorers."

Equipment/Info/Camp Check: If you are interested in a book on the Unkar Delta and the Pueblean Indians who occupied it for over 500 years, check the book on the left out at Amazon.



Next Deadline: Final trip balance is due January 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.

299 Days to Go - Hopi Salt Mine & Carbon Creek

Sacred Hopi Salt mine

TL Report: Hey, heads up, our Sept 1st deposit was due this past Weds! Thanks to everyone who sent me your money. Please contact me if you haven't sent me the dinero.

The final trip balance is due Jan 15, 2011.

 Please put this on your calendars.

Hopi Salt seaping from Tapeats Sandstone

Mileage This post: River mile 63-70. Leaving the Little Colorado River confluence means we are exiting Marble Canyon and entering Grand Canyon. This also means it's gonna get HOT. The walls of Marble Canyon are much steeper than Grand Canyon (= more shade) and we will feel the difference. On the other hand, now we will get to see the truly grand vistas of Grand Canyon in all its spectacular glory. So, after we've had a blast playing in the Little Colorado River (LCR), we will start downstream and on river left we will pass the Hopi Salt mine from river mile 63.5 to 65. This is actual table salt that seeps from the Tapeats sandstone near the mouth of the LCR. For hundreds and hundreds of years, the Hopi Indians traveled into the Canyon to connect this precious substance. As this is a sacred site to the Hopi and other Native Americans, these mines are closed to visitation.

"View" from the Desert View Watchtower above

At river rile 64, we can look up to the South Rim and see the Desert View Watchtower which is visible looking straight down river. The structure was designed by Mary Colter (who designed many of the GC lodges including Phantom Ranch), and was completed in 1932.

At river mile 65 we'll pass Carbon Creek Camp and Canyon. This is a lovely side hike with a waterfall that we may stop at. At river mile 66, we'll run class 4 Lava Canyon Rapid (not to be confused with Lava Falls later in the trip!) and at river mile 69 we'll run class 4 Tanner Rapid (see below). This is a wide, long, moderately mild rapid dropping over 20 feet.

Tanner Rapid

I found this quote about Tanner Camp in someone's GC journal:

Down at last by the Tanner Rapids, where the canyon is relatively wide, we found several pleasant sandy beaches to sport ourselves in. At first we didn't sport much, being too bushed to concern ourselves with much more than filtering water for dinner. But fifteen minutes later we had the caloric power of olive oil, olives, and anchovies -- along with a bottle of red -- rushing into our bloodstreams. Gradually, as the daylight waned, our energies waxed anew. We explored the area by moonlight for hours, exploiting our good fortune at finding ourselves in Eden. We slept that night outside the tent, on the sand, under the stars.

GC History: According to legend, in the depths of the LCR abide the spirits of the Hopi. In the dim past, these legends tell, the spirits emerged from the Canyon, and the dead returned to reside in hadean gloom. This exit from the world beneath is known to the Hopi as the Sipapu. Other legends tell of ghostly inhabitants who, arising from the abyss with glowing eyes and monstrous forms, traveled out across the Painted Desert to revisit their earthly homes on the Hopi mesas, where they now maintain a lively and beneficent interest in human affairs. It is natural, therefore that these great canyons, the abode of the dead, should be regarded with wonder and reverence, and that the things found in the canyons are possessed with great mystical powers.

Salt near the river

Hopi Clan Petroglyths

Near the confluence of the LCR in the Tapeats Sandstone, salt leaches out of the rock as water percolates through the coarse grained sands and then evaporates. An ancient trail from the Hope mesas to the salt deposits travels westward across the Painted Desert to the LCR gorge, then plunges down to the river through what today is called the Salt Trail Canyon. Since prehistoric times, people have made this precarious journey, close to the mystical underworld, returning with their heavy burdens. Hopi continue to use salt in ceremonies. Today, the NPS prohibits visitation to the salt mines and only sanctioned visits by the Hopi are allowed.

Info Check:  Here's a fun slideshow of a GC trip in 2007 in slideshow format if you guys have some extra free time. Click here.

Current and next Deadline: $500 per person was due September 1st.  Final trip balance due January 1, 2011. 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.

photos of Western River Expeditions J-rig pinned in Crystal

Here's a photo of the commercial raft that the NPS rangers took two days to get off Big Red rock Aug 6, 2010. Check out the yellow oarrig that floated into the blue motor rig and subsequently pinned.



1/29/2011: I just rec'd some additional photos from the NPS on this pin:

313 Days to Go - LCR

180 degree view of the LCR.

TL Report: Hello! We had a great vacation in the Keys and saw several of the folks coming on this trip; my brother, Jim, plus Eve, Elaine and Meg. Thanks all for a wonderful time it was so great to see you guys!  I posted an Condor Release update yesterday on the blog. Check it out.

Reminder: Sept 1st deposit of $500 per person is due in less than two weeks. This is your friendly PSA for the week.

What the Grand Canyon Private Boaters Assoc has been chatting about this week: Everyone is posting about a commercial outfitter who pinned in Crystal last week. Apparently, it took the NPS rescue rangers (who had to helocopter in) TWO ENTIRE DAYS to get their j-rig off Big Red rock (sounds alot like an action movie). Conventional wisdom on the forum says this will cost the outfitter somewhere around $20,000 to $30,000 in fees. Wow. The good news is the water was running, get this, an incredible 23,000 cubic feet per second (cfs)!! Big Wow. That's some great water for GC. There's a previous post on the blog with the unabridged press release.

Also the NPS has filed a 48-page criminal complaint against a trip leader who did everything wrong you could possibly do on GC. This guy allegedly defrauded the trip of money, harassed the women on his trip, broke every rule in the non commercial river trip regulations (including splitting the trip, using a motor, lying to rangers, exceeding trip numbers) and generally terrorized his trip mates. The complaint is fascinating reading, kinda like a train wreck in slow motion. Many on the forum suggest people going on a GC private trip should read the events of this trip-gone-WAY-bad as a big reminder why group dynamics are so vital to a positive trip experience. I've posted the entire complaint on a previous post in this blog. It is public record.

Ok, on to happier stuff:

Mileage This Week: River mile 57-62. Woo Hoo! We are up to one of the coolest places on the river, the confluence of the Little Colorado River (the LCR) and the Colorado. We will spend a lot of time here as it is an amazing hike/swim/exploration/cover-your-tribe-mate-with-mud spot.

 The LCR confluence with the Colorado River (above). The main river is running dark green here. Unfortunately we can't camp on the island!

LCR swim train - It's fun to take your PFD and head up the LCR right bank to float back down through  the riffles. Though still cool, the waters of the LCR are noticeable warmer than the water in the main river. This is a very popular stop for river runners, and we should expect others to stop while we are here.

Travertine

The LCR drains 37,000 sq miles of Arizona and New Mexico and runs muddy brown when flooding, but otherwise is a beautiful aquamarine color from mineral springs upstream. The calcium carbonate creates the amazing travertine dams throughout the river. Due to the high mineral content of the water, is not potable (we can't drink it).

 LCR Paco Pad fun

GC History: The rock cabin built under an overhang near the LCR belonged to Ben Beamer, who built it in 1889. He was a prospector who tried to farm near the river's mouth. Powell discovered an Indian archaeological site in this vicinity in 1869, but the site was never relocated. It is believed that Beamer's cabin occupies the site and that the foundation was originally used by the Indians. Pottery shards found in Beamer's dump indicate that the overhang was used by Kayenta Indians during the 12th century and by the Hope as early as 1300 A.D. to the 1800's.

Beamer’s cabin tucked into the cliff near the Little Colorado River (seen during low water) in 1955. Although off limits to hikers and river rafters, Ben Beamer’s cabin may still be seen today along the south bank of the Little Colorado River.

Equipment/Camp/Info Check: No fishing at the confluence of the LCR and the Colorado due to this little endangered guy.

Prior to the building of the Glen Canyon Dam, the humpback chub, a native fish to the Colorado River system, lived throughout the Colorado River system in Arizona and Utah. However, this species was added to the endangered species list in 1967, after the completion of Glen Canyon Dam. The largest remnant population of humpback chub now survives near the confluence of the Little Colorado and Colorado River.

Diving Superhero Raven in Grand Canyon -I love this picture!

Hey Look! A dry bag that surely has fud in it!

And as long as we're on animals, lets look at one of the biggest pests on the river: the Raven. Ravens in GC are huge and aggressive. They see people as two-legged vending machines. Any food left unattended on a raft or at camp will quickly vanish. They have also been know to tear holes in dry bags. Here's a link to a video from the NPS on ravens.

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. Question? Post it on the blog or email me and I will get back to you.

Criminal complaint against GC trip leader

Here's the criminal complaint the NPS filed against Doc Thomas. This is public record. The first page lists the abbreviated counts. The next bunch of pages are explanations of GC/Colorado regulations/background. The NPS evidence gets started around page 18 and it's riveting reading. I can only imagine how horrible this experience must have been for the participants. This is a long document so give it a minute to load.

Criminal Complaint Against DocThomas

NPS has to rescue commercial outfitters at Crystal

Successful run of a commercial raft in Crystal

Whitewater rafters rescued after 5-hours stuck in Grand Canyon National Park's Crystal Rapids

August 11th, 2010 2:49 am

Grand Canyon, Ariz. – With the busy Labor Day weekend around the bend, river rangers, search and rescue (SAR) personnel and the park’s inflatable Zodiac boat were flown by helicopter into the Grand Canyon National Park to rescue rafters stranded on Crystal Rapids. Crystal, one of the highest rated whitewater rapids in the Grand Canyon, has earned the expression "ABC" for "alive below Crystal" from veteran river runners.

Rescuers were deployed after the Grand Canyon Regional Communications Center received a report of a boat stuck on the rock garden at Crystal Rapid on Friday, August 6 shortly after 3:00 p.m.

One of two motorized rafts in a Western River Expeditions (Western) boat trip had become stranded at the top of the rock garden at Crystal Rapid. The Zodiac was deployed to rescue the boat’s passengers; and by 8:00 p.m., the 16 passengers and crew had been transported to shore where they set up camp. The other raft in the party continued on to Lower Tuna, a large campsite at GCMRC Mile 100.1.

Congestion in the great outdoors

The following morning, an Outdoors Unlimited oar-powered raft became stranded at the same location as rescuers were attempting retrieval of the Western raft. Rescuers already on the scene quickly rescued the boat’s operator and transported her to shore, where she rejoined the Outdoors Unlimited trip.

On Saturday, a separate Western river trip passed through the area and picked up half of the passengers from the stranded boat on the original trip. On Sunday, a raft sent by Western to take the place of the stranded raft arrived at Crystal Rapid, resupplied the Outdoors Unlimited trip which had lost gear when its boat flipped, then picked up the remaining passengers and crew from the original Western trip so that they could continue down the river and rejoin the rest of their group.

Once resupplied, the Outdoors Unlimited trip also continued down river. Their boat was freed late in the day on Sunday and tied to shore downriver of the rapid so that Outdoors Unlimited personnel could retrieve it at a later date.

Monday, August 9, 2010 at approximately 4:00 p.m., a full three days later, after unloading and partially de-rigging the raft to lighten its load, rangers were able to finally free the Western raft. The craft will be reloaded, rigged and maneuvered downstream to the take out at Pearce Ferry. Final operations and clean up at Crystal Rapid were expected to be completed by the end of the day Tuesday.

No injuries were reported from either of the two unfortunate boating parties.

July 2010 GC Condor Release

On July 1, 2010, three condors were released at the Vermillion Cliffs, just north of Lee's Ferry. The NPS did a great job of documenting this public release at this youtube link. Check it out. At this point in time, 76 condors are flying over Grand Canyon!