Grand Canyon Rafting Trip - In the Canyon Part 4

A Day on the River

Each day on the trip was different, some days there were more stops for points of interest and hikes and other days we spent most of the day on the river with lots of rapids.  This is a description of a typical day on the river.  The pictures though, were taken over the entire trip. 

The day starts at dawn with the cry of "COFFEE" from one of the guides.  This means the coffee or hot water for tea is ready and you had better get up and start getting yourself ready and packed up to leave.  A while later the cry of "BREAKFAST" goes out which of course means, it's time to eat a delicious camp breakfast (more on the food in another section).  After breakfast, you have a short time to finish getting everything packed away and then the loading of the rafts starts.  A fireline is formed where all the gear is handed from person to person until it all gets on the rafts; first the camp chairs, then cots and finally the gear bags.  Then a brief wait while the guides secure the rafts and then it's all aboard for another day on the river.

Kelly and Lucky loading the rafts.

Val ready for another day on the river.

As we get underway, it's still pretty early and we haven't seen the sun yet.  It can be pretty cool in the morning when you get splashed with the 50 degree river water and there no sun to warm you.  One morning we were warned that it might be a good idea to put on our rain suits as there would be many rapids in quick succession.  This was in a narrow part of the canyon where the it would be later in the morning before the sun made it over the rim.  Val and I put on our rain gear and were glad we did.  We were splashed many times and stayed dry enough to stay warm.  Some didn't and they got pretty cold before we got the sun.

Here is a video of us cruising down the river with some mild rapids (this was not the rain suit day).  The scenery was always spectacular as we floated down the river.

As we make our way down the river through the canyon the scenery is breathtaking.  In between the excitement of the rapids, there is so much to take in.  Here are some big horn sheep along the river.

Every couple of hours we would stop for a break where there would usually be a short hike or a point of interest.

The amazing Redwall Cavern

Inside Redwall Cavern

The start of a hike up the canyon.

Once we got in the sun, it got too hot for me so I joined Val back at the raft.

Val relaxing, waiting for the hikers to return.

After the break, it's time for more rapids and beautiful scenery as we make our way down the river.

The bridge at phantom ranch

One day we stopped and hiked up into a slot canyon where we were given a concert by the guides.  All of our guides are musicians; Justin plays mandolin, Lucky played harmonica, Kelly played the flute and sang and Scott played guitar, sang and wrote his own songs.  Our little concert started with Kelly playing the flute accompanied by our friend Dave who is also a flute player.  It was beautiful with the eerie and beautiful flute music echoing off the narrow canyon walls.  Next, Scott played guitar and sang his own songs about life on the river.  That too was wonderful, Scott is very talented.  Altogether it was an unforgettable experience and one that would be hard to duplicate considering the setting.

Val and I at the start of the slot canyon where we had our concert.

Around mid day we would pull into shore for our lunch.  As we relaxed or explored the area, the guides were busy unloading the lunch fixings and getting our lunch ready.  Soon the cry of "LUNCH" rang out and we were usually pretty hungry so we didn't need to be called twice.  After lunch, the guides cleaned everything up, loaded the raft and we were on our way.

Getting underway.

Time for more rapids and more beautiful scenery.

Patrice, Dave and Val on the buckboard enjoying the ride.

More big horn sheep.

One of our favorite stops was for the waterfalls and pools beneath them.  What an oasis on a hot afternoon and they were usually close to the river so there wasn't a long hike to get to them.

Val and Dave under the falls.

Patrice and Dave.

Patrice and Val and our fellow rafters

Val and Dave

One of the more spectacular waterfalls was the Deer Creek Falls.  Most of the group hiked up to the top of the falls, but a few of us decided to just relax at pool below.  It was a little bit of a struggle to get to the pool as you had to walk through a small, slippery and fast moving stream to get to it, but it was worth it.

Deer Creek Falls

The top of Deer Creek Falls.

The slot above the falls carved by the water.

Here's a picture of me under the Deer Creek Falls.  It was too difficult to get right under them and it was even difficult to stay where I was for more than a few seconds because of the strong current.  Also, the falling water created a really strong wind which made it even more difficult to stay near the falling water.  It made an interesting little mini climate right there.  On the left side of the falls, back as far as the picture was taken the wind is blowing a heavy mist of water making it cool and even a little cold.  Go across the stream to right side and it was very hot and uncomfortable if you weren't in the shade.  I guess that's where the concept of misters came from.

Dave almost under the falls.

The rafts are waiting so it's on we go.

At this stop, the hike would have been very difficult for Val as a recent flash flood had left many boulders and rocks blocking the entrance to the canyon.  Instead we opted to hang around the raft with a couple of others, but it was pretty hot that afternoon so we were anxious for the others to end their hike.

Val trying to stay cool.

The jumpers are collected after making their leap into the river.

The day on the river winds down.

By late afternoon, it's time to stop and prepare to camp for the night.  As soon as we land, we are given a few minutes to find a campsite, then it's back to the rafts to form a fireline to unload the rafts.  Then it's time for us to set up our camps while the guides finish unloading the rafts and start preparing our dinner.  Soon the call of "Hors d'oeuvres" rings out which means it's time to gather for some pre-dinner food while we wait for dinner to be served.  By the time dinner is over it's getting dark and time for bed, it's early to bed and early to rise on the river.  So ends another day on the river.

Grand Canyon Rafting Trip - In the Canyon Part 3

The Rapids


The most exciting, most fun and scariest part of a Grand Canyon rafting trip is the whitewater-- riding the rapids.  No descriptions, videos or stories can prepare you for what it is really like, it is amazing.  The rapids are all rated as far as difficulty goes (technically difficult to navigate), but you never know what to expect as it's all in the timing.  You may hit one of the waves at it's full height or you may roll right over it.  I was surprised by how many rapids there were.  I thought we would go through a few a day, but it was never very long between rapids.  They varied from easy to violent, but all were fun and exciting.

There's not much more too say so maybe you can get a feel for it by watching the videos I shot.  The quality isn't always good as the camera was obviously getting splashed.  I had to hold on with both hands so the camera got tucked in my life jacket which is why most of them are shot vertically and a little erratic as to where they are aimed.

Shortly after we left Lee's Ferry there is something called the Paria Riffle which isn't even rated as a rapid, but for us rookies it was a little bit of rock and rolling and a taste of what was to come.  Later that morning we came to our first large rapid and what proved to be the biggest of the trip, House Rock.  What made it the biggest was the fact the we got hit from the side by a huge wave.  You can see it hit on the video, but that doesn't convey how powerful it was.  It was a huge wall of water and it was all you could do to hang on.  Our friend Dave who was sitting on the front left spot on the rack was washed off, but was able to grab on to a rope and hang on.  The middle spot was filled by Bear (one of the Olsen family contingent) who wasn't so fortunate and he was washed completely off, but luckily all turned out well. You can see Kelly the guide rush in to hold on to him so he didn't go under the raft.  We never had any more incidents like that as everyone learned how important it was to hold on and for the people on rack to "suck rubber".  Sucking rubber means leaning forward with your head down so you don't take the full force of the waves on body.  So here is House Rock.

I didn't keep track of all the names, but here are a few more rapids.

Here is a video of the other raft coming through the rapids.  Unfortunately a big water spot blocks a lot of it, but you get the idea.

Hermit Rapids

A few more rapids videos.

And last, but certainly not least, Lava Falls, the last big rapid of the Grand Canyon and almost the end of the trip.  This didn't turn out to be a big as House Rock, but it certainly had the potential and was rated a 10 (out of 10).

The violence and power of these rapids are unbelievable and hard to imagine until you've been through them.  It was really a lot of fun and one of the highlights of the trip.

 

Grand Canyon Rafting Trip - In the Canyon Part 2

Our Fellow Rafters

As we live our everyday lives and come in contact with many people, we make quick judgements of them based on our first impressions.  These are usually the only impressions we have as we never have an opportunity to get to know them better.  Abraham Lincoln said, "I don't like that man.  I must get to know him better", and that is so true as I was reminded of this on our trip.  With the exception of Dave and Patrice, we started the trip with a group of complete strangers, and by the end of the trip we had a group of new friends.  My first impressions of many of them and I'm sure theirs of me would not have led us to get to know each other, but being together 24 hours a day for six days changes all that.

When you read the advertising literature for the rafting trip they talk of making new friends and bonding with your fellow rafters.  As those of you who know me know, I am not a very social person so I thought, oh sure, that's not going to happen with me, but how wrong I was.  It was truly an amazing experience getting to know everyone.  We had a young couple who were Russian immigrants, a father with his young daughter, a Cleveland city councilman, and many other equally interesting people.  Of special note was a clan people who were either related to or friends with our guide Justin.  They were the Olsen family, but called themselves the Griswalds after the family in the Chevy Chase Vacation movies and they were are a lot of fun and very nice people. Their family counted for over half of the people on our raft. We were lucky to have them on our raft as it made it quite lively at times.

Some of the "Griswalds" in the "Chicken Coop"

The crew on the "rack"

I can't write about our fellow rafters without saying something about our friends and traveling companions, Dave and Partrice.  Their enthusiasm and zest of living life, made the trip a lot more fun and we are really glad they joined us.  Here are a few pictures of them. 

Dave and Patrice on the "buckboard"

Dave and Patrice on the "rack"

Dave relaxing between rapids

Too bad Dave wasn't having a better time  ;-)

A few years back, Dave took a kayaking trip down the Green River in Utah.  One of the things he talked about was the great mud bath he had with the river mud which, in his words, "made my skin feel like satin".  Well on our last night of camping on the river, Dave found some mud and he couldn't resist and being the loving wife she is, Patrice reluctantly joined Dave in his bath.

 

Val admiring Dave's "tie"

Great trip guys, thanks for joining us, it wouldn't have been the same without  you.


Val and Patrice
For Val and Patrice, this trip had a special meaning beyond just rafting through the Grand Canyon.

First Patrice; a year ago Patrice was successfully finishing a very difficult fight against breast cancer.  Thankfully most of us don't have to go through something like that, so it is hard to imagine how scary and difficult that was for her.  After her recovery she had a new sense of how valuable life is and vowed to live life to it's fullest.  When Val asked if she wanted to join her on a Grand Canyon rafting trip, she jumped at the chance and her husband Dave soon was on board too (unlike this Dave).  Patrice lived life to the fullest every moment of this trip, she rode on the "rack" through some of the worst rapids, hiked all the hikes and was involved in everything on the trip.  The video below was kind of a culmination of her goal to live life.  I think you'll agree she succeeded.  You were a real inspiration Patrice.

Val had always wanted to do a Grand Canyon rafting trip.  After having a hip replaced and worsening arthritis she decided it was now or never and started planning the trip.  She knew she had to build her strength up so for the last year she has been exercising with Patrice's help (Patrice is a physical therapist who owns her own business).  Anyone who knows Val knows how much she hates exercising so you can see how important this was to her.  In our everyday life, getting around isn't difficult for Val, but things are different on a rafting trip.  In the last few years hip replacements have gotten to the point where you don't have any restrictions on your movements, but when Val had hers, there were precautions she has to follow for the rest of her life or risk a hip dislocation.  This means not positioning your leg in a certain way, so couple that with bad knees and even getting on and off the raft is difficult.  As far as the hikes go, there are no nice flat manicured trails, you are generally scrambling over rocks, wading through slippery streams or walking along stepped rock shelves.  

A lot of these hikes Val couldn't do, but one her goals on this trip was to make the hike to Havasu Falls and she did it.  It wasn't easy, she needed help form me and others, but she struggled through it and did it!  She seemed to think that because she needed help, this diminished her achievement, but as Patrice pointed out, everyone needs help in this life.

She made it!!!

I can't tell you how proud and inspired I was by Val on this trip.  This took a lot of determination and courage on her part and I really admire her for it.  I have to admit, if there is something that seems like it's going to be too difficult, I just avoid it, but Val will never accept she can't do it until she tries.  After the trip when we were saying our goodbyes, several people came up to Val and said how inspirational she was.  I have written quite a bit about this, but if you are getting older, as we are, or have other physical limitations, you will know what this meant to both of us for her to be able to do it.  This is why I am so thankful I took this trip, to share this triumph with Val means more than anything to me.  When we reached the lower Havasu Falls it was a very emotional moment and we both cried together and in fact I have tears in my eyes writing this.  Thank you Val, I learned something from you.

Grand Canyon Rafting Trip - In the Canyon Part 1

I have to be honest, I didn’t really want to go on this trip.  I knew it would be great fun riding the rapids, but I wasn’t really looking forward to the heat and sitting in the sun all day and although I camped quite a bit when I was younger, I don’t really care much for it these days.  Val was originally going with a friend, but he couldn’t go so rather than disappoint Val, I decided to go and am I ever glad.  If I hadn’t gone I would have missed the trip of a lifetime.  Rafting down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon is an unbelievable experience; the excitement of running the rapids, the beauty of the canyon with the walls towering above, the camaraderie and bonding with your fellow rafters, even the nightly camping was a special experience.  The best part of the trip though, was sharing it with Val (I’ll have more to say about this later).

I sunburn pretty easy so you'll notice I stay completely covered most of the time which makes me look pretty dorkish, but it worked as I didn't get burned at all.  Also a note on the photos and video; I brought my good camera with a couple of lenses as well as a point and shoot waterproof camera.  I kept my good camera in a sealed backpack, but it was such a hassle getting it in and out and keeping it dry, I regretted bringing it.  I did use it some, but mainly I used the waterproof camera which also had problems as it was hard to keep the lens free of water spots and condensation.  That said, I think the photos and videos will give you some idea of life on the river. One note - if you can't play the videos it probably means you don't have Adobe Flash Player installed on your computer as they are in that format.  It is a free download from Adobe if you want to install it.

The Beginning

The night before our rafting trip was to begin, we met Dave and Patrice at the Cliff Dwellers Lodge in Marble Canyon, Arizona.  After getting settled we decided to take the short drive to Lee's Ferry where our trip would start in the morning.

Lee's Ferry

We saw some people working on a raft and asked if they were getting ready for a trip tomorrow.  They said they were, and it turned out it was the rafts and guides we would be joining the next morning.

Western River Crew getting our rafts ready.

Then it was back to the Cliff Dwellers Lodge for dinner.  About half way through dinner a large group of eight came in and sat down at the next table.  We could overhear their conversation and it was obvious they were Western River Expeditions guides.  Some of there comments were probably not meant for their passengers to hear so after dinner Val jokingly told them we would be joining them tomorrow and had heard what they said, which made them a little sheepish.  They hadn't said anything bad, just some river humor and we all had a good laugh.

The next morning we were up early and on our way to the Marble Canyon airstrip where we would meet our group and be bused down to Lee's Ferry to our rafts.  There were a few other trips leaving that morning so it was pretty busy. For our trip there were two rafts, four guides and twenty-eight fellow rafters.

Val, Dave and Patrice

Packing the raft

Getting ready to get going

After an orientation, we were assigned our rafts and our great adventure was underway.

Departing Lee's Ferry

That line with the ball stretched across the river marks the start of Grand Canyon National Park

Navajo Bridge

The back of the raft

The Rafts

Since we will be spending most of our next six days on the rafts, here is some information on them from the Western River Expeditions web site.

Western's J-Rig Raft

Named after Western’s founder, Jack Curry, the “J-Rig” is a patented craft offering the most flexible and comfortable ride on the river. If you’re a thrill seeker, you can sit up front where the waves hit hardest, or ride aft for more protection. There are plenty of calm sections along the river where you can move freely around the boat and trade seating positions throughout the trip.

A Whitewater “gusto” seating with safety lines
B “Adventure” seating atop food coolers
C Padded seating atop dry food storage boxes
D Storage area for guest luggage and trip equipment
E Ice water and lemonade coolers
F 4-Cycle outboard motor provides quiet propulsion with low emissions
G Extra motors and spare parts
H First aid supplies and satellite phone
I Compartmented neoprene rubber tubes have 20 separate air chambers and are capable of supporting 66,000 lbs.
J Cold beverage drag bag keeps drinks accessible throughout the day 

The section up front (A) is called the "rack" and is where the action is as you will see on the videos.  Dave (not me, the other Dave) spent a lot of time up there as well as Patrice.  Section (B) right behind the rack is called the "buckboard" which is where Val and I spent almost all of our time.  It was aptly named as we were bucked around quite a bit through the rapids.  The area behind that (C) is called the "chicken coop" where things are a little calmer and you don't get so wet.

The Guides
When I read over the information Western River Expeditions on the rafting trip there was a section on gratuities for the guides.  The gratuities were of course voluntary, and the suggested gratuity was 10%.  As this trip is a little pricey, that seemed pretty high to me and I thought that might be too much.  By the end of the trip I not only thought they deserved the full 10%, I wished I would have brought more for them.

The guides on our trip were Lucky (Craig Lutke, the trip leader), Scott, Justin and Kelly.  Justin and Kelly were the guides on our raft, so we got to know them pretty well.  First of all, they are all great people; they were very personable, friendly, helpful, and made everyone feel very comfortable.  Amazingly enough, by the second day, they knew everyone's name, how they did that I'll never know.

Their job is not easy, they work from before the sun comes up to the end of the evening and I mean work hard.  In the morning when it is still dark you can hear them setting up for breakfast and by the time everyone is up and around the coffee is ready and breakfast is cooking.  Afterward they have to pack up the raft, get everyone on board and get on the river.  At lunch it's the same routine, unpack everything needed for lunch, prepare the food, then pack it all back up and get back on the river.  At night more of the same, unpack the raft, set up the kitchen for dinner, cook and serve everyone, cleanup and then pack it all away.  In between there are hiking stops where they lead the hikes.  Sometimes it is very hot when they are performing all these demanding tasks but they don't seem to notice.

The guides were masters at handling the rafts and guiding them through all the rapids.  These rapids have taken the lives of boaters in the past so there are real dangers, but they knew every small detail and nuance of each rapid.  It was amazing to see how they would turn and move the raft to avoid hazards both seen and unseen.

The guides are also very knowledgeable about the canyon and provided a lot of information as we traveled down the river.  One of the things I was most impressed with was their ability to turn a group of strangers into a group of friends (more on this in another section).

As you can tell, we were very impressed with the guides; they played a large part in making this trip the exciting adventure it is.

Grand Canyon Rafting Trip - Out of the Canyon

Patrice, Dave, Val and Dave on the "buckboard"

One of my pet peeves is the use (overuse) of the word awesome.  It is used for everything from a new pair of shoes (“these shoes are awesome”) to your morning breakfast (“that oatmeal was awesome”).  The dictionary defines the word awesome as “extremely impressive or daunting, inspiring, great admiration”.  That said, I have to say that rafting through the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River is AWESOMELY AWESOME, what a trip!!!

On Sunday morning, September 2nd, we ended our trip at Whitmore Wash in the Grand Canyon, 188 miles from where we started six days earlier.  We were helicoptered out to the Bar 10 Ranch where we showered, had something to eat and then flew in a small plane back to Marble Canyon where we started our trip.  There we split up with our friends Dave and Partrice and drove on to Las Vegas where we stayed for a few days to recover from our trip.  Dave and Patrice were headed to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon to camp for a week before returning home.

When we arrived at Harrahs in Las Vegas we were very pleasantly surprised to find that Jennifer (I’m not sure what Jennifer’s title is, but we make all of our Las Vegas reservations and arrangements through her) had booked us into a suite on the 22nd floor overlooking the Las Vegas Strip.  What a contrast, we went from waking up on a cot under the stars next to the Colorado River to a suite high above the Las Vegas Strip.

Sunday, the last day of our rafting trip, was quite a day, Val pointed out that we traveled on a raft, helicopter, airplane and car all in the same day.  I will be describing the trip in detail with many pictures and videos over the next few days, but first I wanted to let Val give her impressions and feelings about the trip.  It was her idea, she got Dave and Patrice on board and did the planning – thanks Val.  And thanks to Dave and Patrice for joining us, they were great traveling companions.

Hi... Val reporting in,

This trip was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.  It was so much more than I thought it would be.  The beauty of the Canyon, the exhilarating rides through the rapids, watching the full moon come up over the canyon walls, the rainbow over the river after an afternoon thunderstorm are just a few, but the most surprising thing of all was the emotional aspect of the trip.  All of us had tears in our eyes at least once on this trip.  Sounds silly, I know, but it was all so overwhelming and wonderful.

As Dave said, we will be adding photos and narrative to the blog as soon as Dave has time to process all the photos and put pen to paper, so to speak.  There is so much to say and show you about our adventure on the River in the Canyon.

Grand Canyon Rafting Trip - Prelude

After a summer hiatus from traveling, it's time to get going again.  Today we are heading to Lees Ferry for a six-day white water rafting trip through the Grand Canyon with Western River Expeditions.  The trip will start at Lees Ferry and end almost 200 miles later at Whitmore Wash where we will be helicoptered out of the canyon.

This trip should be a lot of fun and we are really looking forward to it, but it will also be very hot down in the canyon so we are a little wary of that.  The water temperature is only 50 degrees F so we'll either be baking in the sun or freezing in the water.  As there is obviously no Internet connectivity in the Canyon, our trip report will have to wait until we get home in about a week and a half.  We'll have plenty of pictures and (if my new waterproof camera works out) video to show, and I'll report all the details.

September is going to be busy for us as a week after we get back from our rafting trip, we will be heading out to meet up with a group of our friends for our annual "Geezer Gathering", this year in Driggs, Idaho.  After we get home from that trip we will be taking my aunt, who will be visiting from Michigan, up to Lake Tahoe for a few days.  We also have tentative plans for a trip to Washington and Oregon in late October so we'll be busy, but we are ready after a summer of inactivity.  That's it for now until we return from our rafting trip.