Grand Canyon - Day 13

Thursday, October 7th - Day 13 - by Erin

For the first morning in several days, we woke up to actual sunshine! The only difficulty was there had been a heavy dew the previous night, so everything that had been left out to dry was actually wetter, but at least we had sunshine!

After breaking camp, we paddled about 100 yards downstream to the mouth of Blacktail canyon. Blacktail is an incredible canyon made up of layers of Tapetes sandstone. As with many narrow side canyons, Blacktail ended with a waterfall. Flattened vegetation and deep rivulets gave evidence of the flood that must have pounded through the narrow canyon after the torrential rainfall.

After leaving the canyon, it was rapid after rapid. Dan swam in Forster and then we both swam in a really swirly "riffle" around mile 124. The third rapid, Fossil, was one of the most exciting of the day - it was a really long rapid with several S-curves. For some reason we didn’t follow our usual order and all of the rafts and kayakers ended up going into the rapid in a bit bunch. Dan flipped early on and ended up swimming. None of the kayakers could quite get to him because we were still in the middle of the rapid, but Dad threw him a throw bag and he and Dan pulled him on to the yellow raft in the middle of the rapid. I am not sure where his boat ended up but I think it was pulled on to a different raft. Shortly after that we stopped for lunch on a small beach. It was sunny, but really windy so it still felt quite cool.

Immediately after lunch was another unnamed rapid with one huge wave and some super-swirly water. It flipped me and I ended up swimming. I popped up, but was sucked back underwater by a massive whirlpool of water – talk about disconcerting! I actually had to kick to get back up to the surface. Tim later told me that while upside down in the kayak there was actually a moment when it looked like my whole boat had been sucked into the vortex – yikes!

The rest of the afternoon was great! We started our new "quick scout" program where we all piled on shore took a 3-5 minute look at the rapid and jumped back in the boats. We went through Specter - no problems remembered, Bedrock - also no problems except that several of the rafts passed quite close to the rock but it made for good film :-)

Next up was Dubendorff . In my opinion, Dubendorff was one of the more impressive rapids on the river. For whatever reason (probably because it had just rained for days and the river was swollen with water), the waves appeared immense and the river wide and turbulent at this particular spot. We spent a bit longer looking at Dubendorff and assessing the best route around the massive hole at the bottom of the rapid on river left. The first plan was to attempt cutting right across the tongue, but on closer look, there was concern that the current within the tongue was too strong and would be very difficult to cross. Instead, we all ended up taking the far more manageable, far right route through Dubendorff - except for Michael who braved the left route and managed to skirt the massive hole on river left. The far right route was still plenty exciting, but it kept us all – rafts and kayakers – well clear of the hole.

We kept going after Dubendorff through several smaller rapids. On our way, we passed the Beckwith group and stopped to ask about Sam's life jacket - which they returned but with no knife. We continued through Granite Narrows which is the canyon’s narrowest point at 76 feet across. It is incredible that this is the narrowest point and the river is still huge! We ended up camping at OC's. It had been one of our longer days and we had covered around 17 miles. Everyone was pretty tired, but we were able to get camp set up and a dinner of fish tacos cooked in no time. Great day!

Grand Canyon - Day 12

Wednesday, October 6th - Day 12 - by Erin

I definitely slept better than last night when we were flooded out, but not great. I felt like I was waiting all night for the storms to start up again! Luckily the weather seems to be clearing up a bit. I dragged myself out into the drizzly morning to help with breakfast. Under Michael's direction, we made egg sandwiches with sliced oranges. We also prepared fresh tabouleh for lunch.

It turned into a cool, damp morning, but we managed to get the tents packed up and everything loaded on the boats before it started to pour. I tried to do a pre-water warm up on the beach to get ready for our first rapid of the day, Emerald, which was right at our doorstep, but unfortunately its utility was marginal. Emerald rapid had surprisingly massive waves and it wiped me out pretty quickly. A huge lateral wave rolled me right over. It was not much fun to swim on the first rapid on a cold morning, but at least I was the only swimmer. I was quickly pulled to shore and Michael helped to empty my kayak which was much appreciated. Unfortunately because the morning was cold and drizzly, I started to get cold quite quickly.

Next up was Ruby, the last of the gems. I did not see what happened, but Dan ended up swimming. I made it through as did all of the kayakers and rafts. We went through several smaller rapids and riffles before arriving at Serpentine. Sadly, Serpentine did not go so well for me and I swam after getting flipped by a large wave. Luckily, the expert rescue squad was ready and pulled me to shore. I was getting extremely cold at this point and Jim very kindly offered to lend me his farmer john dry suit. I was worried that he would get cold and did not want to accept, but my shivers outweighed my worry and we quickly changed. The farmer john made a HUGE difference and I finally started to warm up for the first time all day.

We stopped for lunch at Shinumo creek just as the sun was peeking out from behind the clouds. What a reaction that got! Everyone was smiling and laying out wet clothes to dry. Before eating lunch and pumping water, we hiked up Shinumo Canyon. It was not a long hike and most of it involved walking up the creek bed through a narrow, little canyon. It was a beautiful canyon that ended in a spectacular waterfall! Several people jumped into the pool beneath the waterfall and enjoyed a fresh water shower. I was still too chilled to jump in another cold pool of water, but it was funny to see everyone’s wetsuits fill with water!

Just as we finished lunch, it started to rain again, so we quickly got back on the river. We were all wearing water clothes anyway, so it was the best place to be in the rain. We went through several small rapids before reaching Waltenberg. We stopped to scout Waltenberg and then went through. The goal for the kayakers was to ferry right to miss a hole at bottom center. I started off ok and even scored a combat roll, but unfortunately, I didn’t make it far enough right and ended up going through the hole sideways, so I was back upside down and swimming before I knew it. Jim also swam at Waltenberg after going through the same hole. Luckily for me (but maybe unluckily for him), I was still wearing his semi-dry farmer john, so I stayed relatively warm and dry even though it was my third swim of the day. All of the other kayakers and rafts made it through in good form.

As we were going through Waltenberg, the rain was pounding down and it even started to hail, but it did not last for long. Before we knew it the sun was back out and we were able to see some spectacular waterfalls throughout the afternoon. We stopped for a quick hike at Elves Chasm. It was a beautiful little spot with a lot of fun rocks to clamber over on the way back to a waterfall and a pool.

We were aiming for one of the Blacktail camp sites and were hoping to get in before dark. We ended up stopping at 120-mile campground which is just above Blacktail Canyon. It was a huge campsite with lots of room for everyone to spread out. We are getting very good at setting camp up quickly and dinner served in no time. The only thing that took a bit longer to cook tonight was the gingerbread cake, but everyone who stayed awake to eat a slice thought it was delicious!

Grand Canyon 2010 Trailer

Grand Canyon 2010 Trailer from Dan MacFarlane on Vimeo.

A short preview of our Grand Canyon 2010 trip. This video is best experienced with SOUND TURNED ON and played in Full Screen HD.

Grand Canyon - Day 11

Tuesday 5th October 2010 by Dan –

The rain continued into the night. I woke at 3am to thunder and lightning, heavy rain hitting the tent, and a gushing sound close by. I reached for the tent floor above my pillow hoping for the reassuring feeling of solid ground, but instead I felt a bubbly texture of water under the tent – much like how a water bed feels. The bubblyness was quickly spreading in all directions from one corner of the tent. In the darkness I grabbed for my head-lamp. We had a serious problem. The tent was now quickly filling with water. A flash flood from the heavy rains meant that our tent was now pitched in the middle of an overflow pond from the newly created stream flowing a few feet away. We were now both awake and on full alert. Erin’s first concern was for our boats on the beach. She left the tent and went running off into the storm to make sure they weren’t floating away. Crouching in the tent, between the floating platforms of our sleeping pads, I grabbed our blankets and stowed them into dry bags as quickly as I could, to stop them getting wet. There was now a good two inches of water in the tent. The rain was easing, but the flood was not. We evacuated the rest of our belongings from the tent. There were now quite a few people awake. We crafted a drainage channel to release the water from the newly created pond, and we got some help to empty the water from out tent and move it to higher ground. Thunder and lightning continued until morning as we lay trying to sleep on wet sleeping pads.

The next morning was cold and wet. It had been quite a night. We had been barraged almost continuously throughout the night by some seriously fierce storms. The storms most intense moment culminated with the brightest flash of lightning and loudest crash of thunder most of us have ever experienced, magnified further by canyon walls surrounding us.

We had breakfast at 6:30am and then a delay until out next move was decided. As the storm clouds subsided, the call was made to move out. We put on wet gear and packed up our stuff, including a very wet and sandy tent.

The first rapid was not far from our camp. It was Granite rapid (rated 7-8) at mile 94. The river here is especially fierce after the storm. The rapid runs down a steep 18 foot drop alongside the canyon wall and I had decided to try and run it. Wow! I have never experienced anything like that before! I followed Andy’s lead. We entered near the wall at the top right. There were big powerful waves coming from multiple directions. You need to brace into them or they will knock you right over. Andy flipped quickly and disappeared into the swelling water. I continued on, occasionally catching a glimpse of his upturned boat amongst the white water and breaking waves ahead of me. Then a lateral hit me from one side, then the other, and then in a flash I was upside down as well. I didn’t even know what hit me. Upside down in my boat the water was turbulent. I felt my boat being pulled forcefully this way and that. I waited a couple of seconds before trying to roll. I got a gasp of air, and then I was back under. I tried again without success. It felt like I was being circulated. Now was the time to pull the cord and eject. I surfaced holding my boat, but I’d lost my paddle. The fierce water and strong currents in the rapid were swiftly carrying me downstream. I caught a glimpse of my paddle in the swelling water and quickly decided to release my grip on my boat in favor of a chance to get my paddle back. I released my boat, but now I had lost sight of my paddle. I kicked my legs and grabbed into the water where I’d last seen it. To my relief, my hand made contact and I had my paddle back. Now I caught sight of Andy who was close by. He expertly maneuvered his boat into position and I grabbed for the handle at the back. He towed me out of the rapid and towards shore as I coughed out the water I had swallowed.

Erin had been on shore and had blown her whistle to raise the alarm. Michael had gone after my boat which was now out of view. Once on shore on river right I made my way across the sand and rocks downstream to find Michael and retrieve my boat. He had pulled into an eddy on the other side of the debris fan. After my boat was drained, I was back on the water. Wow! The adrenaline was still running. Granite Rapid was an experience that I will never forget. It was the most challenging rapid that I’d ever attempted. I was very glad I’d made the decision to try it, and also slightly disappointed that I didn’t make it through without swimming.

The video below was shot by Erin and shows (at half speed) some of the action in the first part of the rapid. Andy is in the first kayak and I am in the second:


Erin put her boat on the water below Granite after portaging from camp. The next rapid of the day was Hermit Rapid were Erin swam after flipping near the top. I made it through unscathed; now with a taste for the big water. After Boucher rapid came Crystal (rated 7-10) rapid, and is one of the hardest on the river. Scouting took a long time. Lunch was followed, and then Tim, I and Jim took the sneak route down the right side and thereby avoiding the majority of the rapid. Max also took his raft down the right side and got stuck between two rocks so that he had to be pulled off.

Several more rapids followed, Tuna Rapid and Lower Tuna where I was flipped and managed to roll on my second attempt (was very pleasing). After a riffle or two, Sapphire Rapid (rated 6) was quite challenging, but I made it though. After Turquoise Rapid it was getting late and my arms were beginning to ache. We eventually found a campsite at about 6pm (30 minutes before sunset) at Emerald just above 104 Mile Rapid. After unloading the boats, I setup the tent which involved some creative guy lines to work around rocks, and Erin was on the cooking crew.


It was a great day. My best yet! I’m feeling more comfortable in my boat and in the rapids. Excellent! Now I just need to get some sleep for more tomorrow.

Grand Canyon - Day 10

Monday, October 4th - Day 10 - By Erin

Layover day! Today we were treated to a leisurely morning. It was a beautiful day and breakfast was served at 8am instead of 6am. Breakfast was scromletts – a delicious mix of scrambled eggs, potatoes, and lots of vegetables – with toasted English muffins. After breakfast, sandwich fixings were set out and everyone prepared their own sandwich for lunch.

It was nice to have a relaxing morning because last night was not a relaxing night! We had some fierce thunderstorms blow through camp. It is quite an experience to be in a small tent with rain pounding down and lightening flashes so bright that they can be seen through the thin nylon. The thunderclaps were loud enough to shake the very walls of the canyon!

Dan and I were excited to hike up into Monument Creek, so we joined Michael, David, and Jim who were also planning to hike. It was a fantastic hike up into the canyon with a spectacular section through a narrow slot canyon. We encountered several groups of backpackers on the way. From Monument Creek, we were able to get on a section of the Tonto trail going west. We hoped to hike further up for some views of the river and canyon. Near the top, we spotted a small hill on a ridge and decided that it would make a perfect lunch stop.


From the top, we had spectacular 360 views of the Canyon and the Colorado River far below.

The only problem was the looming thunderstorm to the south. The storm was moving fast and within minutes, we were in the midst of a raging storm complete with thunder, lightning, driving rain, and hail. We quickly hustled ourselves down off the hill and down the ridge as quickly as we could. We had climbed over 1,100 feet from our starting point at camp. We hurried down through hail and rain.
Occasionally, the rain stopped and the sky lightened up a bit which was nice and it let us dry out somewhat! With the rocks wet, their amazing colors really stood out – reds, purples, golds.

By the time we made it back to camp, the rain had mostly stopped and we even saw a patch of blue sky. I was just getting ready to do some laundry in the river when another dark cloud came over the canyon rim. Instead of starting laundry, I scurried around with everyone else to pick up gear and secure things that were left out. Once done, Dan and I grabbed some snacks and sought refuge our tent. It was a relaxing way to spend the afternoon and a good chance to catch up on my journal writing.

There were a couple of lulls in the rain, but this storm did not seem so keen on moving on and turned into a slow, steady downpour in the style of the pacific northwest. It was definitely not what any of us had expected! We postponed dinner a few times hoping that the weather would clear up, but it was not to be. At about 5:30pm, I geared up and went to see what was cooking. Fresh, hot spring rolls were on the grill, so I offered to provide tent to tent delivery service. I think it was a welcome treat for those still in their tents! It continued to rain throughout dinner prep and dinner. We managed to set up two shelters that kept the cooks and the eaters semi-dry. Kudos to the dinner crew for whipping a delicious dinner up in difficult conditions and with such a good attitude!

After dinner, we quickly washed and packed up as much of the kitchen gear as we could. We were concerned that we might get another massive thunderstorm like last night. At the time, it seemed unlikely that we would see more thunderstorms, but the rain was certainly not letting up anytime soon. Historically, this area of Arizona only gets about 1.6 inches of rain in September and 1.1 inches of rain in October. Talk about a rain event – I think we received the entire 1.1 inches in a single day!

Grand Canyon - Day 9

Sunday, October 3, 2010 - By Erin

Strong winds blew through camp last night! A lot of gear was tossed around and it generated quite a bit of excitement. I woke up in the middle of the night and saw a lot of headlamp activity around camp. There was so much going on that I thought maybe I better get up as well to check on things. Everything seemed ok in our area, but I did tighten up the rain fly just in case!

For breakfast we had a real treat! The outfitter had sent us off with several dozen loaves of white sourdough bread. No one was very keen on using the white bread for sandwiches, but someone had a fantastic idea – make French toast instead! Wendy confirmed that there were adequate eggs for this special treat, so Dan and the cooking crew made fresh French toast for breakfast – complete with real maple syrup and granola – yum!

After the usual camp pack up, we set off for our first big rapid of the day – Horn Rapid. Horn was less than a mile downstream, so it didn’t take long to get there. We stopped to scout and spent awhile contemplating the options. We had been told by several raft guides to start left of center, come in on the tongue just to the right of the horns and then pull hard to get back left. It didn’t look impossible, so we came up with a game plan and got started.

I decided to join Dan S. on his raft because Dad and Wendy planned to walk around the rapid on river right. Dan and Tim opted not to run the rapid and instead ferried across the river and carried their kayaks down river left to set up as safety boaters at the bottom. Jim portaged down on river right. With several kayakers in position, we set the raft order and prepared to head out. Martie had also decided to walk around, so John rode with Sam, Alison with Larry, and David with Max. Max and David were up first. Dan S. was interested in seeing their run, so he was in position on the rocks to see how things went. Max started just to the right of the horns as we had been told to do by several river guides, but they ran into trouble pretty quickly. Max had little opportunity to pull left and was pushed hard toward river right – directly into a large rock in the current’s path. Max and David highsided against the rock. The raft was momentarily pinned before Max was able to push it off. The raft had flipped.

All of this happened in just a few quick seconds and most of us could not see any of what was going on. When Dan S. gave the signal that Max and David were against the rock, Andy and Michael rushed to their kayaks and quickly ran through the rapid to help any swimmers and to corral the upside down raft. After seeing what happened to Max, the other oarsmen changed their line and ran the route through the horns. Dan and I followed Max and split the horns. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a good clean run! All of the other rafts also made it through the horns without problem.

Once we were all at the bottom of Horn Rapid, it took another hour or so to get everyone together and on the same side of the river. After much discussion, the flipped raft was carefully moved across the river and flipped right-side up. It was a stressful morning, but we managed to get everything back where it needed to go. The only causalities were a broken oar, a lost umbrella, and a lost tow rope.

We got back on the river and headed out with plans to stop at the first good lunch beach that we saw. We had a long lunch and relaxed a bit after the events of the morning. After lunch, we ran through Salt Creek rapid and paddled into a fierce headwind before arriving at Granite Rapid. When we arrived at Granite, Andy decided that this might be a great stop for a layover day. Since we were already there, we went ahead and scouted the rapid. Several kayakers ran through for the fun of it. Andy and Michael had clean runs down the right. Tim, on the other hand, was hell bent on taking a left run around the bottom hole. So much so that he ended up running right through the bottom hole – upside down and backwards. It was a great show!

After dinner, several of us started a card game. I eventually crept off to bed, but the card game continued well into the night. Everyone was definitely looking forward to having a layover day!

Grand Canyon - Day 8

Saturday, October 2, 2010 - By Erin

As a member of the cooking crew, I woke up early to help start the hot cereal and to get the hot water started for tea and coffee. Despite my best efforts, I am still never the first person up in the morning! While we were packing food for lunch, I found another scorpion in the lunch cooler. It was right on the rim of the cooler. Tim thought he could carefully blow the little bugger off the cooler and into the sand. Unfortunately, when he blew, it looked like the scorpion dropped into the cooler, so Tim and Michael started emptying out the cooler. They had emptied the cooler about halfway when we spotted the scorpion still on the edge. We were a little bit more careful with the scorpion relocation the second time and managed to move him a safe distance away.

We set off down river at around 9:30am. It was Scott and Marshall’s last day on the river, and we were all starting to realize how hard it would be to say goodbye to two members of our group.

We went through three quick rapids on our way to the boat beach at Phantom Ranch. After the rapids I did some roll practice and completely lost it! My roll had been going so well and then kaput it was gone!

The boat beach at Phantom Ranch was packed with four other groups, also doing exchanges, and over twenty rafts! Once we got the rafts parked and the kayaks grounded, we took advantage of the perks offered at Phantom Ranch. There was a water pump located near the boat beach so we were able to top off all of our water containers. This might not seem like a big deal, but 16 people go through a fair amount of water in a day and when you are dependent on filtering all water for drinking and cooking, it can quickly become a time consuming task.

A number of us took advantage of the stop to walk into the small settlement at Phantom Ranch. The National Parks Service maintains a small grouping of stone cabins originally built in the 1920s. These can be reserved by hikers for overnight stays. In addition, there is a small general store where sundry items can be purchased and mail can be picked up and sent, a small canteen, restrooms, and several pay phones. Dan and I had hoped to get some ice cream at the canteen, but unfortunately, ice cream was not on the menu that day. Not surprising given that all supplies must be hauled in by mules or flown in by helicopter!

Phantom Ranch was a happening place! There were numerous hikers coming and going on the trails and large groups of people hanging out throughout the area. It was weird and a little overwhelming to suddenly have so many people around. Dan and I did not spend too much time at the ranch and quickly made our way back to the boat beach after posting the post cards we had prepared.

Back at the boats, other groups were starting to trickle off and there was increasing anxiety about where our new group members were. It had been estimated that the hike down from the South Rim would take about 7 hours. Alison, Brad, and John had planned on leaving at 5:30am, so we expected to see them around 12:30pm. As 12:30pm came and went and it moved on to 1pm then 2pm, we were all starting to get worried. To add to the mood, dark clouds had rolled in and we were getting intermittent bursts of rain and gusty wind. We had lunch. We hiked up to the suspension bridge. We watched for a group of three hikers. And we continued to wait.

In a flash of inspiration, we realized that we could make use of the delay by sending a group back up to Phantom Ranch to purchase fresh ice for our lunch cooler. Wendy produced a huge duffel bag and David, Michael, and Jim set off for the Phantom Ranch canteen.

At around 2:30pm, Tim’s brother John sauntered on to the now empty boat beach. The downhill hike had proven harder than expected and Alison and Brad were still a bit behind. Andy and Dan grabbed some Gatorade and snacks and set off back up the trail to help them with their bags.

Once all of the newbies arrived, we got them fed, set up with gear, and then we packed up and set off down river for the next camp. It was strange to have three new people join the group and interesting how it changed the group dynamics. It also had to have been hard for the new people. They did not have the advantage of having spent the past week learning the ropes of river life together and had to jump right in. They did a great job and within hours were actively participating in all things camp life!

We still had a few rapids to navigate before the end of the day. Bright Angel Rapid was relatively tame, but Pipe Creek Rapid had a few surprises in store for us. Luckily, Andy led the kayaks so we had a chance to see a probe go through and were able to make some adjustments to avoid flipping. We camped at Below Pipe Creek which is fronted by quick moving water and a barely there eddy. It was quite a job to get all of the rafts in and tied up securely. In addition, the camp was perched above a steep, rocky bank so we used a fire line to quickly unload gear.

We had a tasty spaghetti dinner prepared by our new cook crew of Dan, John, and Wendy with the usual suspects pitching in. Although it wasn’t a long day from a mileage perspective, it was still tiring. We did manage to fit in quick game of hearts, but it wasn’t long before everyone found their way to bed.

Grand Canyon - Day 7

Friday 1st October 2010 by Dan -

After 6 days of paddling and covering 75 river miles, and with a day of big rapids ahead, we decided to take a break from kayaking today. We secured our kayaks to the rafts and rode as passengers: Erin with Sam and Martie, and myself with Larry. It was a different perspective on the river and it was good to give the arms a rest. We entered the inner gorge where sheer rock faces line the river. We got to see some big whitewater with some massive waves. I tried rowing the raft for a bit on some flat water, and it is hard work! It gave me a new appreciation for how hard the oarsmen have been working.

At camp tonight there was quite a bit of wildlife activity. It was almost dark and Erin didn’t have her headlamp, so she was going back to the tent to get it. As she was walking across the sand in the dim light, she noticed something move across and down the slope towards her, not more than a couple of feet away. It turned out to be a young rattle snake! When they are young, they are most dangerous as they are more likely to bite and release their venom. It was a close call! The snake was chased off into a nearby bush, and Jim wisely shifted his camp bed that was close by in the opposite direction. As this was happening, a rather large spider was spotted in the darkness crawling past the kitchen area. “Wow, that’s a large spider!” someone said, and on closer inspection it turned out to be a tarantula! So the tarantula had to be chased off as well. Not long after that, and there was another commotion as Erin spotted a scorpion on the trail to the facilities. Then, as I was heading to bed, I hear a rumor of a ring-tailed cat being seen in the shadows. It seemed everyone was on edge – however I was glad to be sleeping in a tent tonight and not out on the ground like some of our group!

Our camp is at Zoroaster, which is where we are carefully positioned a couple of miles upriver from Phantom ranch. Tomorrow morning we will paddle down to the ranch where we will stop and exchange 2 of our existing group members for 3 new ones. Scott and Marshall will leave, and we will be joined by Brad, John, and Alison.  It’s been a week since we have seen anything resembling a building, let alone a ranch, so I’m excited to see what a ranch at the bottom of the canyon is like.

After Phantom the river holds more big water which is worrying after what we saw today. Hopefully the day off will have been for the best and we will be feeling good in out boats tomorrow. My apprehension and nerves for the big water are mounting.

This place is like nothing else. The scenery is amazing. I can’t quite believe it is real.

Grand Canyon - Day 6

Thursday 30th September 2010 by Dan –

We packed up camp and crossed the river to explore the mouth of Little Colorado River. All the mud and silt in the LCR water made it a chocolate brown color, a sharp contrast to the crystal clear water that we had become accustomed too. It also felt mildly warmer. Andy noticed from the rocks alongside the river, that it looked like the water level had recently been much higher, an indication that a storm had passed further upstream in the river’s watershed. Where the two rivers joined there was a clean line between muddy water and the clean water. We crossed the line and continued downstream where the newly colored water was a novelty.

 Not long after setting off downstream, Andy and Wendy caught us off guard when they casually flipped the Grabner in a riffle. Fortunately they swam to a rock face on river left and were able to recover themselves and their gear with the assistance of a raft. Andy did lose his hat in the excitement, but I spotted it floating downstream and was able to pluck from the brown water and return it to its rightful owner.

It was another good day for me. I did not swim, nor did I need to execute my combat roll. My roll, however, did stop working in practice, which was frustrating. It was probably due to trying to improve it and changing things.

After lunch we took some time away from the river and hiked to the top of a butte where we were greeted with amazing 360 degree views of the canyon and river around us.

Here's a map showing our hike on Day 6. It's best viewed in Google Earth or directly in Google Maps by clicking the link below:

View Larger Map

The hike led to the top of a steep cliff overlooking Unkar Rapid which was around the next bend of the river. The cliff was high, and according to my GPS it was about a 350 foot (100 meter) sheer drop down to the river below. Even I, who am not usually afraid of heights, was feeling a bit queasy near the edge of this one. The rapid and waves below looked surprisingly small from the top.

After our hike we paddled the short distance around the bend and stopped to scout Unkar Rapid (rated 4-7) from river right. Looking upwards we could clearly see where we had hiked to earlier, however now all the attention was focused on the river itself. The waves looked bigger now and it was surprising how deceiving it had looked from above. The rapid was increasingly fiercer towards the cliff wall on river left. It looked like most of the water was pulling towards the wall and there were several holes that needed to be avoided. It looked dangerous! For this reason the kayaks chose to take a sneak route on river right that would hopefully mean we could avoid the places we didn’t want to be. The trick would be lining up the approach and avoiding the submerged rocks in the shallower water on the right.

Michael went first, followed by Tim, myself and then Erin, and then Jim. The sneak worked out well and the rapid passed without incident. We paddled on several miles further until we reached a suitable campsite for the night. The sun-shower was rigged and provided a refreshing rinse off. It was surprising how good a small dribble of clean water felt after almost a week without washing.

We are only one day away from Phantom Ranch now. There are big rapids coming up tomorrow. Erin and I plan to take a break and sit them out on the rafts.

We had soup for dinner and margaritas prepared by Sam. I like my margaritas strong.

Grand Canyon - Day 5

Wednesday 29th September 2010 by Dan –

My alarm went off at 5:45am. I woke to round up the breakfast crew that that I was part of.  It was still twilight, not many other people were up yet and I was still sleepy. On my way down to the beach from my tent I saw the dark shape of something in the sand on the trail in front of me. It was a snake! As I fumbled to find the switch on my headlamp it quickly started moving to the side. It went up the bank to the side of the trail, and then as I managed to turn my light on I saw its dark ringed tail disappear into a small hole in the bank.  I think it was a Gopher snake.

Today was a good day. I was feeling more comfortable in my boat. I ran a couple of rapids without incident. I flipped twice near the end of the day. The first was in swirly water near the eddy line while filming. I was rescued in a joint effort by Erin and Jim. Soon after that swim I flipped again in the next unexpected read-and-run rapid while following Erin. The second flip was my first conscious awareness of lateral waves.

For lunch we stopped at the beach near the Nankoweap Canyon where it is possible to hike to the Puebloan granaries in the rock face high above the river. I left my solar panel out changing our camera batteries and we headed off in the hot sun.

The hike did not take too long. The trail was well established and the upper section was partially in the shade. The granaries themselves were interesting to see, but what was even more impressive was the view of the river and canyon from this level.

After the hike we ate lunch and continued out journey down the river. We paddled almost 9 more miles until we reached the campsite above the Little Colorado River at river mile 62.

The LCR as it’s known was running brown, which we knew was going to change our paddling experience for the days to come.

Grand Canyon - Day 4

Tuesday 28th September 2010 by Dan –

This morning after breakfast at about 9am several of our group set off from our campsite for a “hike” to explore a side canyon that was nearby. Andy opted to stay at camp, and Tim (who was coming) was putting on his wet suit and booties, so my suspicions were already aroused. We were under strict instructions that we should be back from the hike within an hour. We set off from camp and walked for about 5 minutes along a trail behind where we had pitched our tents until we encountered a large muddy pool with a sloping rock face at the far end.

Michael and David were already at the rock face, clinging to wall and trying to edge their way up it. It was about 30 feet (10 meters) or more to the top. Michael was nearly half way up when just like that – he slipped all the way back down and landed with a splash, back in the muddy pool where he’d started from. There was something slightly comical about this.

After a few more failed attempts at scaling the slippery wall it became evident that it wasn’t going to work. The more muddy and wet the wall and climber became, the harder it way. And if Michael (the youngest in our group) couldn’t do it, the rest of us didn’t stand much chance. Some people turned back to camp, however, Sam had already started looking for another way to bypass this obstacle and find our way into the side-canyon. Taking his lead, some of us climbed up another rock face off to the side and made our way up and around the muddy pool and slippery rock face. From this point we now had to lower ourselves back into the side-canyon to the top of the slippery wall. Fortunately there was a convenient climbing ring attached to the rock, and we had a throw rope from one of the boats. We improvised a quick abseil arrangement and began lowering ourselves down the rope. A few more people tuned back at this point. We were now about 30 minutes into this so called “hike”. 

Once down the rope, we were officially in the side canyon. At this point, the rocks were smooth and the walls were close. There were pools of water as we made our way along the winding channel that led away from river and deeper into the canyon wall. At some points the sides where close enough to touch on both sides with arms out stretched. Some of the pools were too deep to stand in, and swimming was necessary to proceed. After several pools and a gradual climb upwards, the confines of the narrow passage opened up into a cavern with a large pool in the middle and a ledge at the far end. Beyond the ledge we saw another cavern. Traversing this ledge from one cavern to another was difficult. With limited time, only Michael, David, and I reached the final cavern. The far end was obstructed with a very steep wall and boulder, leading upwards to sunlight beyond.

It was time to turn back. The descent through the caverns, sloped passages, and pools of water was a fun one that involved several leaps of ledges into the pools below. The final slide down the slippery rock into the muddy pool below was captured on film by Erin. This was an amazing place where the historic meeting and co-existence of rock and water can be seen.

We made it back to camp ready to pack up our gear and get back on the river. We paddled past Vasey’s Paradise – an oasis fed by water emerging from the canyon wall, on our way to the Redwall Cavern – a huge arena shaped cutting in the canyon wall at the edge of the river. This was an impressive site and according to Powell’s notes, when he was here, he thought it would seat 50,000 people.

It was a tiring day. There was lots of paddling and we covered about 18 miles. I was not feeling confident at the start of the day and I had a swim. I was rescued from the middle of the river to Sam’s raft where I was then able to seal launch back into the river - another new experience, and much quicker than going to shore. The rapids do not seem as big compared to yesterday. The river took it easy on us today, and we’re hoping for the same tomorrow. However, what remains ahead is unknown and scary. I wish I had better rolls and better control of my boat.  I was on the cooking crew tonight and I assisted with dinner. Pancakes are on the menu for breakfast tomorrow.

Grand Canyon - Day 3

Monday 27th September 2010 by Dan –

River Miles: 18 – 29, known as the “roaring 20’s”.

Kayak Flips: almost every rapid.

Bow Rescues: 2; from Michael at Indian Dick Rapid, by Jim.

Swims: 2; rescued by Michael at Tiger Wash, by Erin.

Rolls: several, in one rapid I rolled 3 times!

Today has been the most difficult day on the river so far. Rapids come in quick succession. No sooner has one ended, does another begin. Some have massive walls of water, pointed and frothing at the top, sometimes coming from multiple directions. There is nothing like paddling into a wall. It is crazy. Several swims and rescues were made today. One rapid stands out from them all: 27 Mile Rapid, also known as Tiger Wash.

On approaching 27 mile rapid, it didn’t look like anything out of the ordinary. The canyon wall on river-right closed in, the river narrowed, and a drop in elevation formed the relatively short rapid. It was considered a “Read-and-Run” rapid which is where you don’t need to stop and scout the rapid from shore, but rather you read and react to the obstacles and features as you’re running it. The small boats in our team took a serious hit in this rapid. In quick succession: Erin flipped and lost her paddle, David flipped and lost his paddle and boat, and I flipped and lost my boat.

Near the bottom of the rapid a big wave hit me and I lost my balance. I held my breath as my boat flipped upside down and I was submerged in the water. I attempted to roll back up: I reached out from under my boat and felt no air – I was surrounded by water. I have never felt like that before. I tried again, still no air to be found. That was enough - I hit the eject button and bailed out of my boat, but still, I did not find the surface. The water was turbulent; it was pushing and pulling with jerks in different directions. I released my grip on my boat and instantly it was gone, pulled away by the current. It was dark. For several seconds I kicked in the direction I thought was up. I needed to breathe now. After several kicks and what seemed like forever, I surfaced and gasped for air. That was the longest amount of time I have ever been under. Now the river is carrying me downstream at a fast rate and I see my boat being carried away well out of reach. I began to swim aggressively for shore. Michael arrived and I grabbed on to the back of his boat. We reached the edge of the right side of the river with nowhere safe to stop. The river carried us down further until we found some rocks that I could grab on to. Michael left me to go after my boat which was now out of view. I clambered out on the rocks with only my paddle for company. My heart was racing. Now I was alone again, stranded in a canyon with nothing but vertical walls on one side and a raging river on the other.

I was standing at the edge of the river, on a rock that was partially exposed out of the water. There was a large boulder (several times taller than me) downsteam to my right and more boulders and rocks to my left. My visibility from this position was somewhat limited. I stood facing the river. One of the rafts passed by, but it was too far away, and moving too fast to be able to stop and help. By shouting and waving however, they were able to direct me to move downstream over the rocks. I was in an inaccessible position.

I began making my way carefully around the large boulder. Sam and Martie came by in their raft which was positioned closer to shore. They saw me and Sam quickly began pulling hard on the oars to try and slow the raft and direct it into the eddy before passing an outcropping rock. Fortunately his efforts paid off and he made it into shore, but now the raft was somewhat trapped between the outcrop and the shore. Martie threw me the rope from the bow and I was able to help pull the raft upstream and out of its precarious position. I then climbed aboard and Sam was able to maneuver quickly to get around the outcrop and back into the main flow of the river again. I was glad to be safe, but not thinking that at the time – I had not been thinking, but rather reacting, ever since entering the rapid. There was a lot going on. Now we didn’t know where the other boats were, or where we should go. We were positioned upstream on river right, some people were downstream on river left, and others were downstream on river right. They were out of shouting distance and radio contact failed.

Eventually we regrouped and everyone had a story to tell. A commercial guide later told us that the hydraulics in Tiger Wash rapid are only surpassed by Lava Falls in the current conditions. A landslide had caused some seriously turbulent and strong water movements at this location. Again, I empathize with how Powell must have felt when navigating the unknown and unpredictable river.

Other events –

Today injury struck. It happened after breakfast as we were assembling for the morning briefing. I was about to empty the water out of my kayak. Holding the handle on top at the nose of the kayak with only one hand, I lifted and attempted to rotate the boat upside down by pushing with my thumb. My thumb was not ready to rotate a heavy boat – for a split second my thumb joint hyper-extended from the normal fully stretched position right back so that my thumb was pointing towards me at the time my fingers were pointing away from me. I dropped the boat and recoiled in shock, grasping my thumb with my other hand.

The hyperextension had not been especially painful, but rather I had felt my thumb move to a position that it never had been in before (pointing backwards), and that had felt wrong and shocking more than anything. I knew the consequence of the mistake was still to come. The area of my hand around my thumb started to swell and it looked like a bruise was starting to form. It started feeling more tender and sore. I was worried how this would impact the trip, how long it would take to recover. As Andy said, my joint was not happy with me.

Fortunately it had not been worse. I was still able to grip my paddle, since most of the grip comes from the fingers, and I was able to deal with the soreness and swelling by dipping my hand in the ice cold river water in between paddle strokes. At lunch I was able take some Ibuprofen which also helped.

Finally –

Towards the end of the day, after taking a pounding from the river in Tiger Wash, enough was enough. Erin and I put our boats on the rafts and took the chauffeur service through the next rapid, and around the final bend to our designated campsite for the night.

I was relieved when the day was over. We crashed out in our tent to the sound of the rapid reverberating off the canyon walls, and the stars overhead.

House Rock Rapid

House Rock Rapid (HD version) from Dan MacFarlane on Vimeo.

Whitewater action from one of the most memorable rapids of our Grand Canyon river trip. For the best experience, play full screen: click on the small arrows near the vimeo at the bottom right, then the play button. Let me know what you think!

Grand Canyon - Day 2

Sunday 26th September 2010 by Dan –

This morning we rose at the campsite below Badger Rapid. My duty of dishwashing at 6:30am was the priority. The four pails had to be filled with river water and then individually heated and treated with soap or bleach so that the dishwashing system was ready. After breakfast of hot porridge we set out on the river again. I needed to get my confidence back after swimming in the rapid yesterday. A few practice rolls went well.

Soap Rapid was the first major rapid of the day. This was a long rapid from top to bottom. We scouted it first and then opted to follow Andy’s line, myself first and then Erin in close succession. Waves were again, HUGE. We entered the top of the rapid from the main downstream ‘V’ or ‘tongue’ as it is known, where all water is converging towards a central point before the big waves begin. The calm before the storm. You don’t usually need to paddle much when you’re in the V, but you do need to make sure you boat is orientated and lined up correctly. There is no turning back at this point. You’re on the conveyer belt that leads directly into the rapid.

I left the bottom of the V and hit the big waves at the top of the rapid. The second wave flipped me over. I setup for a roll, began to sweep and I was up! I didn’t even have a chance to complete my sweep. There were waves breaking all around me. Crazy! I rode out of the rapid following Andy, who made it look easy. The awesome force of the river is in control again, and this time it offered me a freebie - saving me from swimming down a very long rapid.

Lunch brought out the solar charger and my camera battery charge was topped off. It also brought out the helmet-camera. The first test for this was a Seal Launch from the canyon wall into the river. This again gave me the opportunity to practice my roll.

House Rock Rapid was next. This rapid was much shorter than the previous rapids, but again it had huge waves and two giant holes in quick succession. Holes are a whitewater feature formed by water pouring over an obstruction such as a bolder, to form a deep powerful circulating hydraulic on the other side. Not only is the water especially turbulent, but it is possible for objects such as kayaks, people, or even large rafts to become trapped in the holes, spinning wildly out of control. They are not to be taken lightly.

The short length and curved nature of House Rock rapid made a great viewing area from shore on the inner bend for those watching the action up close. Kayaks went first as normal. Erin was following my lead. I flipped at the top hole. I was briefly upside down in the roaring rapid. The river was kind, and I was again rewarded with a successful role. Amazing! I surfaced from the roll in the middle of the rapid, past the first hole, but facing the second massive hole. Everything was happening so fast, I could do nothing else but paddle, and paddle like mad I did. Somehow I made it past the bottom hole, through the surrounding waves and into the eddy at the bottom of the rapid. Wow! It was such a good feeling to have somehow made it through and still be in my boat. Erin had also made it safely though and we were looking across at each other in amazement of what had just happened. It was intense!

House Rock Rapid (HD version) from Dan MacFarlane on Vimeo.

The rafts did not fare so well. The first two oarsmen, Sam and Larry, were both thrown out of their rafts. We saw the unmanned rafts race past us with their captains dangling in the water, desperately clinging to the ropes on the side of the rafts. Rescue operations where in progress.

The inflatable Grabner paddled by Andy and Wendy was next. They too flipped and where ejected from their boat. With all other available boaters occupied, my time had come. I left the safety of the eddy and went into rescue mode, paddling to intercept the upturned boat and swimmers. I reached them in the swelling water. They were both holding onto the boat. I positioned my kayak in front of Wendy so that she could grab a hold of it. The river flow was taking us down stream, and the waves were still hitting us, although smaller now. It was the cold water that was the concern. I needed to get them to shore. When I was sure Wendy had a good grip, I chose my target on shore and started paddling, hard. I was pulling Wendy, the Graber, and Andy, all strung out in a line behind my boat.  We made it to the rocks near the shore. The water was shallow here, but the currents were still strong. Andy and Wendy were trying to get themselves and their gear orientated on the slippery rocks. My boat and I had now become a cumbrance in the small confines of the rocks. The current pulled my kayak into the Grabner, and I leant away, which was the wrong thing to do. I flipped in the shallows, but managed to get upright again as the river pulled me downstream, leaving Andy and Wendy on the rocks.

The day was not over yet. Further downstream the next unexpected rapid flipped me again. This was followed by several unsuccessful roll attempts and a long swim in cold water. Erin then flipped and rolled back up in another incident after I swam. I was spent. Tired. I needed a campsite. But we were surrounded by sheer rock faces on either side, with no opportunity to leave the river. We continued to float downstream.

We passed through some riffles and were finally rewarded with a great camp site. Warm rocks above the river were a brilliant find. We setup camp for the night at mile 18.

It had been a day of ups and downs, with highs and lows. I’m looking forward to see what tomorrow brings. Today I learned that we are small and inconsequential in comparison to this great river. The Canyon deepens.

Grand Canyon - Day 1

Saturday 25th September 2010 –

We rose at about 6:30am after a cold night in the tent. We’d woken up every hour or so during the night to add clothing in an effort to stay warm. By morning we were wearing every warm item we had, and we were cursing the recommendation that we wouldn’t need sleeping bags. The night had also been interrupted by a rustling in the bushes next to our tent. It had been unnerving to wake in the dark and hear a scraping sound at the side of the tent. The unknown creature (suspected to be a beaver) came and went several times during the night.

A cold cereal and fruit breakfast was prepared at our camp by the outfitter. That was followed by packing up our gear and making the short walk back to the covered area near the boat ramp for the ranger briefing to start at 9am (which was delayed by a missing person from the other group).

Following the briefing David gave us a talk on his diabetic procedures, should he become unconscious and unable to administer his own insulin. Back at camp with almost everything ready to go, Andy gave us a final safety briefing in the shade of the now hot day where breakfast had been served several hours earlier. Then, after making sure water bottles were topped off, we got into our boats, pushed off from the beach, and headed down stream – leaving the comforts of the only restroom we will see behind us. We were now on our way!

A few small rapids preceded our lunch stop. Before getting out of our kayaks we tried a few practice rolls (and non-rolls). The water was COLD! I’m not kidding. The river is fed from the very bottom of Glen Canyon Dam where is doesn’t get any sunlight and therefore is about 48 degrees Fahrenheit (or 9 degrees Celsius). I have never been submerged in such cold water. Within 10s of being immersed your muscles responses start to slow, your head starts to freeze and throb until you come out of the water shell-shocked from the cold, or worse.

Lunch was performed on a sandy outcrop on river left where we pitched two sun umbrellas and made pita bread sandwiches. After eating we did some throw bag practice, first on land and then with a brave practice swimmer or two in need of rescue. After lunch we passed under the Navajo Bridge which was now almost 500 feet above us. We could see the specks of the tourists looking down at us as we had yesterday.

Erin and I had our first encounters with the big swirly water in the river. These large areas of water initially look flat and calm, as if they are safe places to be, however it is much the opposite. They usually contain strong boils and whirlpools created by large volumes of water flowing over submerged terrain on the river bed. They are strong enough to easily flip an unsuspecting kayaker, especially one not paying attention. These hazards are unlike anything Erin and I have seen before. I am realizing this is a BIG river with big features!

The afternoon cumulated at Badger Rapid, approximately 10 miles downstream from where we put-in. After scouting the falls from the safety of the riverbank and watching another group descend the middle line in their rafts, it was our turn. Andy and Tim went first, followed by Erin and I. The moments at the top were a little nervous, but it didn’t look that bad. Follow the “V” down the middle. Erin looked like she made it down. My turn was next. I lined up and approached the top edge of the rapid. The waves looked bigger now, but no time to stop and admire them. The mighty force of the Colorado River was in control now and I was just there for the ride. The waves were BIG! The top section passed. All I could think was BIG! The waves seemed to be coming from all angles. I didn’t know which way to look. All I could do was try to anticipate them and set my boat up. I was past the top section now, through most of the middle, but I remember thinking from the scout that the bottom section could be the worst. Left wave, right wave, and then one caught me by surprise. Over I went. Four attempts at rolling back upright in the frothing whitewater followed. The fourth attempt was more of a punch though, and then I bailed from my upside down boat. I didn’t want to, but I had no choice, I had to exit into the water. My lack of roll was killing me. I wasn’t confident in it and it was letting me down. I yanked on the rip-cord to release my spray skirt and I kicked out of the upside down boat. I surfaced and I grabbed my overturned boat with one hand, my paddle in the other. Swim aggressively to shore were my first thoughts, the training kicking in. Help arrived. Tim lined up his kayak and I grabbed the handle on the back of his boat. In a joint effort he paddled and I kicked (while holding his boat, my paddle, and my boat), towards shore. The water didn’t seem as cold now, but I knew that was due to the adrenaline pumping and the aggressive swimming to get to safety. We made it to some rocks at the edge of the river. Tim verified that I had all my gear with me. They he left with Andy to make their way back to the top of the rapid so they could paddle down the inflatable boats. I was left with a feeling of isolation, perched on the rocks at the edge of the big river, alone. I set about bailing out my water logged boat and pulling myself back together.

After my boat was empty and I’d got my breath back, I got back in my boat and paddled upstream a short distance to where Jim was positioned in an eddy on river right. An eddy is an area of relatively slow moving water usually formed below an obstruction. We watched the inflatable’s descend before we had to ferry across the river at the lower end of the rapid to rejoin the rest of the group. It was the end of the day now. I was not loose anymore and I was tired. I flipped again in the current. My first roll attempt failed me. I setup again underwater and my second attempt was successful. Finally! Tim’s words had been in my head about leaning back. It must have helped.

Today I had first swim in the Colorado, and my first combat-roll in the Colorado. What a day! The ranger briefing we had this morning seems like a long time ago now.

As the day ends I have an appreciation of how the explorer John Wesley Powell must have felt on the first ever passage through the Grand Canyon. Not knowing what challenges the river holds ahead.

Grand Canyon - Rigging Day

Friday 24th September 2010 -

It was an early start this morning for tea and a breakfast of fruit and toast. The group had planned to be up and ready by nine, but it seemed like we were all a couple of hours ahead of schedule already, perhaps due to the anticipation of starting our adventure. I was feeling tired and still having trouble remembering everyone’s names. We had a couple of hours to kill waiting around for the outfitters bus to take us to Lees Ferry. It was a cool dewy morning and the rising sun felt good. I was ready now and just wanted to get this trip going. I was feeling ready; however I needed to tell myself to just relax and let things happen.

The bus eventually turned up and after our non-river gear was separated, we loaded our personal gear and hit the road. The drive from Flagstaff to our put-in at Lees Ferry (36° 51.9'N 111° 35.2'W) was pleasant. Leftover pizza and snacks were served for lunch after a brief pit-stop at a gas station along the desert road. After several hours we stopped at the Navajo Bridge where we got our first glimpse of the Colorado River while walking across the old bridge which is now for pedestrian traffic only. It also gave us our first taste of the hot Arizona sun and I think we were all glad to get back into the air conditioned bus.

It was a short drive from the bridges down to the Lees Ferry boat ramp where we were to partake in our first rigging of the rafts. We had 4 rafts in our group, each with a captain, also known as an oars-man, and a passenger. In addition to this we had 6 kayakers including Erin and I, bringing the total number up to 15 for the first part of the trip. The rigging process involved loading all our personal gear and supplies required for the next 21 days onto the rafts. It was manic. There were a lot of people who didn’t know what they needed to do, and over a period of several hours in hot sun, had to figure it out the best they could. In addition there was another group rigging their boats alongside us who seemed even more clueless than we did. It’s lucky this was a practice.

We setup camp several hundred feet downstream from the boat ramp, before the bus drove us to a nearby restaurant for dinner. Good food and beer was consumed by all.

I was excited for the day tomorrow, still trying to stay calm and relaxed, but apprehensions were building. We could hear the first rapid from where we sleep.

Grand Canyon - River House

Thursday 23rd September 2010 -

We traveled to Flagstaff and arrived at the outfitters “River House” today, where most of our group was already assembled. As far as I can tell, the river house is not on a river as one might expect. Instead, I imagine it is named so because it is where groups such as ours meet on their way to and from the river.

Following quick introductions with the group and some pizza, we set about transferring our belongings from our luggage to into large dry bags that would remain with us on the river, and hopefully keep things dry. We then assembled around the TV for a group meeting and to watch the park service DVD which is compulsory for those participating in a river trip. The DVD covered things like how to set-up camp, safety procedures, what to do if you see a snake and where to pee. This finished sometime after 10pm (1am Eastern) by which time we were ready to hit the hay.

Grand Canyon - Trip Packing

Tuesday, September 21, 2010 -

It's 2 days until we set off on our adventure. We have been planning this trip for months and the time has almost come. Most of our gear is now in order and the planning is almost behind us. The packing process began a couple of days ago and is now well underway. After assembling all of our gear into piles, it became apparent that I would need a bigger bag than originally planned. Even with the bigger bag we are still struggling to fit everything in. The sleeping bags have been replaced with blankets and the sleeping pads have been jettisoned in favor of using those provided, in an effort to save space.

PFDs (life jackets), helmets, and neoprene take up a lot of space. Add those things with a tent, crazy creek, and other gear and it’s bulging out of the case. Then there is numerous electronic gizmos including the camera, GPS, solar-panel, chargers, batteries, etc. which need a home.

We’re counting down the hours while the packing, and repacking process continues

Grand Canyon 2010

Recently, Dan and I were lucky enough to spend 21 days on a trip down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. During this amazing adventure, we traveled 279 miles, traversed over 90 rapids, hiked into narrow side canyons, and experienced the extremes of desert weather. It was an exceptional experience and one that we were able to share with a terrific group of people!

By the end of the trip, we had accumulated over 1,500 photos and video clips and look forward to sharing our experience. More detailed posts to follow!

Tree Work

We found a tree that needed to be taken down, before it fell down, so we called the tree people (click on photo for larger version):


Here you can see why it needed to be taken down:


Now we just need to clean up the mess.

8 Steps

With all of the beautiful, hot, sunny weather that we had in New England this summer, we ended up with a bumper crop of tomatoes. So many tomatoes that we weren't quite sure what to do with them all. To use up some of the extras, we decided to start making our own pizza sauce. The following post walks through the 8 steps to homemade pizza with homemade pizza sauce!

Step #1 - Pick fresh tomatoes - the fresher the better!

Step #2 - Dunk tomatoes in boiling water for 30-45 seconds.

Step #3 - Remove tomatoes from boiling water and drop in ice water. This makes it easy to slide the tomato skins right off.

Step #4 - Remove tomato skins.

Step #5 - Squeeze tomatoes and drain as much of the liquid as possible. I was not very good at this step, but did my best!

Step #6 - Place all the squeezed tomatoes into a large sauce pan and simmer. We added fresh onion and basil from the garden as well as salt and pepper to season. We also found that the addition of some tomato paste was helpful and made it saucier.

Step #7 - Spread fresh pizza sauce on homemade pizza dough. Add favorite ingredients, plus some tasty cheese, and bake.

Step #8 - Eat and enjoy!