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!