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.
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