Grand Canyon Trip Report Part 2


Day 5. Cardenas. Mile 72.
The sand in camps ranges from fine to powdery to dusty. Cardenas is dusty.
Last night, after dark, researchers came by electroshocking fish in the
muddy water and downpour.
Slept fine. It was warm enough the damp didn't matter. In the morning the
camp was festooned with drying cloths, tarps, etc. Several people had to
move their tents in the dark because the places they had set up in had
become streams.
This morning the water had cleared. It was no longer cordoba red. Now it
was just sandy and the waves were white.
No swims today. Stopped at the Little Colorado. The Little Colorado is
running red. My first thought was that the water was the color of Pepto
Bismal. After further consideration, we settled on calamine pink.
Because of the color, all of the rapids look more threatening. Adreniline
is pumping as we enter each rapid, but the waves turn out to be less
fearsome than they appear. They're still huge. The biggest rapid for the
day is Basalt Rapid (not even rated or marked on the map). Tanner was very
big and exciting also. The red color made the rapids look angry as well as
huge.
Saw a roadrunner along the river.
As we approach camp, the weather looks threatening. We set up a kitchen
tarp, and the sun comes out. When camp is set up, most of us go take baths
in the river. Clean at last.
Tomorrow has big rapids. We are camped above Unkar (6), 25-foot drop.
Hance (8) is 5 miles from here.

Day 6. Upper Cremation. Mile 87.
Big day today. Big day tomorrow. Things have been busy until late.
Visited paleo pueblo ruins at Unkar.
Swam Hance from near the top. Made the first move, punched a reversal
(took on water), punched the next reversal right where we planned, and
flipped. It was a very long swim. We finally eddied out below Son of
Hance. Self rescued.
Sockdologer was huge. We paddled the long rapid awash for about half the
drop.
Swam again near Mile 83 Rapid in swirly water between rapids. A huge boil
pulled at us until we flipped.
I discovered I had not addressed all of the postcards and did not have the
addresses with me.
Mesquite has thorns.

Day 7. Granite. Mile 93.5.
Dropped Sarah and Nancy off at Phantom Ranch and made calls. Had lemonade
and pictures taken. Picked up Amee and Jerry. Call Carol at work!
When I got up my stomach was queasy. Anxious when I got in the boat. I
think Hans affected me more than I thought.
Horn Creek is a steep drop into chaos. Make it through the first reversals
(chaotic) and its not too bad. We flipped at the top and self rescued.
We're camped above Granite. It's huge. We will probably line the first
100 yards and sneak the rest.
Tomorrow - Crystal.

Day 8. Lower Bass. Mile 108.5.
Joanna saw to it we were up early. Big day in Adrenaline Alley.
Out of camp by 8:30. New record by 30 minutes.
Having decided to line the top of Crystal last night, I slept well. It was
easy to line. The rapid was well run by the rafts. Everybody got wet.
Big rapids every couple of miles.
Next was Hermit. We were going to sneak left, but got pushed into the wave
train after missing the first wave and part of the second wave. We made it
through the huge fifth wave! The stern was pushed left and when the bow hit
the top of the next wave, the stern swung around broadside to the breaking
crest of the wave and we flipped. We were upside down on top of the wave
for a moment and then got spit out downriver (the side opposite from which
we tipped over). Larry got separated from the canoe. After a riding
through some more big waves, the canoe and I hit an eddy and Larry raced by
downriver. The river left the canoe and me in the eddy and I was able to
get the canoe to the rock wall. Fortunately, the eddy was quiet (uncommon).
I climbed up and signaled that I was OK and then rested for a moment before
trying to empty the water from the canoe. Suddenly, Larry's smiling face
appeared over the rocks. He had fought his way across the eddy line below,
and swam up the eddy to help me. What a partner.
Crystal looked scary, but not as big as the pictures (or my imagination).
Larry and I lined past the first move, the rest was relatively easy. Joanna
and Bryce walked. Chris went first, missed the holes, and made the eddy to
pick them up. The other three rafts hit the holes, more or less. (Michael
denies it.) I couldn't tell well because I was trying to look through view
finder. All did fine. Hope the pictures turn out. The rafts came in quick
succession just after I got the camera out. Initially, it was not in the
"my" setting and once I switched it, I forgot to hold the shutter down.
Tuna and Lower Tuna were scary. We filled up half way through and just
kept going, and going, and going. Tiring. Mike hit the wall and broke a
spare oar.
Overcast in the morning. Sunny as we approached camp.
Got to camp at 2:30. A wonderful break. Tomorrow is a lay-over day.

Day 9. Lower Bass. Mile 108.5.
Ring tailed cats got into the apples on the raft last night.
This morning the Hawley-Jones' and I hiked over the ridge to Shonumo Wash.
Clear cool stream. Found an agate. Smooth rocks, clear water, and
sunshine.
At camp it is 95 degrees in the shade. The ammo cans were too hot to touch
because they had been in the sun. Lazy day.
Many of the group went on a strenuous hike. When they got back, Amee was
feeling chilled. She quickly got in the river and we got water in her and a
cool cloth over her head. They had run out of water quite a ways from camp.
I went with Larry to Shinumo Creek after dinner so he could rinse out his
clothing.
I replaced the batteries and the 256 chip. There was less than 30 pictures
left. I had trouble removing the filter to get at water spots between the
lens and filter.
Ringtails got into Susan's ammo can with us 10 feet away.

Day 10, Mile 122 Camp.
When we were getting on the river, Bob Foot's group caught up. We talked
briefly.
We stopped at Shinumo Creek, just below camp, and hiked up and showered
under falls.
Stopped at Elves' Chasm. Neat falls and pools. Jim, Doug and Damian
climbed up high, scaring Joanna. Jim "jumped" from up high into the pool.
Bryce and Ryan had dived into the pool and Jim tried to stop his jump, but
he slipped and went in. Carl found a route up behind the falls and he and
others jumped from a lower point. I didn't because I had tweaked my back
this morning.
Stopped for lunch and hiked up Blacktail Canyon. Found a rock with huge
agate in matrix. Joanna convinced me to leave it where it was. The canyon
is narrow and striking, with a small falls at the end. As Larry and I were
walking out, Susan, Amee, and Carl were walking in and singing in harmony.
The sound was beautiful in that slot canyon.
It was hot and we were tired when we took off. In Bucktail Rapid (3),
Larry's Camera floated off the bow of the canoe and the broken oar shaft
came off Mike's raft. We recovered the oar shaft in a gnarly eddy. Jim's
raft recovered the camera box.
(Joanna says "hi" to Carol.)
The moonlight tonight is amazing. It does not get into the inner gorge.
But the bluffs above are lit and range from eerie to dramatic.

Day 11, Doris, Mile 138.
Morning the river was down and a huge sand bar developed. Rafts had to be
pushed out. Frequent biggish drops today. Larry and I seem to be getting
the hang of this - reading these rapids and working together.
This morning the sun was backlighting the needles on the barrel cactus. I
hope whoever has the cameras is getting pictures.
Bats are out in the morning - daytime. They are whitish.
We had been worrying about Specter Rapid. The description sounded
dangerous for canoes. So when told it was coming up, Larry and I raced
ahead to scout it. It turned out to be specter Wannabe Rapid (a relatively
small rapid). As we paddled up toward the rafts, Larry suggested we run it
before the rafts get there and startle them. We decided it was foolish, but
should do it anyway. We clapped paddles and charged down the rapid.
We scouted Specter, which wasn't as dangerous as the description sounded,
but was very big. The huge hole could be missed by running the narrow
tongue which ended in a huge wave. Larry got a picture of the first raft,
and then we ran the rapid. We really launched Larry off the wave. The next
wave was big and crazy and knocked us on our left side. We both climbed
over the right gunwale and came out upright and laughing. What a thrill.
Bedrock Rapid is scary for rafts. The river crashes into a huge rock
island and splits. Most of the water goes left into an awful chaotic route.
You need to go right. (Jim had been in a raft that went left the last time
and flipped and he didn't come up for about 30 seconds.) The oarsmen pulled
like they really meant it (more than on Crystal). All made it. We cut
right earlier and hit a rock. We stayed upright.
Dubendorf is big. We went rightish and went through really big stuff
anyway. Four baloney boats were having lunch below watching. We came out
awash. I'm getting OK at bailing with my paddle.
Used the "My" setting to shoot pictures of Jim's raft coming through. It
was difficult to keep the raft in the viewfinder. The flash was up
consuming batteries.
We hiked up Stone Creek to stand under the falls.
Tapeats Rapid through after 135 mile rapid all run together as a mile and a
half rapid. Glad we didn't swim. Hit a hole near the top which we didn't
see until too late. Nearly stalled us.
Visited Deer Creek Falls.
No swims today.
Sang songs tonight.

Pictures can be viewed at: http://rapids2.myphotoalbum.com

Part 3 should follow end of the week.

Thanks for the TR, Krueger. Would you mind posting part 2 again? Can't
seem to find it among the OT posts. Thanks