This is the final chapter in this story.

Day 12, Upset Hotel, mile 150.5.
As I write, I am tired. I am leaning against a rock overhang to escape the
sun. Five of us are here, most are under a tarp. We are sitting on fine
white sand. The sun is shrinking our bit of shade.
A rock just fell just fell off the wall near where we are sitting.
Unnerving.
Mornings are a push. To get out of camp by 9:00 requires steady work. By
the time we get on the river, people are irritable. It will be the theme
for the day.
Mostly the river is moving pretty fast through here. The private group we
had passed caught up with us and agreed we would visit Matkatameba for an
hour and they would then follow. (Only a few boats can get in the eddy
there.) When we got there, Jim missed the eddy and floated down river. We
hiked up the Matkat slot canyon (spectacular) for 20 minutes and then agreed
to turn around. It took awhile for stragglers to turn around. The slot
canyon called for some challenging rock climbing. As we were leaving, some
stragglers noticed Jim, Joanna, and Brice coming overland to the upper area.
Doug and Carl went back to help them find their way. However, we were now
late for leaving and concerned the group behind us would miss the hike
because we were filling the eddy. Turns out a dory trip had pulled out
above us and a guide had scrambled down and talked to Susan to say they
would come down when they saw us pull out.
By the time we got to Upset Rapid, we wanted to scout, but no one else
did.
We got out to scout as the others ran it. If we had more time to scout, we
might have run it. We would have needed to scout the right shore to look
for shallow rocks. It would have taken quite a while. Instead we lined and
carried the canoe down the right shore. It was quicker.
The shade from the far canyon wall has arrived just before the shade from
our overhang ran out.
I took a bath and cooled off and so feel better.
We're through the intense rapids.
We had lunch at camp, simplifying the day somewhat.
The canyon here goes up steeply close to the river on both sides. In the
moonlight it looks like we are camping in a long slot.

Day 13 Upper National Mile 166.5
Everyone's in a better mood this morning. All worked hard and got out of
camp by 8:25. It is clear and not too warm.
No big rapids today. Brice paddled Sinyella Rapid (2).
We hiked up Havasu Canyon. The boats had to catch an eddy into a slot
where a bunch of boats tie up together. Exotic. Chris stayed with the
rafts. We had to swim up the mouth of the river to start our hike. The
lower part of the river is spectacular. The water is clear and very blue.
For a number of reasons, Larry, Mike and Joanna and Brice ended up behind
the others. The Hawley-Jones' decided to slow down, and Larry raced off. I
followed. There were falls supposedly 3 miles up. I was nearly trotting to
keep up. I finally turned around short of the falls and hurried back - a
long walk. The lower prat of the river is far more attractive than the part
further up. I should have stayed back with Michael and Joanna.
Others made it up to the falls and ended up running back in the heat.
Leaving, Chris' raft hit a rock sideways and Susan fell out and ended up
between a rock and the raft.
Dinner in the dark.
Carl's birthday.
Tomorrow, Lava.
Dorymen from the camp below came up to chat. One said the e coli is so
high in Havasu no one should swim there. He found two dead sheep in the
river above the falls.
This camp has lots of bold mice.

Whitmore Wash Day 14 Mile 188
(Actually, I am writing this the next day.)
Everyone got up early and pushed hard to get on the river by 8:25. French
toast for breakfast. Edginess is back.
Floating in the morning everyone is quiet. Lava is weighing heavy on
everyone's thoughts.
We scouted on the left. Bob Foote arrived and scouted on the right. The
Dorry- men had informed us that at high flows the normal right run was
likely to flip a raft. The left run was easier at higher flows. They will
run the left tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. when the flow peaks.
Larry and I decided to line the canoe. There were rocks near the surface
near where a canoe might leave swimmers. As it turned out, Bob Foote had
decided the left was unsafe for canoes and told his clients they could not
run it and that the right run was a near-certain (90%) swim. While we were
lining our canoe, three of our rafts went through. Chris spun and hit a
rock, but did fine. Jim and Mike had clean runs. Amee had our camera and
Jerry had his movie camera. Then Jerry, Doug and Amee ran it with Jerry at
the oars and had a clean run. Larry and I filmed.
Bob Foote's group sent 3 or 4 canoes down the right. One ran it
successfully in an impressive display of paddling. The other canoeists,
including Bob, ran down in the motor-rig.
Below Lava there is a lot of basalt.
After Lava the canyon opens up and Larry pointed out how nice it was to see
sky.
Got my toenails painted in the evening. Everyone reviewed movies of Lava.
Carl had sparklers for the Alive-Below-Lava Party.

Day 15 Parashant Wash Mile 198.5
Last night was so hot, in the middle of the night, I rolled over and the
sheet went "squish." I thought my water bottle was leaking. But it wasn't.
I've never sweated so much at night.
Before leaving, we hiked up to see some pictographs. Helicopters were
swooping in and out ferrying passengers.
Bryce ran the first few rapids with me. One finally had pretty big waves.
At the first big wave, Bryce threw himself forward causing the boat to list
to the right. I speculated he was being melodramatic. Later Susan pointed
out that diving on the bow of the boat was what he was trained to do in the
raft.
Got to camp about 1:30. It is hot. We had lunch. Spoons left on the
table were too hot to pick up. We are all huddled in what shade we can
find. By staying wet, I am comfortable.

Day 16 Indian Canyon Mile 206.5
Last night was hot and windy. I slept fitfully, naked on top of the sheets
most of the night.
Not many miles to go, so a leisurely morning.
The river is wider with occasional gravel bars. The desert vegetation is
even drier. some of the ocotillo has not leafed out down here. The river
looks slow and lazy after a while - until we reach 205 mile rapid (6). Huge
chaotic waves again. We blast skyward repeatedly. Larry is whooping.
After the first part of the rapid, we fight our way into a huge eddy to
bail. In the second part of the rapid, we paddle hard to ferry away from
the left rock wall. We clear it, but collide with a roiling eddy. The eddy
line flips us. We self rescue relatively easily. Thank goodness, we didn't
end up in the eddy.
Apparently my whistle came untied in the middle of the huge waves. I saw
the whistle cord draped over the gunnel, the whistle dangling outside the
canoe. How it perched there I can't imagine. I grabbed it and put it in my
mouth for the rest of the run and swim.
Camp is HOT. We're off the river around 11.00, unload the boats and
retreat to bits of shade on ledges near camp. Everyone is moving slow.
Lots of napping. Books are finally getting read.
Night started hot, but cooled and I pulled up the bag.

Day 17 Upper 220 (Donkey Doo) Last full day.
Morning irritability seems to have returned to the group. It's been a long
trip. Moods improved when we are on the water. On at 8:52 despite pancakes
for breakfast and a supposedly leisurely morning. The wind is already
starting to blow.
Stopped at Pumpkin Spring.
Water fights started early.
I was practicing with Larry's waterproof disposable camera to try to take
pictures in rapids.
Mile 217 Rapid is supposed to be a read-and-run waive train (5). The wind
is fierce by now. At the entrance to the rapid, the wind slows us, my
attempt to get a grip on the camera (unsuccessful) costs a couple strokes
and we turn left later than we might have otherwise. All of which are
excuses for our swim when we hit a diagonal wave and flipped. Long swim. I
got in the boat and Larry was almost in and another wave tipped us over.
Finally self rescue at the bottom of everything. Larry lost his rescue
knife. Larry's pump was floating. Jim and Rafa fall in trying to rescue
the pump.
We found an onion in the river and threw it to Rafa. That started a food
fight.
Camp has a big mesquite. (Largest tree we have seen.) We retreat beneath
the tree for shade and watch other boats struggle by in the wind.
This camp has critters. Susan nearly stepped on a tattle snake. We all
got a good look and pictures. Carl found another near camp also. Two
ringtails were on the rafts eating apples. I tried to get pictures. The
batteries died on the last attempt.
Everyone is in a good mood.
Day 18 Last day.
Last night was something. It was hot and windy. It was 94 degrees when we
went to bed and 84 degrees in the morning. So hot I sweated up the sheets
and couldn't sleep. The wind blew fine sand through the tent and the sheets
and pillow were covered with sand, as was I. By morning I was finally
comfortable - naked on top of the sheets.
Carl found a scorpion in his bed sheets in the morning.
The ring-tails spend the night on the rafts and in the kitchen. Amee tried
sleeping on the raft and heard them scurrying under her. She tried banging
on things, but they would not leave. She tried hitting one with an oar.
She tried falling asleep, only to have one pop up inches from her nose and
look at her. She slept on shore.
Jim slept on his raft and just listened to them scurrying around.
Few slept well. Jim and Jerry on rafts and Doug on his cot near the river.
Everyone was up before sunrise. Cold cereal so we could get an early start.
The river has dropped so several rafts were stranded up high.
When Michael was loading his raft, he found a ring-tail cat hiding in the
raft. We spent quite a while evicting a very unhappy and wet cat. Despite
the delay, we got on the river at 7:50.
We fought wind all the way to the end.
We swam Mile 217 Rapid. Self-rescued.
When we de-rigged, we found a ring-tail in Michael's raft. It appeared to
be dead, but was seen shivering. They scooped it into a bucket and moved it
up on shore. It later had moved off.

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

Putting this together and editing @1200 digital pictures took longer
than the trip, but as I wasn't able to go, I enjoyed the job. After all
someone had to do it.........

Hope you all enjoyed it.

Thanks, Krueger; nice write-up.
Padeen