The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon
The Colorado River from Lees Ferry to Diamond Creek, 226 miles, 18 days.
August 28th - September 14th, 2004
By Jason Rackley


Copyright © 2004, Oregon Kayaking. No part of this page may be reproduced, linked, or copied without the express written permission of the Oregon Kayaking webmaster.

What follows is my attempt to describe the indescribable, a kayak trip through the Grand Canyon. I hope you enjoy the ride as much as I did, and remember: "You are always above Lava.."

This trip report is quite long. You can read it straight through, or use the chapter links below to jump to a particular day.

INTRO: GETTING THERE AND THOUGHTS ON THE GRAND CANYON
DAY 1: LEES FERRY TO LEFT CAMP ( HOUSE ROCK RAPID )
DAY 2: THE ROARING TWENTIES ( SILVER GROTTO )
DAY 3: VASEY'S PARADISE, REDWALL CAVERN AND PRESIDENTIAL SURF
DAY 4: PASSING THE LITTLE COLORADO CONFLUENCE
DAY 5: UNKAR, TANNER, BASALT RAPIDS
DAY 6: LAYOVER AT 75 MILE CANYON
DAY 7: ADRENALINE ALLEY, PART 1 ( Hance, Grapevine, Horn Creek Rapids )
DAY 8: ADRENALINE ALLEY, PART 2 ( Granite, Hermit, Crystal, Turquoise, Ruby, Serpentine rapids )
DAY 9: ACROSS FROM ROSS WHEELER TO BLACKTAIL CANYON ( Shimuno Creek Falls, Walthenburg Rapid, Elves Chasm )
DAY 10: BLACKTAIL CANYON TO TAPEATS CREEK ( Specter, Bedrock, and Deubendorff Rapids )
DAY 11: TAPEATS CREEK LAYOVER DAY ( Hiking to the source of Thunder River )
DAY 12: TAPEATS CREEK TO MATKATAMIBA HOTEL CAMP ( Deer Creek Falls hike, Fishtail Rapid, Matkatamiba hike )
DAY 13: MATKATAMIBA HOTEL TO FIRST CHANCE CAMP ( Upset Rapid, Havasu Canyon hike )
DAY 14: FIRST CHANCE CAMP TO HONGA SPRINGS
DAY 15: HONGA SPRINGS TO PARASHANT CANYON ( Lava Falls for breakfast! )
DAY 16: PARASHANT CANYON LAYOVER DAY
DAY 17: ROWING FOR DIAMOND CREEK, THE LONG HAUL
DAY 18: THE FINAL DAY, TAKING OUT AT DIAMOND CREEK ( Bill rescues a kayaker? )
TIPS: A FEW LESSONS LEARNED THAT COULD HELP YOU ON YOUR TRIP DOWN THE CANYON


"If it is meant to be, it will happen.."

The 230 mile stretch of the Colorado river through the Grand Canyon is the most sought-after river trip in the continental United States. This section cannot be run without a permit, and the current wait time for a private trip permit is approximately 14 years.

The huge rapids contained within the Grand Canyon are legendary, an integral part of American whitewater lore. Names like Lava Falls, Crystal, Granite, Horn Creek, and Hermit inspire a potent mix of adrenaline, respect, and sometimes fear in paddlers who attempt this section. ( One long-time river runner described the Colorado in the Grand Canyon as 'A liquid predator..' ) For many, the Grand Canyon is the ultimate river experience, and I have to say it is by far the best river trip I have ever taken.

Of course, just mentioning the rapids would do this section of the Colorado a great disservice and misses the real reason to paddle this river, which is the canyon itself. The scenery in the Grand Canyon defies description and the side hikes are unique and almost other-worldly in their beauty. In the end, you should do the run for the scenery and the side hikes, not the whitewater. That said, when the rapids do come I assure you won't be disappointed. Heck, you might even find yourself getting pulverized in a huge hole, wondering what in the hell just hit you.. we had a few of those moments on our trip!

So, how did I get on the Grand Canyon without waiting for a permit and without paying big bucks for a commercial trip? Well, that is a very interesting story, all by itself...

In May of 2004 we had just come off of a great Selway River trip ( the second-hardest river to run in the lower 48 ) and had talked about how we just had to do a Grand Canyon trip some day. Ryan ( who has run the Grand Canyon before, this was his second trip down ) spoke of the run with a quiet reverence that reverberated strongly within our group.

A few weeks later Ryan was in downtown Portland with Scott Boring. Scott had rowed our gear raft down the Selway and was also a Grand Canyon veteran, and the subject of running the Grand came up again. Ryan talked about how he just had to get back on the Grand again, and Scott said prophetically:

"Well, if it is meant to be, it will happen."

A half hour later Ryan overheard someone talking in a bar about paddling the Grand Canyon. Ryan turned to the stranger ( who turned out to be Rolo, the permit holder ) and struck up a conversation, after a short while had managed to talk his way onto the trip! After further discussion, Ryan managed to get a few more of his kayaking friends invited as well, myself included. This absolutely remarkable confluence of events couldn't have surprised me more when the phone rang a few days later and Ryan said: "Are you sitting down??" before giving me the news.

What followed was a mad scramble to line up four weeks off on very short notice, purchase and organize all necessary gear, and arrange the rest of my life for a significant absence.

Fortunately, we didn't have to arrange for food, etc, because our trip was being outfitted by PRO (Professional Raft Outfitters) based in Flagstaff, Arizona. PRO did an incredible job, furnishing food, fully outfitted rafts ( three 16-footers and two 18-footers ), an inflatable kayak, water filtering and toilet gear, all kitchen supplies, stoves, firepan, tables, shuttle to and from our Flagstaff hotel, vehicle storage, training, and even lunch on the day after the trip! Everyone was very happy with this arrangement as it saved a lot of time and in the end, money as well.


GETTING THERE: Put-in minus 2 days
It is almost exactly 1,300 miles from Portland to Flagstaff (aka Flag). On the way down, we ( Jonathan, Ryan, Kristin, and myself ) headed down I5 to the Bakersfield area, then cut over across the Mojave desert into Flagstaff. The drive took about twenty hours, spread out over two days.

We arrived a day early, so we decided to do the tourist thing. Flag is a cool little college town nestled up in the mountains, not at all as hot and dry as I had imagined. Like many college towns, Flag has a youthful energy about it that makes it a fun place to be. We found a cool bar with live music, a sweet brew-pub, and a really good coffee shop with only a little effort.


POKING ABOUT IN FLAGSTAFF AND THE SURROUNDING AREA: Put-in minus 1 day
Flagstaff (aka Flag) and the surrounding area is pretty interesting, I would recommend taking a little time to explore if you do run the Grand. All of us were pretty glad that we went down a bit early so we could wander around.

With this in mind, the next morning we got up and drove down to Sedona, which is a trippy little new-age town about an hour from Flagstaff. Along the way we stopped at Slide Rock State Park and did a little hiking. The area around Sedona is breathtakingly beautiful, and definitely worth a visit.

At Slide Rock Park, I got my first lesson in what not to do in the desert: I changed shorts while we were swimming at Slide Rock, and when I changed back into my dry shorts, I had some red ants in there, which I didn't realize until they started biting me! Of course when they did there were lots of people around, so I had to go running frantically off into the woods before I could strip down and smash the little monsters.

Rule number one in the desert Southwest: Always check your gear for ants and scorpions when you leave it on the ground for any length of time.. you'll only make that mistake once, I assure you!

The 'church in the rocks'. They built this new-age style Christian church right into the wall of rock above Sedona. The views from the church grounds make it well worth the visit.

That night the rest of the group rolled in, but we were too busy soaking in the hotel hot tub to socialize.

On any trip like this, there is always a chance that there will be personality conflicts that taint the trip. Because of the disparate ages and backgrounds within our group, ( ages ranging from 29 to 66 ) we were all wondering the same thing: Would we get all get along? What if we don't?

Because of this, everyone was treading lightly around each other and trying to establish boundaries and personal space. In the end we all got along just fine, but there was no way to know that at this point. In the end, nobody wanted to be the one who was remembered as 'The one who shouldn't have been there.'

All of that aside, I have failed to mention what may be the most important and long-lasting part of any Grand Canyon adventure: The friends you make, and the friendships that are deepened as a result of the trip. I have found throughout my outdoors adventures and in the military that the strongest bonds between people are formed through shared adversity, and that truism was proven once again on our trip.

As we journeyed through this canyon, one of the deepest and most inescapable on earth, the barriers between us dissolved and we grew from a group of strangers into a tightly-knit tribe. We developed rituals and customs, routines and methods that were unique to our group. In the end, I will treasure my time with each and every one of the people who undertook this incredible journey with me; we will always have the canyon.

The next day PRO picked us up at the hotel in Flagstaff and drove us to Lees Ferry. The landscape gradually transforms itself as you make this trip, and the change is impressive. Slowly the land opens up and huge spires of red rock soar overhead. This is not, of course, the 'real' Grand Canyon yet, but it offers a tantalizing glimpse of what we can expect downstream.

After unloading the truck, the PRO rep showed us how to rig the rafts the PRO way and we set about rigging and loading. Once that was accomplished, the PRO guy ( Eric ) drove us to dinner at a local restaurant, after which we came back and camped just downstream of the main Lees Ferry put in. The moon was nearly full as I drifted off to sleep, filtering down through the Tamarisk that crowds the beaches here. In three days we will have a full moon, and we are all looking forward it.

We got up early and loaded the rafts. This was the first time we had fully loaded each raft, so it took a little extra time. The water was clear and cool, not as cold as it had been on Ryan's previous trip because the reservoir is at a lower level. We headed downstream full of anticipation and excitement, and perhaps a little apprehension. There is nothing that compares to the way you feel your first day on the Grand Canyon; you just have to experience it.

Fifty feet into our Grand Adventure.
Only 1,193,230 feet, two raft flips, two boulder broaches, three rafter swims without flips, three 'room of doom' raft entrapments, three kayaker swims, four lost pairs of sunglasses, two cases of poison ivy, one broken oar, fourteen slices of humble pie, too many laughs to count, too much good food to mention, and fourteen strangers soon-to-be-lifelong-friends to go!

Our Tribe
'The Colorado Tripsters'
Based out of Oregon / Washington

Rolo, Our Fearless leader
( aka Bill Berkshire )
Boat Captain for the lead/probe 16-foot raft
Occupation: Attorney

Audrey Tollefson
Kayaker
Occupation: Portland City Fire Fighter

Bill 'I rescue kayakers for beer' Ritchie
Boat Captain, 16-foot sweep (last) raft
Occupation: Retired business executive

Jean Wilkinson
Passenger, 18-foot gear raft
Occupation: Pediatric Clinical Nurse Specialist
Gerry Ewing
Boat Captain, 18-foot gear raft
Occupation: Night editor, Oregonian Newspaper

Jonathan 'The Great White Explorer' Rawson
Co-captain, 18-foot kitchen raft / Kayaker
Occupation: Owner, Rainy Day Landscaping

Kristin 'Yes I'm related to Carl' Jung
Passenger, lead/probe 16-foot raft
Occupation: Massage Therapist

Lori Hoffman
Kayaker
Occupation: Physical Therapist

Mike Mcgahan
Co-captain of the 18-foot kitchen raft
Occupation: Mortgage company president

Charlene Mcgahan
Passenger, 18-foot kitchen raft
Occupation: School Teacher


Penny Ritchie
Co-captain, 16-foot sweep (last) raft
Occupation: Retired real estate broker

Ron 'The Body' Klint
Captain, 16-foot anchor raft (second raft)
Occupation: Business executive

Ryan Windsor
Kayaker
Occupation: Emergency Medical Technician, Bar Tender, Whitewater action hero

DAY 1: THE GRAND CANYON SCHOOL OF WHITEWATER WELCOMES YOU..
Lees Ferry to 21.5 mile Left Camp, 21.5 river-miles.
<< BACK TO THE TOP

LESSONS LEARNED IN THE FIRST 20 MILES OF THE GRAND CANYON:

1. It is often wicked eddylines and huge whirlpools that cause the most trouble in Grand Canyon drops. With flows ranging from 8,000 to 35,000+ cfs depending on the time of day and the dam release schedule, unwary paddlers can get gobbled up by a whirlpool or beat up on an eddyline when they least expect it. You aren't out of the rapid until the water stops moving!

2. Huge, chaotic hydraulics make boat-scouting fun and exciting for experienced kayakers but downright dangerous for heavily loaded gear-rafts. The waves and holes in the Grand Canyon are simply massive, and the holes are often lurking in the midst of a maelstrom of huge crashing waves that often disorient and confuse rowers until it is too late.
Our raft crews scouted every rapid in the Grand rated 6 or more on the 1-10 scale. We found that almost every one of these rapids had a least one huge hole ( often not visible from river-level ) waiting to gobble up the unwary. Experienced Kayakers can boat-scout all but the most difficult rapids in the Grand due to our speed and mobility, but the heavily-loaded gear rafts do not have this luxury.

Below the put in, we drifted through some small rapids, working the kinks out. The rafts were very heavy ( no food or beverages consumed yet! ) so the raft captains struggled in some of the strong eddylines.

We arrived at the first major rapid, known as 'Badger Creek Rapid', rated a 5 on a scale of 1 to 10. Badger turned out to be a fun, read-and-run wave train for everyone. ( The rating system on the Grand is based on the antiquated 1-10 system for big-water western rivers. I found that dividing the rating in half closely approximates the more conventional 1-6 rating system I was more familiar with.. )

Just downstream arrived at our first landmark, a towering chunk of Coconino sandstone known as '10 mile rock' that is vertically embedded in the middle of the river. Of course, Jonathan ( I don't call him the Great White Explorer for nothing ) just HAD to climb this rock, so I helped him balance his inflatable kayak while he worked out the moves and then scrambled up onto the rock..

Just downstream was Soap Creek Rapid ( class 5 on a scale of 1-10 ), a wild ride that we also boat-scouted. It was here that Audrey experienced her first swim in the powerful, chaotic waves and eddylines of the Grand Canyon. We were able to get her gear to shore without problems.

Just downstream we heard a huge roar ( you hear the big ones in the Grand a looooong time before you see them.. ) signaling the biggest rapid so far, known as House Rock. We were all a little concerned about this drop because Ryan's group had flipped an 18 foot gear boat in this rapid on his first trip down. At House Rock the river swings down around a corner, with a wave train and most of the current leading directly into a huge, raft-eating hole at the bottom.

The rafters all got out to scout, but Ryan and I sped downstream, scouted quickly, and ran the drop. I went first, and I remember Ryan's voice echoing in my head as I dropped in: "It's a lot bigger than it looks in there.." Sure enough, I was sucked down towards the hole relentlessly, and I had to pull HARD to avoid it. Once below the rapid, Ryan and I hiked back up on river-left to shoot photos and video of the rafters coming through.

Jean (front) and Gerry (rowing) Ewing slip the 18-foot gear raft past the raft-eating hole at House Rock Rapid ( rated 7 on a scale of 1-10 ) Here all of the current sweeps downstream around the corner through a wave train directly into this hole, requiring a strong move to the right to avoid it.

Everyone made it through House Rock without problems, and we continued downstream. Our plan was to stop at North Canyon campground because of the hike ( Rolo had missed this hike on his first trip down ) but when we got to the campsite Mike ( rowing the heavily-loaded kitchen raft ) missed the eddy and we had to continue down to a rocky camp at mile 21.5.

We ended up arriving at dusk, tired after a long day of boating, only to discover that all of the food ( including the steaks we had planned to cook for dinner ) were frozen solid in the coolers! After making this rather unwelcome discovery, we had a free-for-all dinner including whatever we could find in the food boxes that sounded good..


DAY 2: THE ROARING TWENTIES
21.5 mile Left Camp to South Canyon camp, 10 river-miles.

<< BACK TO THE TOP

The following day we got up early and packed, everyone excited by the prospect of 'The Roaring Twenties', a long string of rapids between mile 20 and 30. The kayakers ranged out in front of the rafts and we managed to boat-scout all of these rapids, stopping along the way to shoot the occasional photo. About halfway down we caught up with another private group of rafters and kayakers from Telluride, and we got acquainted. We would see this group off and on throughout our trip, and their happy faces and cries of 'CALIENTE!!' were always welcome!

Ryan Windsor gets a sweet surf on a big wave in the midst of the roaring twenties while Lori Hoffman and a couple of Telluride kayakers wait their turn in the eddy.

At mile 29 ( the end of the roaring twenties ) Silver Grotto appears on the left. This wonderful side hike is one of the first really unique places in the canyon, and should not be missed. Be sure to bring a rope and some slings so you can set up the necessary rappel stations though, or you may not be able to access the upper parts of the gorge.

Luckily for us, the Telluride group had arrived first and had set up both of the necessary rappels so we were able to use their gear to access the upper reaches of Silver Grotto.

We entered the Grotto by doing a short but easy rock climb just upstream of the final pool in the gorge (follow the path upstream past the lower pool), then a short rappel down just below the third teacup. From here we swam the deep, brown pools to access the upper pool, where you can jump in swim around if you like.. It was a beautiful place, the rock polished white by water, glowing as the late afternoon sun filtered down from far overhead..

Rolo and Kristin swim their way up through the fifth teacup in Silver Grotto while Lori Hoffman waits for the rest of the group below..

After eating lunch and hiking up into Silver Grotto, we continued downstream to our camp at South Canyon. This was the third night of our trip, and there was a nice full moon out. Ryan, Lori, Jonathan and Audrey left camp when it got dark and hiked up on the steep terrain behind the camp. After awhile we saw their headlamps improbably high up on the wall near a large cave about two hundred vertical feet above the camp. Intrigued, Kristin and I hiked up to join them, eventually joining up with the rest of the group on a trail that runs along above the camp.

The moon was full and painted the canyon with a brilliant silver glow, and we basked in the view, the water flowing by far below like molten crystal. Suddenly, we heard a step, and a figure materialized out of the darkness on the trail. "Heyyy, how you guys doing?" The stranger asked, sitting down with us and making himself comfortable. It was a little disorienting, but the night was already so surreal that we just accepted it in stride. "You guys smoke?" The apparition said. A few of us murmured yes. "Right on, Crouton!!" the apparition said, and proceeded to light up. We learned that his name was Keith, and he was part of a scientific group doing surveys on endangered snails in the canyon. What a life!

"Some guy in our group thought he found the WORLD RECORD snail the other day.." Crouton Keith confided in us between puffs. "It was 17 millimeters long. Only to find out the world record snail is 23 centimeters long!! I was like: Bummer, Dude!"

The night wore on, and after a few more laughs and a lot more smoke awhile Keith swayed off down the trail, leaving a sweet, cloying smell in his wake..


This trip report is quite large and has been broken into chapters, grouped by day. To view the next page, click on the 'DAY 3: VASEY'S PARADISE, REDWALL CAVERN AND PRESIDENTIAL SURF' link below.

INTRO: GETTING THERE AND THOUGHTS ON THE GRAND CANYON
DAY 1: LEES FERRY TO LEFT CAMP ( HOUSE ROCK RAPID )
DAY 2: THE ROARING TWENTIES ( SILVER GROTTO )
DAY 3: VASEY'S PARADISE, REDWALL CAVERN AND PRESIDENTIAL SURF
DAY 4: PASSING THE LITTLE COLORADO CONFLUENCE
DAY 5: UNKAR, TANNER, BASALT RAPIDS
DAY 6: LAYOVER AT 75 MILE CANYON
DAY 7: ADRENALINE ALLEY, PART 1 ( Hance, Grapevine, Horn Creek Rapids )
DAY 8: ADRENALINE ALLEY, PART 2 ( Granite, Hermit, Crystal, Turquoise, Ruby, Serpentine rapids )
DAY 9: ACROSS FROM ROSS WHEELER TO BLACKTAIL CANYON ( Shimuno Creek Falls, Walthenburg Rapid, Elves Chasm )
DAY 10: BLACKTAIL CANYON TO TAPEATS CREEK ( Specter, Bedrock, and Deubendorff Rapids )
DAY 11: TAPEATS CREEK LAYOVER DAY ( Hiking to the source of Thunder River )
DAY 12: TAPEATS CREEK TO MATKATAMIBA HOTEL CAMP ( Deer Creek Falls hike, Fishtail Rapid, Matkatamiba hike )
DAY 13: MATKATAMIBA HOTEL TO FIRST CHANCE CAMP ( Upset Rapid, Havasu Canyon hike )
DAY 14: FIRST CHANCE CAMP TO HONGA SPRINGS
DAY 15: HONGA SPRINGS TO PARASHANT CANYON ( Lava Falls for breakfast! )
DAY 16: PARASHANT CANYON LAYOVER DAY
DAY 17: ROWING FOR DIAMOND CREEK, THE LONG HAUL
DAY 18: THE FINAL DAY, TAKING OUT AT DIAMOND CREEK ( Bill rescues a kayaker? )
TIPS: A FEW LESSONS LEARNED THAT COULD HELP YOU ON YOUR TRIP DOWN THE CANYON