Grand Canyon Rafting Trip - Day 5

 

JJ decided to bring out the Pirate flag and our group responded immediately.  

We decide to create the cross bone sign with the hook.  Every time we got close to another raft we began to sing our song followed by the cross bone arm and hook.  

We are getting ready to hike the Black Canyon Trail. A 2-mile roundtrip hike.  Our pre-hikes never prepared us for hiking in the canyon.  Here you make your own trails along the wash and up and over the boulders. 

Kathy stops for a photo along the route.   The hike is scrambling over large  boulders and ends with cliff jumping. 

A video of the scrambling and hike along the river wash. 

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Cliff jumping at the waterfall.  I decided not to take the plunge because I wanted to enjoy my last three days on the river without incident.  The ledge area was not very stable and one slip the party is over.  

Lava Rock along the canyon walls. At least 150 lava flows have been mapped in the Grand Canyon. 

A look at our campsite.  

No campsite would be complete with the Groover, our toilet,  There are two, each located on different sides of the campsite.  The wash station is for washing your hands after doing the deed.  Just pump the foot plunger and water magically  flows.  The red plastic container has toilet paper and indicates that the toilet is open for business.   

 The Groover consist of an ammo can with a toilet seat attached,  I can tell you this you always have a great view when sitting on the Groover!

End of Day 5

Grand Canyon Rafting Trip - Day 4

 

Day 4 is swap out day.  We change rafts so Will can drop off the people hiking out and pick up the people hiking in.  It takes a while for the swap and we have time to hike to Phantom Ranch.  The pilots are in communication as to the status of the hikers hiking the Bright Angel Trail,   The $5 dollar lemonade at Phantom Ranch was well worth the money.   

As we attempt to back away from Phantom Ranch the NPS rangers request our assistance in a raft accident.  They need us to take a repairman and pilot with supplies down river to repair a raft and assist in piloting the raft out of the canyon.  

NPS picks up two individuals from Flagstaff and fly's them with equipment to Phantom Ranch for transport on our raft.  The crew arrives with two wheel barrels of equipment for repairs.   

With the new crewmembers on-board, we are ready to depart. 

 

Since we switched rafts, JJ is our new pilot and is ready to assist.  JJ is a solid 5'2" ball of TNT.  

We finally arrive at the accident site and look over the situation.  We deliver the repairman and pilot.  The repairman says it will take two days to complete the repairs before they can continue.  They thank us for a job well done! 

If you click on the photo you can see Oliver and Morgan, the two crewmembers assisting Pilots Will and JJ, trying to find a good support for holding the rafts.  We were amazed at their climbing abilities.  

Our next stop is a waterfall .  You can see the walk is along a creek bed. 

They finally reach the end of the hike and everyone take a turn under the waterfall. 

A video of the waterfall.  

Our camp for night 4.  Before we can get our tent, sleeping pad and large dry bag, we have to form a line and off load all the cooking equipment and tables,   This is a tedious task and requires many people to complete.  The beaches are sandy and hard to walk on.   

End of Day 4