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

Grand Canyon Rafting Trip - Day 3

 

This is the third day of our Grand Canyon Rafting Trip. Each day has been better than the last. We are excited about our upcoming side hike into the Little Colorado River.

We welcome the morning shade along our route because we know the afternoon sun will be very hot.  We constantly drink water to keep hydrated during the day, Believe me you do not want to get dehydrated in the Grand Canyon.  Serious medical conditions can occur quickly. You also need salt content to absorb the water.    

Fun Fact

The Grand Canyon might look like the perfect place to go looking for dinosaur bones, but none have ever been found there, and for good reason. The rock that makes up the canyon walls is vastly more ancient than the dinosaurs – about a billion years more ancient, in some cases – but the canyon itself probably didn't form until after the dinosaurs were long gone.

With it's amazing turquoise waters, the Little Colorado River is an incredible sight... not to mention the swimming. This was the highlight of our trip. The swimming was amazing as you ride the water down stream.

We encounter anther group of visitors up ahead at the start of our body ride down the little Colorado..

The water here is warmer than the water it meets at the Colorado River.  I tried to video my ride down the river.  I had the waterproof camera attached to my left wrist.  Do you know how hard it is to film while trying to swim.  Needless to say I was underwater much of the time.  My video file is too large to insert it as a video.  

Kathy trying her turn in the river. 

Kathy narrating a waterfall hike.  You make your own trail in the canyon.  

The hike was well worth the effort. 

End of Day 3

Grand Canyon Rafting Trip Day 2

Morning call for coffee and juice.  For breakfast we had pancakes, bacon and fruit.   Last night we decided to sleep without our tent under the beautiful stars.  I tried to get a nighttime video of the stars but was unsuccessful.  

Our first stop "Red wall Cavern".  The below video provides a better glimpse of this huge cavern.  

Our dry bags are attached to a nylon line for security.  We wear river shoes for entering the raft.  These shoes have excellent grip for walking on rubber but when sand is on the bottom of your shoe you must be extra careful when entering or exiting the raft. 

Our motorized C-Craft raft design has a lower than usual center of gravity, 64,000 pounds of buoyancy, and a special articulating frame system that holds everything in place, but also allows the boat to absorb the river’s energy.  

You see many other rafting vendors during your trip down the canyon.  Some of the smaller rafts take 14-days to travel the 226 mile venture.  

It's amazing to see how much greenery and animals live and thrive in the Grand Canyon. The Hopi Indians were one of the first to live in the canyon. The 6 tribes generally associated with the Grand Canyon are the Hualapai, Havasupai, Navajo, Hopi, Paiute and Zuni. Each of these tribes have resided on the Colorado Plateau long before the arrival of Europeans and each has their own unique culture and heritage as well as a common connection with the Grand Canyon.

The canyon is specular to see from any direction.  That's  "Will" our Trip Leader and pilot.  He provided great details about the canyon formation and people who led early expeditions of the canyon.  He studied Geology in college and was very knowledgeable of rock formations along the Grand Canyon.  

Remember I mentioned in Day 1, how shallow the water level is in the canyon.  Notice in this video Todd, my personnel Cardiologist, who was also on trip is pointing at a rock that normally you would not see during the trip.