Tuesday, June 15, 2021

Grand Canyon Raft Trip - Day 6


Kathy taking a break from folding up our chairs and waiting for departure.  Everything has to be loaded and unload each day.  You need a good group of people to ensure the task is done as quickly as possible.  


You can see in this photo Bob covers his legs with a sarong.  We purchased ours from Canyoneers.  They were worth every penny,   



Again we meet other rafters along the river.  These type of rafts are manual oaring and can take 14 days or more to complete their journey.  



A storm develops ahead of us.  We were lucky the rainfall was minimal.  Storms miles away can have severe consequences in the river.  


Last 3 days of our trip were extremely hot and you must keep cool to ensure you don't get heat stroke.  In addition to pouring water on your body, you dip your hat and sarong and use the sarong to cover your arms and legs. 



It feels very cold, but needed to be done. 


Each name on the back of our preservers represents one of the rapids in the canyon.  Horn is a number 10 rapid for difficulty.  Although we were not splashed every time we rode a rapid, it was the piloting skills that ensured a successful trip.  



Avoid rocks at all costs.  They can flip a raft in seconds.  Thankfully our pilots did a fantastic job to keep us safe throughout our trip. 



Beginning of another hike up a river wash.  Not sure why the guy is wearing is life preserver.  



We finally arrive at our destination only to find out we have to swim under the boulder and climb up another slippery rock to reach another level.  I decided that I will stay right here until the group starts back.  




According to most estimates, the Grand Canyon is home to at least 80 big water rapids.










 

Saturday, June 12, 2021

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

Pulling up Anchor at Acadia National Park

 I thought it would be nice to add a few facts about Acadia National in each of the photos below. We decided that our last trip here at Acad...