This is the day we really started the whitewater adventure. I quickly learned the unofficial motto of this trip: “Lots of learning.” I was not expecting it to be so true. The process of packing up the camp and getting my gear settled into the rafts and the kayak took a lot of time, and that was after I had done my best to prepare the night before. I was struggling to figure out what clothing and gear I would want while on the water and what was the best way to pack up everything else in my dry bags. It was quite a sight to see the rest of the group all working together to efficiently pack up their gear and the rafts. Clearly the extra 9 days of experience made a difference.
The first day on the river started off with a bang. We ran Granite and Hermit rapids right off the bat, and both were a blast. My line through Granite was a little sloppy, but I kept it upright. Hermit on the other hand felt like riding a roller coaster with huge waves. It was an action packed day all around with 8 rapids rated 5 or above, including one of the biggest, Crystal. Fortunately, all of the rapids went well and we did not have any swimmers. Crystal even ended up being pretty easy, as the lower flow allowed us to sneak by the worst of the holes. That did not take away from the excitement of the rest of the rapids though. There were a lot of really fun runs in this section.
In addition to all the whitewater we also had some time to explore the Ross Wheeler. This boat was abandoned on the river in the 1915 by a group filming a run through the canyon. It has been sitting here on the side of this rapid ever since. It is pretty hard to imagine running the river in a boat like this these days. It’s both small and incredibly fragile compared to the rubber ones we were paddling.
After covering about 15 miles we arrived at our second camp, Below Bass. Once again the group sprang into action and unpacked the boats. I tried to help where I could, but also went to find myself a spot where I could lay my wet clothes out to dry. I set up my at the back of camp near the wall of the canyon. By the time we had arrived the sun was already below the rim of the canyon, but I still climbed up the wall a bit to capture a panorama of our camp.
After a great pasta dinner I headed off to bed. I was feeling a little sore from the paddling, so I was ready to lay down and get some rest. Camping in the Grand Canyon is a little different than what I’m used to at home. Given the consistent weather I ended up spending every night sleeping under the stars. By the time I was headed to bed, the clear blue skies had transformed into an incredible display of the Milky Way. The stars were simply spectacular, and the light pollution was non-existent. It was pretty magical to watch that sea of starts move across the sky over the course of the night. Every time I woke up they had shifted, revealing new constellations, and in the early morning the moon rose and changed it all again.
Taken 10/28/21