After our layover day it was back to the usual routine of packing up the rafts and heading downstream. It was a calm morning in terms of whitewater with a number of small rapids, but the views continued to impress.
Me, floating through the canyon in the kayak
We stopped for lunch and a hike at Matkatamiba Canyon. I know, it’s a mouthful. Everyone calls it “Matkat”. It was yet another example of the layered rocks eroded away by the side creek. The hike was short and quite easy, but it was also fun. We hiked into the canyon along the side of the creek on top of a ledge. From there we explored the back of the canyon a bit and then hiked back out through the stream, making a loop. I think the photos really explain this one better than I can, so I’ll just let them do the talking:
The lower end of the creek. The trail runs along the upper edge of the right wall
This angle (looking back out) gives a sense of scale with Anne in the background
The upper end of the Matkatamiba narrows. This is where the dry (hiking in) and wet (hiking out) trails merge
Looking down into the narrow section you can see the dry trail to the left of the creek
Believe it or not, this is the trail. Definitely something special!
A friendly toad watching us hike by
There was only a short distance to go after we left Matkat, but it did contain the one big rapid of the day, Upset. This is an 8 that proved to be a tricky one. We got closer to flipping a raft in upset than we did on the entire trip. I watched it all happen from an eddy below the big hole. There was a moment of “uh oh…” before the raft landed upright. To top it off, neither of the passengers fell out, though they did report seeing blue sky in an unusual direction.
Only the bottom of these rafts is black
Once we were through upset we quickly made it to Above Ledges, our camp for the night. This was my favorite camp of the trip. The entire camp was situated on some stone ledges that protruded from the canyon wall right up to the water’s edge. Everyone simply spread out to find their rock of choice and set up their sleeping pads. Once the sun went down a headlamp was a must, because if you took one wrong step you could end up in the water. That being said, I made it safely to bed that night (as did everyone else) and listened to the bats flying around above me. I could hear their chirping above me as they flew around keeping any insects away.
Day 5 of our trip brought a change of pace: our first layover day. As opposed to our usual schedule of breaking camp and moving downstream we instead left the kitchen set up, the sleeping bag out, and spent some time enjoying the same spot again for the entire next day. I started taking advantage of the slow start right away with some photos of the sunrise over the river. This was one of the first days with any clouds, so it was a special treat to have so much color in the sky.
Sunrise over the Colorado from OC camp
A few of the rafts floating in the eddy below camp
After breakfast we packed up for our biggest side hike yet, a loop through Deer Creek to Thunder River. Because our camp was on the opposite side of the river we first ferried across the river and hiked up the bank to the trail head. After a few minutes to take in the waterfall it was up the steep slope just downstream to get above the falls and into the Deer Creek slot canyon itself.
Looking up at the Deer Creek falls. The falls here are 150′ tall.
The view of the Colorado just before entering the slot canyon
The Deer Creek narrows was one of the most interesting side canyons we explored on the entire trip. The trail ran along a patio well above the river, but also well below the rim. It quickly wound it’s way into the hillside. The sound of the rushing water was quite loud below, though the stream was mostly out of sight. In addition, the trail was quite narrow in some places – probably about 3 feet from the wall to the edge. It all combined to get you to really focus on your footing and hug the wall as you shimmied around the tightest corners.
Looking back out the mouth of the Deer Creek slot
Looking down at the river with the trail visible on the left side
In addition to the natural beauty, Deer Creek is also a cultural site for the Southern Paiute people who have lived in this area for centuries. It’s easy to understand why they felt this spot was special. The Ancestral Puebloan people before them also visited this spot and left hand prints on the walls which are still visible next to the trail today. It’s a very cool thing to see.
A hand print on an overhand next to the trail
It didn’t take long for us to hike out the top of the Deer Creek narrows and into a beautiful green valley above. From here the climb continued up and over a pass towards the next major destination on the hike, Thunder River. The hike was a steady climb followed by some easier traversing. The views through here were substantially different than what we had been seeing along the river. Much more open, flat, and green.
Looking back down towards the Deer Creek narrows from the climb up
The view across Surprise Valley is much flatter than expected – no cliffs here
Looking down towards Tapeats Creek from the edge of Surprise Valley
After all of the incredible beauty we had already visited on this hike, I was not expecting to have it all outdone once again. I was wrong – the Thunder River spring ended up being my highlight of this hike. Our first view of it came after we crossed Surprise Valley started to descend down towards Tapeats Creek. The Thunder River simply pours out of a hole in the cliff wall. It must be fed by a cave system, as there is no sign of water above the top of the falls. The volume of water was also impressive, and made for a lot of noise as it rushed down. We worked our way down to the base of the waterfall which was surrounded by lush vegetation. A true oasis in the desert.
The trail approaching the top of Thunder River
The Thunder River falls from the shade of a cottonwood tree
Some wild mint growing at the base of the falls
From the falls we started the long hike back down to river and out of Tapeats Canyon. We first followed the Thunder River to the confluence below, and then followed Tapeats Creek out to the Colorado. The trail through this section started off with some steep descent, and then became a set of rolling climbs and descents as it meandered it’s way through the side canyon.
Laura took a break to do a handstand on this rock outcropping along near the trail on the descent down to Tapeats Creek
Looking down Tapeats Creek toward the Colorado
The hike turned out to be longer than expected, coming in at around 9 miles. We all had to stop on the final section to re-fill our water and rest a bit before we finished off the remainder of the (hillier than expected) traverse to the river. Once we made it to the river it was time to grab a drink, relax, and float back down to camp on the boats we had left the previous day. It was a treat to be able to float through the narrows again a second time, but our camp was definitely a welcome sight as well. After all, dinner always tastes great after a long hike!
At the beginning of day 4 we were 25 miles from our first camp and the magnitude of the canyon was starting to sink in. I spent the first couple of days on the river admiring how amazing the views were, but over time I became more and more impressed at how much they just kept coming. Day upon day of incredible scenery. Always changing, always a surprise, but never dull.
The group floating downstream on the morning of our third day with many layers of rock on display
Day three was another great whitewater day, with 6 big rapids. The highlight for me was Deubendorff, a fairly long and more technical rapid. The line I took at the bottom was particularly fun, around some big holes. I later heard from the other rafters that I disappeared into the troughs of the waves a few times, only to pop back up as I crested the next one.
Dropping in to the upper section of Deubendorff Rapid
After 14 miles we stopped to drop off one of the rafts and my kayak to set up a shuttle for a big hike the next day. More about that next time. From there we floated on the remaining rafts through the granite narrows, the narrowest portion of the canyon. It was a very neat spot, with deep calm water and tight walls all around.
Looking upstream from the granite narrows
We stopped that evening just downstream of Deer Creek at OC Camp. It was a big sandy beach with tons of room for our kitchen, fire pit, sleeping areas, and a few games of bocce with some light up balls. Micky ran away with all the victories that evening, but I did get some cool photos along the way.
By my third day in the canyon I was starting to figure out some of the tricks to packing my gear and getting organized. I started putting more and more of the things I might want during the day into the kayak, and also moved a couple of things I would want after breakfast (like my toothbrush) into my ammo can that would be accessible all day. These optimizations let me get my big bags packed earlier so that I wouldn’t be holding up the group when packing the rafts.
Watching one of our rafts float downstream
One of many rock pillars visible as we drifted by
A new slot canyon in the making
By 10 AM we had pushed off and were floating downstream. This section of the river is the end of the upper granite gorge that starts about 30 miles upstream. In this section the river cuts through all of the neat layers into the oldest rock. This layer of Schists and Granites is about 1.7 billion years old, making it some of the oldest exposed rock in North America. This layer of rock is also quite hard, making the canyon quite narrow here. However, in contrast to the previous day this day was relatively quiet in the whitewater sense. We only ran one rapid rated over 5 (Walthenberg), along with a few smaller drops.
The moon sinking towards the rock shelf above us
Still following those rafts downstream with incredible views of the towering Redwall
In the early afternoon we arrived at the day’s main attraction, Elves Chasm. After tying up the rafts we scrambled up the creek to a beautiful waterfall. This “hike” (if you can call it that) is a good example of the kinds of activities we did during the day. Lunch stops with short, rugged, and very rewarding walks or scrambles. I quickly learned that doing these hikes in my kayaking booties does not work well. We took some time at the falls to check out the chasm behind the curtain, climb around on the rocks, and watch a few people go for a swim. After that we made our way back down to the river for lunch.
The creek finds its way through a gap in the boulders piled everywhere
Relaxing by the pool – Grand Canyon style
The falls at Elves Chasm
The Explorer’s Monument seen from a pool below the chasm
After lunch and filtering some water we pushed off to finish up the last few miles to camp for the evening. We pulled up to Above Blacktail Camp, just upstream of the mouth of Blacktail Canyon. After the usual unpacking and picking a spot to sleep, I grabbed the camera and headed up into the canyon to see what it was like. I was immediately impressed at the size of it, as well as the intricacies of the many layers that were exposed starting right at the mouth. It was a fun place to explore, at least until I ran up against a wet scramble that I could not conquer in the hiking shoes I wore.
Looking into the entrance of Blacktail Canyon
Some members of our group climbing on the rock terraces
The Colorado and the mouth of Blacktail Canyon from above
We spent the better part of an hour climbing around in the canyon and at it’s entrance. After dinner I even returned to the canyon to take some photos of the milky way with the canyon walls framing the shot. It was a pretty cool place to poke around at night, and added yet another memory that I won’t forget any time soon.
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.
A commercial OARS dory crosses the light cutting through the canyon just above Granite
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.
Me floating along a flat section of the Colorado
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.
The Ross Wheeler chained up above the high water line
The view of the inner canyon from the Ross Wheeler
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.
Looking down at Below Bass Camp just before sunset
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.
I know it has been a while since I posted some updates here, so I’m going to kick it back off with a big one! I recently got back from a 17 day trip through the Grand Canyon, kayaking and rafting on the Colorado River. It was a spectacular journey, but before we get ahead of ourselves we have to get down to the river…
Sunset over the canyon and Kolb Studio
Looking down into the canyon from the rim towards the river
We started the trip by driving up to the national park from my parent’s house outside of Tucson. We were staying at a hotel at the rim that night, so after checking in we went for a walk out to see the sun go down. The view was beautiful (as always), but we were also immediately surprised at how cold it was up there in October! Unfortunately, most of our equipment and clothing was waiting for us on the rafts at the bottom of the canyon. After the sun went down we got some dinner and then headed to our room nice and early so we would be ready for our departure first thing in the morning.
We crossed some very impressive trail work as the sun started to light up the sky
We woke up at 4:15 AM, put on as much clothing as we could manage and headed over to the tram stop that would take us out to Hermit’s Rest. We caught the first shuttle at 5 AM and by 5:45 we were headed below the rim with the trail lit only by our headlamps. It was a cold start to the day, but fortunately it started to warm up more and more as the sun came up. We made quick progress down the first layers of the canyon and stopped for a break at a shelter near Santa Maria Spring.
A small shelter near the trail
Looking out into the center of the canyon as the sun starts to touch the mesas
After a steep initial descent the trail leveled out a bit and traversed it’s way out towards the main canyon. We passed a couple of impressive overlooks, saw a few other groups backpacking, and admired the massive cliffs that towered above and below us. As we progressed the sun slowly climbed higher and higher, but it still took many hours for us to emerge into full sun. After about 6 miles we came to the second steep descent. The trail through this section was noticeably more rough, with a lot more signs of erosion and fewer signs of use.
Looking down into the cut where our second steep descent brought us through the Muav Limestone
Looking west across Hermit Canyon as we descended the Bright Angel Shale
At this point we were all feeling the thousands of feet we had descended in our knees, so we took another break and then started the traverse over to Monument Creek along the Tonto Trail. Fortunately this section was pretty flat and we made good time in full sun. This is also where we caught our first real glimpses of the river that we would be riding for the next couple of weeks. It was great to have the end in sight.
The view from our second rest stop near the turn towards Granite Canyon
As we started the final descent down to the level of the river we were surprised to find the monument that gave the trail it’s name. It’s a tower of rock sitting above the creek bed. The trail winds it’s way right past it, so it really dominates your view for a bit. In retrospect this tower was a sign of things to come. A destination worthy in it’s own right that is of no particular importance because of it’s location deep in the canyon. It was still a sight to take in, so we took one last break here and then headed out the wash to meet up with the rest of the group that had paddled in.
The monument tower as seen from the trail
In the end the hike was around 11 miles, descended 5000 feet, and took us 7 hours. We were all very happy that we didn’t have to hike back up, and instead sat down for a cocktail at camp. I was eager to check out the whitewater, so I ran down the rapid to take it in. It only took a minute to realize that the whitewater on this trip was going to be a blast as well, so I came back to camp excited and ready for the next day. Though it was the end of our first big day and our big hike, this was just the start of the adventure to come.
Granite Camp with the boats tied up for the evening
Looking upstream at Granite Rapid with a fellow paddler for scale
