Blacktail Canyon to Deer Creek – Grand Canyon Day 4
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.
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.
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.
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.
Taken 10/30/21
