Grand Canyon Rafting May 2004

GC Rafting
May 2004

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Day 14: Wednesday, May 26 2004
Lava Falls and Lava Follies
Click on pictures to see larger images

At last, another "sleep in" day. We got up at 6am and had english muffins and canadian bacon and eggs with cheese for breakfast. Jason got upset because the guides snarked at him for several little things when he was just trying to help - I pointed out that perhaps the guides were nervous since this was Lava Falls day! I'd always heard that Lava is the biggest, baddest rapid on the river and that even the most seasoned guides got butterflies in their stomachs when running Lava.

Lava columns

I was hoping for a good ride through Lava, and Sam seemed among the more aggressive of the guides, so Robert and I rode with him (along with Marite and Alan). Jeanne was in the paddleboat, and was really excited to paddle through a truly major rapid. It was a beautiful morning, and promised to be a nice warm day. We started passing the lava formations for which Lava Falls is named - it was amazing to think of the side canyons once full of molten lava from an ancient volcano, spilling down into the Colorado. The lava was really neat looking, in hexagonal columns that were often bent and twisted strangely.

We stopped briefly at Vulcan's Anvil, a huge chunk of lava sitting in the middle of the river, a landmark warning that Lava Falls is coming. Sam pulled over and asked us to clean off a few of the "offerings" that boatmen over the years have left. (Sam dislikes seeing manmade leavings in the canyon.) As we approached the rapid, there was a private trip scouting the left side (which made some of our guides anxious to see them try and run it, since at this water it was apparently just barely doable). We pulled over to the right to scout just as the Outdoors Unlimited boats were about to leave. We hurried up to the overlook to watch them run.


Approaching Vulcan's Anvil	Sam pulls in close	Lava Falls

The first OU boat had a good run, the second boat got hammered by a wave and shoved to the right but still made it through, and the third boat gave us a bit of a show. It hit that same wave and the wave knocked the oarsman clean out of the boat - we thought he was swimming for sure but he scampered right back over the side and up into the seat like a monkey, grabbing frantically for the oars. His passengers were all in the front and probably never even noticed he was gone! We gave him a big cheer. The next boats were also knocked hard (and the paddle boat was swamped) but everyone made it through without flipping.


An OU boat starts a run	OU boat covered in whitewater	Wild ride!

Next came a kayak trip, and I have to say, those kayakers sure looked tiny in their boats next to the waves in Lava! A few of them made it through upright, but one poor guy flipped and stayed flipped (despite attempts to right himself) all the way through the rapid - must be a scary experience! The guides all applauded him for his guts, saying that most people would have abandoned the kayak after the first few unsuccessful attempts to right it.


Kayaker in Lava	Big water!

As we filed back to the boats, we were amused to see that while we were watching the other trips run the rapid, some bighorn sheep had been watching us! I wanted to get a picture but they scampered away too quickly. We returned to the boats just as the private trip finally ran the left side - the guides were disappointed not to see them go.


Waiting for our turn in Lava	Pushing off at last!

Sam's boat was last as usual, although this time he ran before the paddle boat. The waves were really big and we got totally drenched but Sam did a great job and we had a good run. Afterwards we got in an eddy behind Pat, and Robert and I were bailing away when Pat suddenly whistled hard and pointed out into the rapid, and we could see the paddle boat coming through upside down. Sam said (calmly), "Bail like you mean it", and Robert and I frantically bailed while Sam pulled hard on the oars to get us out of the eddy and in a position where we could help rescue people. Most of them got rescued by Jen before we reached the main current. Matt righted the paddle boat in time before it hit Son of Lava (the smaller rapid below Lava Falls) and managed to make it through with only two paddlers. We managed to save Matt's hat and his water jug, which had come loose during the flip. We got a big cheer from the OU group (who must have had quite a show as they were having lunch just below the rapid).

Private trip just after finishing the righting of their boat

We pulled over below Son of Lava, after passing the private trip who had also had a flip in Lava and were just finishing righting the boat. Everyone was unhurt and all belongings were accounted for, so it was just a little excitement for all. Lunch was spent listening to the paddle crew excitedly recounting their adventure, and reminiscing about our own runs.

Once back on the river, Sam didn't want us to stay too dry so he made sure to get us wet even during small riffles (which was fun!). It was quite a warm day so the water felt good (plus, 14 days below the dam, it was finally starting to feel almost reasonable in temperature). We stopped to see some petroglyphs near Whitmore Wash. As we continued downstream, Jen was so busy talking to her passengers that she forgot to watch the river and got stranded on a gravel bar. Sam and Matt helped to push her off, but then mocked her mercilessly for the rest of the day. (Matt to Sam: "Sam, I forget. Does brown mean water, and green mean rocks?")


River view	Sam hates manmade objects


Pushing Jen off the gravel bar	Canyon view

We camped at a nice big camp, with plenty of room for everyone to find a private spot. Pat led a short hike, but only Jason and Geoff and Hilary went. Robert and I relaxed and read our books and I wrote in my journal. Pat had told us that after running Lava Falls, we'd have "Lava Follies" that evening, so people were discussing what silly talent-show style things they could do. We had ginger beef (or tofu) and couscous and sald for dinner, with chocolate cake for dessert, and then we waited for it to get dark so the "Lava Follies" could begin. (The guides set up the tiki torches, and convinced Hilary to be the MC. A great choice, since Hilary had a great sense of humor and a very outgoing personality!) The guides had also made an alcoholic punch ("stupid juice") to help out with everyone getting silly.

Hilary in her MC wig (picture by Kelly)

Robert and I went first, doing a brief swing dance while Conrad and Kathy hummed/sang "Chattanooga Choochoo". Mike demonstrated his acuity as a scientist by delivering a discussion on the concentration of pee in the river, and read a poem. Conrad gave an ode to the guides. Jen & Matt did a hilarious sketch, in which Jen imitated the bouncy, reassuring manner of the lady at orientation while Matt hid off in the bushes and delivered statements about "reality" in a deep, booming "and God spoke" voice. Examples included:

Jen: While on the river, you'll have lots of great food, with lots of variety.
Matt: Eighteen different kinds of pork products!

Jen: If you need to go to the bathroom while we're going downriver, it's really no problem whatsoever, we can pull over anytime.
Matt: Clench!

Jen: We have these really fun little inflatable boats called duckies, which are really great to use in a rapid.
Matt: The duckies are for the amusement of thy guides, not thyselves. It is impossible to run a major rapid in a ducky without flipping!

Jen: There's lots of nice beaches to camp on, with lovely soft sand.
Matt: Thou wilt have sand encrusted in every bodily orifice!

Pat playing guitar

Pat brought out a guitar and warned us that he was a total beginner, and then proceeded to play a painfully slow rendition of a Pink Floyd song while Matt wailed out the lyrics in a very funny imitation of the lead singer. (This was also hilarious. Pat kept stopping, squinting and saying "Wait..." before finally playing the correct chord.) Geoff sang a version of the banana boat song ("day-o") with the lyrics replaced by ones about life on the river, with Cindy, Kathy, and Jeanne as back-up singers. (Geoff had a really good voice! Pretty cool.) Kristin read a funny list of "how to prepare for a river trip", which included things like, "Get a large amount of sand. Turn on a large fan and blow the sand all through your house. Make sure it gets in your cereal." She also read a cowboy poem, and Sam did a poem about drinking water. Sam played a lot of guitar, Jason tried to juggle various random items, and finally Matt did some cool fireballs with the pump for the paddle boat and some lighter fluid. (These were a big hit!)

Geoff and his backup singers

At last Matt and Sam did another funny skit involving echoes, where one would yell out something and the other would pretend to be the canyon echo, until finally one yelled "Pat Philips is the best trip leader ever!" and the other yelled back (in echo voice) "Bulls***!". This was particularly amusing because after that Pat kept trying to yell the phrase at various intervals, but one of them would always hear and yell back "Bulls***!", with Pat saying plaintively, "Aw, c'mon you guys!" After that Robert and I finally went to bed and collapsed into sleep.