Grand Canyon Rafting May 2004

GC Rafting
May 2004

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Day 8: Thursday, May 20 2004
Big Whitewater Day! Crystal Rapid, Bass Camp
Click on pictures to see larger images

Robert and I were efficient for once and got totally packed up in time for breakfast for the first time in ages. I even finally got a chance to have some hot chocolate! (On previous days, somehow I had always been too slow to be able to get some before it was time to clean up and get fully packed.) Breakfast was french toast and bacon.

Sam attaches his balloon

Robert and I rode on Sam's boat (with Marite and Alan), Jeanne and Jim on Pat's, and Jason rode with Jen. Sam had a funny little balloon that his girlfriend had sent him, with a scared face drawn on it in marker. He attached it to some of the gear in the boat, in honor of this being a really big whitewater day. (Woo hoo! Big Rapids!)

Sam rows us downriver

We started off with Granite Falls, and Sam's boat filled up with so much water (it wasn't a self-bailing one) that one side was totally awash (causing Robert to leap for the other side in case a high side was needed!) and one of his spare oars came loose and was in danger of floating away (but was quickly rescued). The bailing after that rapid seemed endless! But it was worth it for the fun ride. Hermit rapid was a fun ride too. I really loved being in the front of an oar boat, hanging on and leaning right into the waves (as long as my contacts were protected by my goggles!).


The paddleboat is ready!	Heading downriver

Robert and Jason at the Crystal scout

Soon enough we came to Crystal, which is one of the two largest rapids on the river (Lava being the other). I'm told that Crystal is a lot tamer than when it was first created by a flash flood several decades ago, but it certainly still looked big from our scout on the shore! The guides pointed out the infamous monster hole in the center, and Pat explained that although Crystal is a big rapid, the ride would likely be a lot tamer than some other rapids because the guides must out of necessity take the safest route instead of going big. We ran it in two groups of boats, so that those of us in the second group could take pictures. I was very happy that Sam was in the latter group, so I got a chance for picture taking!

Pat went first and took the right side, a very safe run although he got caught up on a rock briefly (much to Sam's amusement). Jen and Kristin ran simultaneously, one on the left and one on the right, which was really cool. (Unfortunately I missed out on getting a photo with both of them in the frame!) Kelly then ran on the right, and the paddle boat had a wild but successful ride on the left. We ran last and on the left, which was a lot of fun.


Crystal rapid	Pat rows through Crystal	Halfway through


Jen starts her run	Jen's boat in the maelstrom	Kristin takes her turn


The paddleboat approaches	A wild ride for the paddleboat	Paddleboaters getting drenched

Beach near the "Ross Wheeler"

Next came the "gem" rapids - Agate, Sapphire, Turquoise, Emerald, Ruby and Ru-C, followed by Serpentine. Sapphire in particular was a lot of fun! We stopped just above Bass rapid to look at the "Ross Wheeler", an old metal boat left behind by an expedition in 1915, and Pat gave us another talk on the history of exploration in the canyon. We ate lunch at the beach (pasta salad, sandwich stuff, and nutter butter cookies) and then got back into paddle gear for the last rapid of the day. Bass had another set of fun waves that made for a good ride!

Pat had succeeded in his goal of getting us to Bass camp before the private trip, and there was definitely a smug look in his eye as he waved to the private trip when they finally appeared and drifted on by. Bass camp was a nice large camp although it was infested with the biting red ants that the guides had warned us about. We had to be careful where we were setting up our tent and whenever we sat down on the ground!

On the hike up the North Bass Trail

After we set up, Robert decided he wanted to relax in the shade and read one of the books I had brought along, while I decided to go on the hike that Pat and Jen were leading up the North Bass trail. Many others decided to relax as well, so it was just me, Jeanne, Geoff, Hilary, Cindy, and Jason on the hike. We climbed up switchbacks on the slope above the camp until we reached a saddle, and then crossed into the Shinumo Creek drainage. The saddle had a really nice view back upriver; we could see Bass rapid below, the waves that had given us such a good ride showing as seemingly innocuous lines of white.


View from the saddle, back down toward Bass rapid	Jason, Geoff, Cindy, Pat, Hilary, and Jeanne at the old Bass camp

We went down to Shinumo Creek and followed the trail upstream a ways to reach Bass camp, which had a lot of old coffee pots and such left over from the mining days. Pat led the others onward to look for some Indian ruins, but Jeanne and Jen and I turned back downstream to enjoy a swimming hole that Jen had spotted. We had some fun splashing about in the water (being careful because the moss and lichens on the rocks made them very very slippery!). Cindy showed up to join us and Jen ended up staying in the swimming hole for a while longer with her while Jeanne and I went on back to camp. Usually the guides insisted on keeping everyone in between them, but this far into the trip Pat had mellowed out a bit and for this hike we worked out a "rock system" so the guides would know if we'd gone back. When we reached Shinumo Creek, we had each picked up rocks of different sizes and colors, and placed them on a big flat stone. The deal was that if you left to go back to camp, you should take the rock representing you off the flat stone, and the guides would know where you'd gone. This seemed to work well, and Jeanne and I enjoyed the chance to hike and talk with just the two of us.

When we returned, it was still quite hot and I washed my hair (the water still felt very cold, even though we were now 8 days downstream from the dam!). The sandy bottom just off the beach was very soft and I had to hold onto the side of one of the boats to keep from sinking down into it.


Eating dinner	Evening at camp

We had burgers and brats along with baked beans and coleslaw for dinner. It was Christina's birthday so we had chocolate cake for dessert, complete with lit candles and a chorus of "Happy Birthday to you!". After dinner, Jeanne and Jim and Robert and I sat on some rocks by the waterline and watched the bats swooping about in the twilight. The bats actually made audible noises - high pitched chirps. I'd always thought that the sounds bats made were out of our hearing range, but apparently some bats make sounds we can hear. We talked for a long time about life on the river, probably keeping the guides awake since in the darkness we'd forgotten we were relatively close to where the boats were tied up, oops!