The sun hit our camp early and it was blistering hot by the time the rafts were loaded. I adopted a new strategy to stay cool today: I soaked down a long sleeve, featherweight fleece and put that on, then soak down my OR Sonoran Sombrero and the heat doesn't really affect me that much in the mornings. Of course, once on the river in my kayak I stay cool, no problems there..

Ryan and I took off before the rafts this morning, heading downstream to check out a possible hike at 122 mile canyon. Once we arrived though, it looked hot and not worth exploring, so we drifted on by. The huge, red walls are back after the narrow, dark confines of Adrenaline Alley. The change of scenery is welcome, I much prefer the big red walls.

All of the kayakers stopped at Forster Rapid and lounged about on the ledges there. Forster has some really good surfing, so we scoped out the waves and explored the area. Wandering around under the overhangs, I discovered a fascinating block of fossilized worms and snails, and I shot a good photo of them. I wonder how many millions of years ago these creatures were alive.. it makes you feel pretty insignificant when you think about it.

Fossilized creatures under an overhang near Forster Rapids, with Lori's hand for scale. How many millions of years ago did these creatures live?

Once the rafts came through Forster and we got done surfing, we headed downstream. At this point we were overtaken by a National Park Service trip that was on it's way downstream to rescue a Dory pinned in Deubendorff Rapids. As we proceeded downstream, the walls gradually grew more impressive, with the jet-black Vishnu Schist shining on both sides. Soon we heard another roar far ahead, signaling Specter rapid. As we approached Specter the kayakers sped on ahead of the rafts and we boat-scouted this drop. I was in the lead and managed to thread through a couple of large holes, driving left to right, everyone else followed with good lines as well.

Ryan and I got out to shoot photos and video adjacent to Specter, while Lori and Audrey waited downstream in case of a flip or swim.

Soon the NPS group appeared, having overtaken and passed our raft crews. The NPS guys all had clean lines through Specter and headed downstream. Rolo came through first and had a good line, followed by Ron and Gerry. Mike was next in the Kitchen boat, didn't make the move, and got stuck in the terminal eddy circulating against the right wall. As Mike struggled to free his boat, Bill and Penny came down without problems. After awhile Mike managed to work his way off the wall, and we continued downstream.

Bill Ritchie ( rowing ) and Penny Ritchie ( riding ) enter Specter Rapid while Mike tries to work the kitchen raft of the terminal eddy against the right wall

Below Specter the river quieted again as we approached Bedrock Rapid, rated a 7 on a scale of 1-10. We had caught up to the NPS guys at this point, and they warned that there was a large rock island dividing the flow at Bedrock, and that we HAD to go right or we could get stuck in the 'Room' on the left, which was difficult to get out of and could flip a raft. I wasn't that worried about this, because Rolo had said that the raft crews were planning on scouting this rapid.

I had already decided run Bedrock without scouting. At this point Ryan was rowing the Kitchen boat, and Lori, Audrey, and myself were kayaking. When we arrived at Bedrock, I followed the lead NPS raft through the rapid, noting that the move to the right around the midstream rock island was pretty difficult for a raft (the last NPS guy barely made it, and they were strong rowers).

No problem, I thought. The move is tough but our crews are planning on scouting. I got out at the bottom, and was VERY surprised to see Rolo at the top of the rapid, standing up in his raft, getting ready to drop in! ( at the last moment, a decision had been made to follow the NPS crew through the rapid! )

"Oh shit!" I muttered and ran across the gravel bar, just in time to see all hell break loose!

Rolo and Kristin dropped into Bedrock blind and missed the move to the right, disappearing into the 'Room of Doom' on the left against the wall. Gerry was close behind, and I started blowing my whistle and signaling frantically to "GO RIGHT GO RIGHT GO RIGHT!!!" with my paddle.

Gerry saw me signaling and drove hard to the right, so hard that he ended up broaching the 18-foot gear raft on a midstream boulder. Ryan was close behind Gerry in the Kitchen raft, dropped in, only to find the move to the right blocked by Gerry, so Ryan disappearing into the 'Room of Doom' on the left as well.

Fortunately, Ron and Bill heard my frantic whistling and managed to stop upstream, where they got out of their boats and came down to help free Gerry.

Meanwhile, in the room on the left the two rafts were fighting hard not to flip in the violent, surging eddies while the NPS guys kept yelling "HIGH SIDE!! HIGH SIDE!!" from their perch overhead. Eventually they were both able to work their way out, thankfully without flipping. ( We were lucky. The Telluride group had a raft get stuck in here and one of the women in the group was knocked out of the raft by an oar, and ended up swimming.. not fun!! )

Anyway, after much pulling and pushing we managed to free Gerry's raft from the rocks, and we continued downstream.

"Good thing there aren't any more big rapids today, we've had carnage in every drop so far." I joked to myself. Of course, we had Deubendorff just downstream, which was supposed to be just as tough..

As I got closer ( I was out in front of our group ) I saw a Dory on the river-right side, pulling upstream and getting ready to ferry over to the left where the NPS crew was. I paddled over to the Dory, and they told me that they had managed to free the Dory the previous night, with the assistance of a park service helicopter rescue team.

"Are there any ropes or other rescue gear still in the rapid?" I asked the guy. "No." He replied. "It's all clear."

"Sweet. I don't have to get out of my boat; Good times!" I thought to myself.

I paddled back upstream and yelled to Rolo that the rapid was all clear, but he yelled back that they had decided to scout it anyway.

I decided to run the rapid without scouting, and I moved out into the main current, feeling the river surge beneath me as I approached the lip of the drop. Below me the river turned slightly against the left bank, and I could see foam and water shooting into the air over there, and a thin brown tongue weaving through the churning white. I chased the tongue down into the drop, adjusting my line from the top of the waves, and made it through without trouble. Towards the bottom of the rapid I noted a large, midstream rock that was mostly covered but still posed a significant threat to the rafts.

Once below the drop, I eddied out and walked back upstream a hundred yards or so to tell the raft captains about the rock, which was nearly invisible from upstream. Everyone decided to try the strong ferry to the right to avoid the holes and rock, but Ryan asked me if there was room on the left side, where the water was going. "Yeah, there's a line there." I said. "It's thin, but you can hit it."

I cruised back downstream and waited. Lori and Audrey came first, in Kayaks. Lori was leading, and she hit a hole at the top and flipped, got drug over some boulders, started to roll, hit another hole, and was being swept mercilessly down into the meat of the rapid when she hit her roll and charged to the right, missing the churning mess below her.. "Holy crap." I thought to myself. "This might get ugly.."

Rolo was first, and started far right and got hung up on some rocks in shallow water. "Hoo boy, here we go!" I yelled. After a few desperate pulls Rolo managed to free his boat, but then the current caught him and swung his boat out into the main current, down into the same hole that had flipped Lori. Rolo side-surfed in this hole for a few seconds, then managed to claw his way out and was now in the main flow, being driven down into the wrap rock. "C'mon Rolo!!!" I yelled ( he couldn't hear me, of course, but I had to do something! ) "PULL MAN PULLLLLLLL!!!!"

Rolo stood up in his raft and pulled so hard I thought his arms were going to pop out of their sockets, the oars were bending and for a moment I thought he wasn't going to make it but then he was past the rock and flying downstream, grinning from ear to ear..

Ron's boat came next, with Ron riding and Jonathan rowing. At the top of the rapid Jonathan had an oar get knocked out of his hand and started spinning out of control through the rapid, but somehow he managed to work some of that Rawson mojo with his remaining oar and just missed the rock..

Jonathan Rawson ( rowing with a single oar! ) and Ron Klint ( riding ) slip past the nasty wrap rock on the outside corner of Deubendorff Rapid

Next up was Gerry, and he started right, but was swept down the middle hit the midstream rock with his back tube, managing to spin his raft and avoid flipping at the last minute. Next up was Ryan, and he started left and went with the flow, threading the needle past the rock and holes on the left, no problem. Bill and Penny followed Ryan, and had no problems either.

Just downstream of Deubendorff we stopped at Tapeats Creek to camp, and have a much-needed layover day. Upon arrival I surprised a blue heron sunning itself on the beach and it flew away, winging down the canyon away from us. I was thrilled to see about 25 cfs of CLEAR water coming down Tapeats Creek, which meant we could be able to filter water here without cleaning the filter every two minutes! It was also nice to just have clear water nearby; I didn't realize how much I had missed it.

The initial pitch was very steep, ending up on a trail that followed an airy traverse along the edge of cliff eight hundred feet or so above camp. After following this traverse ( which was a little intimidating at times ) for about a mile, the trail dropped back down to Tapeats Creek and I began the long haul across the valley, moving fast to try and beat the sun that was creeping down the rock walls high overhead.

Nice views on my morning hike to Thunder River.
To the immediate right of where this photo was taken, the cliff drops about 300 feet down to Tapeats Creek.

After a couple of hours I arrived at the spot where Thunder River joins Tapeats Creek ( this is the only place in the lower 48 states where a river flows into a creek ). At this point, I turned left and started the long climb up the trail to the source of Thunder River.

After passing numerous waterfalls and marveling at the huge cottonwoods lining the creek, I arrived at a lofty perch two thousand feet above our camp. Just ahead was an amazing sight: Thunder River, emerging from a stark desert wall, tumbling down over a multi-tiered, hundred foot falls. WOW!!!

Five miles from camp and two thousand feet of elevation gained to reach the source of Thunder River, where the river emerges from a cave and drops over a hundred feet in a series of spectacular waterfalls. The trail to the falls is visible in the bottom of the photo.

I hiked up to the base of the falls, stripped off my shoes, and plunged my feet in the icy cold water. I felt like a hobbit for some reason, walking all day and then arriving at this magical place to soak my feet and rest. All around me was lush green water plants, and the area around the falls was bursting with flowers, hummingbirds, and huge cottonwood trees. I half expected to see Adam lurking about with Eve, furtively chomping down an apple..

After awhile Bill and Penny arrived, then Rolo, Ron, and Kristin. We hung out for awhile, enjoying this amazing place, and then drifted back down to camp, one by one. This was such an amazing place, I am glad I made the effort to get up there and drink from the source of Thunder River..

After some quiet floating I saw the cave up on the right wall and I hiked up to check it out. The cave was very interesting, with delicate stalagmites and stalactites dripping down from the ceiling. When the rest of the group drifted into view, I hailed them and recommended that they come up. While I was alone in the cave, I discovered that if you stomp hard on certain parts of the floor, you will hear a drum-like sound, indicating pockets or perhaps caves below the main chamber.. I wonder what's down there!

Downstream we pulled out at Deer Creek falls, and after a short hike arrived at the falls, which was spectacular. We each took turns swimming around in the pool and getting blasted by the water at the base of the falls, which was too much fun!

Ryan Windsor gets blasted by spray at the bottom of Deer Creek falls. It was impossible to get very close to the base of the falls due to the gale-force winds generated by the falls, but it sure was fun trying!!

A couple of miles downstream we encountered Fishtail Rapid, which had an easy line down the right, and a beefy line through the hole down the left side. Everyone opted for the easy line except Ryan, who once again charged down into the hole, was swallowed up, and emerged downstream, upside down!

Ryan Windsor flushes through the powerful hole at Fishtail, upside down..

Below Fishtail were several miles of easy floating until we arrived at one of the most incredible hikes of the trip, Matkatamiba Canyon. Once again I ran downstream ahead of the rafts to ensure we could get space in the eddy, because this spot is just above a rapid and is sometimes difficult to stop in. Everyone made the eddy just fine except Gerry and Jean in the 18 foot gear boat, who got blown downstream and ended up missing the hike.

Matkat was my favorite hike in the Grand Canyon. The softly undulating curves of the gorge walls are impossible to describe and truly astonished me.. It was one of the coolest places I have ever been!

Rolo on the hike up through the fascinating twists and turns of Matkatamiba gorge.. this was my favorite hike in the Grand Canyon!

Above the narrow entrance gorge, Matkatamiba opens up into a 'Garden of Eden' style oasis that is simply breathtaking. This is a must-do hike if you run this river.

Coming back down out of Matkat can be a little tricky, because the pools are deep and if you want to stay dry, you have to do some creative rock climbing ( feet on one wall, hands on the other! ) to get down..

Lori Hoffman begins the descent out of Matkatamiba gorge. Some of the pools in here were deep, requiring some creative stemming and other climbing techniques to stay dry.. fun stuff!

That night we camped just downstream from Matkat at the Matkatamiba Hotel campsite. This seemed like a wise decision at the time due to the scenic value of the camp, but the narrow canyon walls radiated heat stored up all day and we baked all night. I didn't sleep very well due to the heat, and I suspect from listening to the complaints the next morning I wasn't the only one!

The next day we got an early start, once again I was the only one in a kayak. Jonathan was again rowing Ron's boat, Ryan was rowing the Kitchen raft with Mike and Charlene as passengers.

Leaving camp, approaching Upset Rapid. I was the only person kayaking on this day. (doesn't that look like a bear's head in the rock on the left? )

A couple of miles downstream from camp I heard the deep roar of a rapid and I knew we had arrived at Upset Rapid. I ran this drop without getting out of my boat, and was surprised to find a very large hole at the bottom. I punched through the right side of this hole, then got out to let the boat captains know about it.

Once again, this hole was not visible from upstream (it was at the bottom of the rapid below a large wave train) so after much signaling Rolo and Bill came down and took a look at the hole. They were both a little surprised by it, and decided to run down the right in order to avoid the hole, which has flipped motor rigs in the past.

Meanwhile, upstream Ryan decided that he as going to run the kitchen raft through the hole, and Jonathan and Ron decided to go down the middle as well. There was a short discussion about the relative safety of this line, then everyone got in their boats.

Rolo and Kristin came down first, and easily slipped by the hole on the right. Jonathan and Ron were close behind, and they came right down the middle of the rapid. "Oh Shit!" I yelled.. "Rolo, they're going to hit the hole!!" I yelled as Rolo flew by me. Sure enough, Jonathan and Ron plowed straight into the hole, surfaced on the huge pile, and hovered there for a long moment while Jonathan pushed with everything he had to keep from falling into the hole.. Finally the hole surged and he spun free..

Jonathan Rawson ( rowing ) and Ron Klint ( riding ) temporarily surf the top of the huge hole in Upset rapid. They hovered here on the edge of disaster for about four seconds before Jonathan was able to power downstream.

Next came Ryan rowing the 18 foot kitchen boat, followed by Gerry and Jean in the 18-foot gear boat. Both of these boats went through the hole as well, no problem.

Bill and Penny were last, with Audrey riding as a passenger. Bill also came right down the middle. However, instead of trying to power into the hole Bill tried to slip by it on the left side, and got swallowed up by the hole. Before anyone could react, they stalled out and flipped!

Bill Ritchie ( rowing ) and Penny Ritchie and Audrey Tollefson ( riding ) get swallowed by the hole at the bottom of Upset rapid.

The Ritchie raft, upside down and heading downstream below the hole in Upset Rapid

I started blowing my whistle and ran downstream to help with the gear recovery. Downstream Kristin roped the three swimmers out of the water, and Ryan leaped off of the kitchen boat onto the upside down raft, seized an oar, and started paddling the raft like a bloated kayak downstream. Finally I caught up with him, passed him by, got out, threw him a rope, and managed to help swing him into an eddy just downstream.

The other rafts arrived just after that, and we set about rigging fliplines to get the raft back over..

The team works on flipping the heavily loaded Ritchie raft back over below Upset rapid.

Whew! Already an eventful day! The only casualty of the raft flip were Penny's lost sunglasses, which was really a minor thing all things considered.

After a couple of miles of mild floating, we arrived at another must-do hike, Havasu Canyon. This hike also has a tricky eddy, so I went down first in my kayak to scout it. Luckily for us, there wasn't anyone there, so we had no problems fitting the rafts into the eddy.

Havasu is another one of those magical Grand Canyon hikes. Here about 100 cfs of warm green water rushes downstream to mix with the milky main flow of the Colorado. Along the way, Havasu creek drops over an endless series of travertine falls and pools, with stunning results. The water in Havasu is warm and inviting, and just about everyone spent some time swimming and floating around in the pools.. it was great!

Rolo and Kristin in Havasu Canyon. Just behind them on the left is a cool cave that accesses the upper canyon. I dove into the pool pictured here several times, the water was warm and inviting.

Lori Hoffman at the entrance to the short cave that accesses the upper part of Havasu Canyon.

Ryan, Lori and I decided to try and make it up to the big falls on Havasu. We promised Rolo that we wouldn't be late for camp, and headed upstream at a jog. Our guidebooks gave conflicting locations for the falls ( one said three miles, the other said six ) so we moved at a pretty brisk pace. After a couple of miles ( maybe more? ) it became apparent that we were not going to get to the falls before dark, so we headed back downstream. Along the way we picked up Jonathan and Audrey, who were also hiking up to the falls, and we headed down together.

Back at the bottom of the canyon, the raft crews had already left and headed a mile or so downstream to camp. The clouds were again massing overhead, so we quickly got our boating gear on and paddled down the lower part of Havasu and back into the Colorado..

The exit from Havasu Canyon. The Colorado, with it's milky brown water, is visible in the background.
From the left, Audrey Tollefson, Ryan Windsor, Lori Hoffman.

We arrived in camp at dusk, and just as we got there the storm struck. First there was a huge gust of wind that almost blew Mike's tent away, then the rain came down in a torrent. I barely managed to get my tent up in time ( it still got very wet inside ) thanks to Jonathans help, and then everyone ran for a large cliff overhang to wait out the storm, which ended up lasting for hours!

During the storm, most of the group broke out the Tequila and snacks and had an rip-roaring party, with lots of laughs and good times. I slipped off to the tent early ( I was a little tired from our Havasu trail run ) and floated off to sleep..