To give you an idea of how much water that is, the "flood" that was let down the river last November to restore beaches in Grand Canyon had 42,500 cubic feet per second. The 1983 trip was accomplished in two full and two half days. I usually just tell people it was a three day trip. To go 225 miles in the Grand Canyon. In rowing boats. Camps were made at 24.5 Mile Camp, Ninety-Four Mile Camp, and National Canyon. It was an epic trip in an epic time. 30 years ago today.
Here is the put-in at Lees Ferry about 2:30 PM on July 2, 1983
The large white ripple upstream is Ten Mile Rock, usually sticking out of the river 12 feet. The reason I took this photo from the downstream position is that the river was moving so fast, that by the time I had my camera, we were past it.
In Marble Canyon after one hour.
Boulder Narrows at 100,000 cubic feet per second (cfs)
Close-up of the big rock in Boulder Narrows
This is what the big rock looks like at normal water levels these days.
Notice the kayakers paddling beneath Vasey's Paradise here on the morning of July 3, 1983.
Note the tiny black dots - people - frolicking on the sand in Redwall Cavern here at a normal water level.
Here is Redwall Cavern on July 3, 1983
Notice the kayaker paddling in the back of Redwall Cavern. Big water. Big, big water.
Hance Rapid scouting view from river left.
The beach at Bright Angel Creek (Phantom Ranch). Note the kayaks pulled up on shore.
The mouth of Bright Angel Creek flooded by the Colorado River.
Hermit Rapid view, July 4, 1983.
Crystal Rapid was the big concern. A hydraulic jump had flipped three huge 33-foot boats a few days before in this hole. You cannot see the bottom of this hole in the photograph. Our rafts were 16 feet long.
Scouting Crystal Rapid on the morning of July 4, 1983.
More scouting.
We'd better just run over the tamarisk trees.
Yep - that's what we did!
Our dory hit a rock or log in Walthenburg Rapid and here Larry Stevens fixes the hole as we stopped near the Garnet camps.
Deer Creek Falls on the Colorado River July 4, 1983. Note the large rafts on the left.
Here is Deer Creek Falls at a more normal flow. It does not normally drop straight into the Colorado River.
One of the most amazing pictures I was able to take on the trip - this is Pancho's Kitchen Camp. Yep - that little slice of shade at river level is the roof of Pancho's Kitchen.
Here is a group setting up camp within the alcove at Pancho's Kitchen at a more normal river level. The roof is not even visible here at the top of the photo.
Enterting the Icebox section of the river in mid afternoon.
A kayaker buzzes past the entrance to Olo Canyon on July 4, 1983. This is normally a 25-foot high fall to the creek bottom.
Here is the a view of that drop in August, 1983. Here the river has dropped to only 45,000 cfs and the rafter can still boat into Olo Canyon. At normal levels today, the river is 100 yards away from here. Even this picture will amaze modern boaters.
The Icebox, late afternoon July 4, 1983.
Our last camp was made inside the mouth of National Canyon. I snapped this picture before the sun went down on July 4, 1983.
Lava Falls on the morning of July 5, 1983. Note that the big hole at the top is completely gone at this water level. It was just a fun v-wave ride - no problem.
Water pours over the Black Rock at the base of the Falls.
Take-out at Diamond Creek on July 5, 1983 at about 1 PM. My biggest regret was not taking a group picture! My second biggest regret was not getting a photo of the huge rafts that were in ruins below Crystal Rapid. Other than that no regrets!
What a great series of photos. Don't you sometimes wonder how we all survived some of the adventures from younger days?
ReplyDeleteTremendous Wayne! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAmazing photos! So cool that you made that trip.
ReplyDeleteI love that I found this! Thank you for sharing! I went through the Grand Canyon, the full run, with my dad at the end of June 1983 when I was 10 years old with an outfitter and 9 other adults. I'm not sure that was a great idea, totally insanity probably. I still remember the amazing canyons, the caves, the turquoise water of the Little Colorado, 10 mile rock was sticking out of the water maybe 3 feet. The most scary part was Crystal rapid and the massive hole. I recall the adults whispering about the danger of what lie ahead and my dad telling me to hang on to the rope and to not let go no matter what. We had stopped up stream to scout and I could see the rapid and what looked like a giant water fall. I remember after we got through our guide said a couple people got thrown from the rafts before us and he was glad we made it through. YIKES. I also remember towards the very end of we trip we stopped to climb up-top a canyon to take a look at a rapid that was two large boulders with a narrow passage between. I don't remember if it was the end or nearly. I just remember my dad saying, "There's no room for error" and then asking if we could get a helicopter out there. The guide said his cb was useless because it just bounced off the canyon walls. Obviously, we made it through but I'll pass on a repeat! Any idea what rapid that rapid at the end-ish might be?
ReplyDeleteHolly - thanks for commenting! That is a tough one to think what might have two big rocks sticking out at the end of the trip - esp. with that high water. MY first thought is Bedrock Rapid? But not many trips stop there - although they might have at that water level. Could have something that is a no-name in regular flows.
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