GRAND CANYON

PADDLING THROUGH THE GRAND CANYON IN SEPTEMBER 2007

PADDLING THE CANYON

Wayne, Brian and Dave drove the CRV south to the Radisson in Flagstaff, Arizona.

The trip began at a quiet place on the river called Lee's Landing. The first ferry crossing was estab- lished here.	Our AZRA expedition had five rafts. Four were manned by guides on oars. One was set up for 6 paddlers and a guide with a steering oar.	We easily adjusted to a routine of gourmet lunch on a sandy beach. Tables laden with delicious sandwich food always appeared.	My "day bag" was always nearby. The big blue was "camp only" gear. Another "blue" held our sleeping gear. A jute sack kept our drinks cold.	Passing under a massive overhang of rock.

A stretch of quiet water leads us to Redwall Cavern. This place gets 37,000 Google hits!	The back of our guide, Kirsten, as we glide into the beach to explore the cavern. The temperature is in the 90s.	John Wesley Powell, the first explorer down the canyon, thought the cavern would hold 50,000 people. It was awesome and shaded.	Views to take your breath away!	Like many others we saw, here is a rock structure with a "name" to describe its shape. Bridge of Sighs or Triple Alcoves.

Hiking was part of the adventure. We left the rafts in the main river and climbed up dry creek beds into narrow canyons.	Derrick kept us well entertained with readings from several canyon history books he had stashed in his boat.	The customers are busy choosing their sleeping spot on the sand while the guides set up the kitchen and the toilet. They served margies here.	Large, horned, mule deer were a common sight. It was hard to figure what they were eating. Nothing looked very lush to boys from BC.	The end of one canyon we climbed turned into a narrow passage that led to a plateau. It was "hidden" like a place Tonto would lead the Lone Ranger.

We were often treated to surreal views of coloured cliffs, blue sky and green- tinted water.	Here's Wayne showing his stuff at the end of a paddle.	Here I am swathed in synthetic fibre and caked with SPF 55. At other times I shivered with chattering teeth.	This canyon proved to be more difficult coming down than going up. The footing was loose and steep, the drop deadly!	Fortunately, Richard, a fellow paddler and avid photographer, took shots of our boats in the rapids. This is the "grapevine".

Hance rapid was one of the biggest with a drop of 30 feet. We paddled the last day through what seemed like constant rapids.	The final and most difficult challenge for 7 or our group was the hike up the Bright Angel Trail to the rim. Wayne looks fresh near the bottom.	As we climbed the 8 mile trail we could look back over the route of unending switchbacks.	Brian is snapping one of the many descending, mule riders . The rider has a scarf against the dust. We had to endure the clouds they raised.	Someone said, "Consider the hike done when you pass above the red layers." Turned out there were a few more layers to go!

After the rafting trip, Joan and I viewed the canyon from the Eastern entrance. This point had a tower we'd spotted from the river.	The telephoto caught one of the river's quieter stretches near Phantom Ranch and the bottom of the Bright Angel.	This is a reminder of the rare and unique beauty of the canyon. Thanks goes out to all the folks who have helped preserve it over the years.	This picture tells it all. Six pairs of eyes straining downstream for signs of the next whitewater. How big will it be? How cold and wet will I get?	"City Slickers" enjoy a well-deserved happy hour after a grueling day on the raft.