[at-l] 2001 Raft Trip Summary "Long"

[CrzyPlum@aol.com (CrzyPlum@aol.com)]

I hope ya'll are not disappointed. As I look over the Guide Book and my=20
journal I find that with each trip I make fewer notes. Also, I hope you=20
fellow trip mates don't mind too much as I include some comparisons with=20
other trips, several of my trip mates from those excursions asked to receive=
=20
this rundown. Many folks always want to know about the food, I think I=20
recorded most of the meals, I'll include them. =A0
Into the current of my memory & notes we go.
Sunday 7/8/2001 under building skies 28 adventurous souls boarded the vans a=
t=20
Marble Canyon Lodge and headed for the put in at Lee's Ferry. Trip leader=20
Mike, second boatman Kelley, Swamper Joe, Work your way swampers Scott & Joh=
n.
The River flow was fairly low at 7000-9000cfs and in its clean green mode as=
=20
we crossed under the "0" mile cable somewhere round 11am. As we pass the=20
Paria at mile 1, it is not adding a muddy flow, we will have green water til=
l=20
we wake on the 6th morning at Matkatamiba to a cloudy flow as runoff from th=
e=20
many up stream showers begins to catch up with us. Beginning sometime Monday=
=20
(day2) the River Flow Gods go into their weekday cycle and the flow cycles=20
between about 9 or 10 thousand to just over 14000cfs each day the rest of th=
e=20
trip. [the 14000 I got from the puter after getting home. Couldn't find the=20
page that gives daily low & high flow rates but each week it has been about=20=
a=20
5000cfs difference each day].
Day one is kind of slow and easy going, I didn't pay any attention to where=20
we stopped for lunch. The rapids all look a lot different to me as my=20
previous trips were at much higher flow. Several are alittle trickier for th=
e=20
boatmen at this flow level. We run Badger, Soap, Sheerwall, House Rock and 2=
1=20
Mile. Camp is 23 1/2 River Left just above Indian Dick Rapid [same as 1997=20
1st nite]. Stopped bout 4:15. Since we were inadvertently traveling sans=20
propane the dinner menu was modified a bit. Grilled halibut, greenbeans ala=20
dutch oven and salad. We had acouple of rain showers after pulling into camp=
,=20
they died off by bedtime though it threatened much of the nite. Several folk=
s=20
put up tents.
Day 2 Monday 7/9/2001
Since the blasters weren't available for heating water/cooking, breakfast wa=
s=20
fruit and cold cereal [usually the last mornings offering] and we were on th=
e=20
water by 7:15 trying to catch up with the other trips to barter or beg some=20
fire juice. Mike never said but I thought he had dilly dallied along Monday=20
to let the other trips get well ahead so we would not be competing for=20
hikes/camps etc. We motored pretty steady till we caught some trips stopped=20
at Redwall Cavern. Negotiations were successful with a Hatch crew. Just=20
before Redwall Cavern we did pull in for a close look at Vasey's Paradise,=20
the water was flowing heavier than on my previous visits, the ferns a bit=20
thicker & darker green. Motored on 11 miles to a lunch stop at 44 3/4 River=20
Left just below President Harding Rapid and then on to Camp at mile 61 River=
=20
Right caddy corner upstream from the LCR [Little Colorado River]. Think Mike=
=20
had wanted to do the Anasazi Granary hike at mile 52 1/2 river right but it=20
was mid afternoon heat and one or two trips already there; he had also looke=
d=20
hard at the Saddle Canyon hike [mile47] but others there also. It had been a=
=20
long day on the water. This was also camp on nite 2 of our 1998 trip, kinda=20
neat nite 1 same as 1997 and nite 2 same as 1998. Nadine didn't remember it=20
but picked the same site we used in 1998, Ray & Sandy were in the spot used=20
by Art, Kathy, Cindy, Brian & Mel.
Halfway set up camp then motored over to LCR for a long frolic in the=20
beautiful blue waters. Yes, 1998 gang, the rains had not been in the LCR=20
drainage or at least hadn't gotten to the mouth yet and it was its fantastic=
=20
inviting blue but clear best. You will have to do another trip to see. A=20
great time was had by all [there are good pictures from Randy's and we have=20=
a=20
few too]. I especially enjoyed the trains, someone said the one was 20 of us=
=20
but JT said his count was 18, either way it was a blast especially at the=20
tail end where the speed really increased.=20
The day on the water: Started with Indian Dick Rapid right after push off=20
followed closely by the rest of the Roaring Twenties, then Stanton's Cave,=20
Vasey's Paradise, Redwall Cavern, =A0Anasazi bridge, President Harding Rapid=
,=20
Lunch, Nankoweap Rapid=20
and the granaries, Kwagunt Rapid & 60 mile Rapid. Again most of the rapids=20
looked different to me as the water level/flow hadn't climbed much yet.
Dinner was grilled chicken breasts, greenbeans and dressing very good as=20
always. At 2am it began to rain and showered us for an hour and a half.=20
Several had put up tents or did during the rain, Nadine & I had/did not. We=20
were sleeping on one tarp and used the other to cover us; ooops, the tarp wa=
s=20
worn thin and all it did was slow down the rainfall. The temperature was war=
m=20
and the tarp did hold in body heat; we were wet but warm. Nadine's excellent=
=20
suggestion was that next time we'd put the bedding in the drybag, put on our=
=20
rain suits and let it rain. We got to test her idea on the last nite.
Day 3 Tuesday =A07/10/2001
Packed away the wet gear, will have to dry it before bedtime tonite. Didn't=20
write down breakfast but think it was tater casserole. Water flow now up to=20
14,000. Motored ten miles or so to the Unkar Delta (river right) for a short=
=20
hike to some of the ruins, then Unkar Rapid the first sizable rapid since th=
e=20
flow increased and the beginning of the bigger water rapids. Then came=20
Nevills, Hance and Sockdolager. Nadine & I were on Kelley's boat and Joe had=
=20
the controls for these ... well run. The flow at this point was alittle less=
=20
than our 1998 trip and the Big Wave in Sockdolager gave a thrilling punch bu=
t=20
didn't quite make the boats hesitate at the top like '98. For the 2001 folks=
;=20
our '98 trip had a boat full of macho guys that were all friends from colleg=
e=20
days and a boat full of our family & friends plus two individual guys. The=20
guys stayed together on the same boat the whole trip. Sockdololager gave the=
m=20
a little religion and some respect for the old men, women & kids. They were=20
in the first boat and when it hit the Big Wave it climbed almost to the top=20
then hesitated for a split second or so before topping out and crashing over=
.=20
During the hesitation their boat went silent except for a gasp or two then=20
large sighs after they cleared the rapid. When our boat did a repeat=20
performance, as we stood still the whole gang let out whoops of exhilaration=
.=20
The guys were so impressed that several freely told on themselves.
Next was a stop at mile 84 river right for the climb up over the schist down=
=20
the other side of the rib to a short hike up Clear Creek to a nice waterfall=
.=20
[I don't remember is it Clear Creek or Shinumo that you can swim behind the=20
rock and come back thru the falls.] The climbs exposure didn't bother me nea=
r=20
as much as in '98 when I almost didn't do it. Nadine did it too, she had=20
stayed behind last time. The creek had "Flashed" since last time and cleaned=
=20
out the shrubbery, made for easier walking the 1/4 mile or so up the creek=20
bed. Then we stopped at Phantom Ranch to pick up the propane that had been=20
sent up from the warehouse in Flagstaff and brought down by the mules. Also=20
got a water supply so none would need to be filtered for a while.
Then Bright Angel Rapid, Pipe Springs Rapid and Horn Creek with Horn being=20
the most memorable of the group. Camp was River Right at the mouth of =A091=20
mile creek a cozy site for a motor trip. Ray & Sandy and Nadine & I camped a=
t=20
the mouth of the creek, Randy, Pam & Bill were also in the drainage with Bil=
l=20
Wagner a little further back. Think Tom also ended up in the drainage. Had=20
there been a good rain, there sure would have been some scrambling for the=20
high ground. Several showers passed us by and left us a dry nite.
Nadine & I rode with Mike on Day 1 and Kelley days 2&3.
Dinner was beef stirfry.
This has gotten lengthily after all, think I'll split it up. Day four and=20
beyond to follow.
=A0
Balance Soon, I'm off to put the pictures up.
Dick


--- StripMime Report -- processed MIME parts ---
multipart/alternative
  text/plain (text body -- kept)
  text/html
---