My Grand Canyon Rafting Trip August 2000

River Day 6  Friday 8/25/2000:   (Mile 145.6 - Mile 1186.2)

It rained slightly in the early morning (~4:30am) First time in the tent all week as a result for  less than an hour – had to squeeze in with Gary. This is where Alice exposed her “big butterfly” in the morning dip! What a sight - Alice is the big girl in the photos, and has a tatoo!

Departed: We left Camp 5 early we are getting good al loading the boat

Beautiful serene river scene early in the morning - the river was like glass - sun streaming down diagonally into the canyon... 

Aborted Stop:      (Mile 148)

We stopped briefly at the mouth of Matkatamiba Canyon but there had been some high storm run-off overnight and it was too difficult to enter. A real shame because the folks who’d been before and Walt & Tom had been talking up how good it was going to be…

Afterwards looking at other's photos makes me want to visit it next time...

Hike:       

We stopped half way through Havasu Rapids – a tough challenge for the boat captains – and tied up to a rock ledge.

We hiked up Havasu Creek from the Colorado towards Supai, crossing the river back & forth and after a few miles came to the first of many travertine pools, chutes & swimming holes. Fantastic stuff!

It was fun but rough on the skin clambering across these, and in some cases swimming through short underwater travertine passages. On the way back we saw where the clear green Havasu creek waters mixed with the muddy brown silt of the Colorado River.

Yes the river we've been washing in all week is really THAT muddy...

Back at the rock ledge by the river we saw many Chuckwallas, including one that scrambled across Tary as she lay down for a rest. A real alarm call! 

I vow that I will backpack down Havasupai Canyon to Supai, Havasu & Mooney Falls and all the way back down to this place on the Colorado River!

Lunch:      We’d taken a packed lunch with us on our hike up Havasu Creek

Late this afternoon we were cruising on a quiet section of the river when Tom points out "Vulcans Throne" up above river right. Some of us know what that means - we've been reading 'the book' - the big one is coming...

Nothing seems much different  the river is still glassy smooth - but slowly Walt's boat moves out ahead of us - Tom is deliberately putting some distance between us... We are still gliding along slowly. I realize the river looks odd up ahead - no sign of rapids it just suddenly disappears and reappears later - only not so wide - and a long way downstream... it just looks odd - I stand up to get a better view... and I can hear a strange deep rumbling noise - just then the back of Walt's boat lifts about 10 feet in the air, hangs for an instant  and then the whole boat slides down and out of view - just gone!  Tom says - "you might want to sit down & hold on... nobody on the pontoons - hold on tight" and off we go... It was a blur... lots of noise... lots of water... lot of thrashing. Tom knew what he was doing - we came through fine - but totally soaked. Lava Falls lives up to its reputation - it was the roughest, biggest, nosiest, wetest drop through the whole Grand Canyon. I didn't dare try to photograph it... 

But I'd love to run it again!        

Camp 6:    (Mile 186.2)

We stopped for the night on a narrow strip of uneven beach on the South River Bank.

After dinner tonight we had a dutch-oven cake for the several accumulated birthdays and anniversaries that happened during the trip - good idea for the last night

Mileage:   Covered 40.6 miles today - a record so far

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