Thursday, October 7, 2010

Rafting the Grand Canyon - Part Three

Day Six is the official halfway point of the journey, though we're a day and 20 miles short on real time and distance...but today we reach Phantom Ranch and the only civilization in the canyon.  The kitchy thing to do is to mail a postcard carried out of the canyon by mule.  Directly below is a photo of Black Bridge, one of two crossing the river to Phantom Ranch.  We'll also be exchanging half our passengers today, as they only paid for half the journey.  Another ten folks are hiking down from the South Rim to join us.  As it turns out, one of them is a fair elderly lady that suffers a bout of heat exhaustion just short of the river, though the guides are able to attend to her and no emergency arises.  Ironically, the only beverages she has brought are wine and Diet Coke.  She's with her granddaughter that her talked into coming...not a real happy camper those first couple of days.


Paddle salute!

Phantom Ranch gauging station.

Bright Angel Creek

Black Bridge


Phantom Ranch raft beach.

This beach at Pipe Springs Rapid is the closest river-access from the South Rim; a seven mile hike. (It's another two miles over to Phantom Ranch.)

Time for Hermit Rapid!
Photographers get ready!!
















That would be Dennis' oar emerging from the wave washing over his boat.

Kathryn looks like she is having fun.

The paddle boat makes its run...

...and takes a big hit!

And Renee is still holding onto the bow!

Dan is leaning on the front of Howie's boat to "punch" the waves...

...and he performs a flawless demonstration.  Well done!

That's a lot of water.

Quieter waters in view of Pima Point.

Camp this evening is between the two halves of Crystal Rapid...Kathryn pulls hard to stay right.

Howie avoids the big boat-eating wave.

Dennis makes a relaxed entry.

View of our beach to the upper half of Crystal Rapid.

The lower half of Crystal rapid; rocks at left make it one of the more dangerous.

Jon shows us an Anasazi ruin.

Foggy water effects.

A ghostly rendition of the big boat-eating wave.

Diana Temple

No comments:

Post a Comment