Overview:  The Grand Canyon and its towering walls were created 2 billion years ago.  It is 17 miles wide in spots and runs 277 miles in length.   One of the major forces to creating this chasm is the Colorado River. The size and effort to experience the canyon stops 90% of visitors from making it past the visitor center.  Taking to the river like John Wesley Powell to explore the sheer size and beauty of the the canyon, would allow us the complete experience to see it from river to rim. 

Route:  After a bus ride from Flagstaff we boarded the raft at Lee's Ferry.  We would have 3 days on the river arriving early at phantom ranch.  From Phantom Ranch we would have an early start the next morning to hike up and out to the South Rim.

1.   Grand Video

Day 1

 From Lee's Ferry we boarded the raft.  Lee was a Mormon who fled from the government after the Mountain Meadows massacre (Mormons dressed up as Indians and slaughtered 120 men, woman, and children in 1857). So Lee, after being part of this mass killing, established a remote outpost here where he shuttled people across the river. We boarded the boat, if you can call it that, - it weighs 6 tons and has a small motor on the back.

 As we proceed down the canyon the layers of rock got older as the walls got higher.  Day 1 we floated about 30 miles.  The rim is about 2000 ft high and the rock at water level is at the 350 million years mark.  It was not long before being swept into our first rapid...From the back we hear, "Alright everyone down and in"  An 8 foot wall of water smashed over the sides of our oversized raft.  The 45 degree water hits hard with a enveloping coolness. We love it and want more...but before you know it - its back to the calm swift waters.  What must these rapids look like on a kayak? I will surely never find out.

Lunch time - it is quite hot to say the least. We all certainly took advantage of the water. Food was very impressive throughout the trip.

The guides then pulled us over for a scenic stop.  We could see the  overhanging of rock above the beach. Doesn't look like nothing too special I thought.  The crew started making there way up the sandy beach towards the back and they walked they kept getting smaller and smaller as the walls got bigger and bigger. OH my... Its HUGE.  I follow the rest staring up at the glowing rock walls.  Awesome place.

 Back on the river we reached camp.  The walls of the canyon are now significantly bigger than at Lee's Ferry.  We are also learning much of the canyon's human history as we float.  The first party down the unmapped river consisted of General Powell and his men, uniformed in their Civil War garb and all.  Almost every rapid we would hear from the guides, "And another of General Powell's men died here on the expedition."  Flipping there boat in these waters without lifejackets I can see why many did not make it. Powell also only had one arm while on the river, he lost the other one in the battle of Shilo.

 We slept on the sandy beach under the stars - which are situated as a strip of brilliance as we look up between the towering walls.  No critter stories from last night, but Sam was inspecting some small tracks this morning around camp. Two points with a line in between, just a lizard, no scorpions yet.  The water level came up quite a bit from last night, they change the flow from the Glen Canyon Dam upstream.

Day 2

 Up early and fueled by some blueberry pancakes we hit the water.  The heat we experienced on the river could be described as the wave of heat that hits you when you open an oven. About 107 degrees today.  We slept last night on the sandbar seen here along the river.

 We drifted through an area called Marble Canyon.  There were plans to dam this portion of the Grand Canyon until the Sierra Club gained enough public support and saved it in the 60's.  The canyon is very intimate, peaceful, and narrow here. 

Certain places in your life you will never forget just the overwhelming awe of being there, this was one of them.  Around mid-day we hit the confluence of the Little Colorado. Another massive canyon with a river of turquoise water, much warmer, it was the perfect place to hang in the water.

The Sipapau. Every major belief system has its origin of creation; for the Hopi and other natives this is it.  In their creation story man came from the 4th dimension and appeared on earth through a spring just up the river from this spot.

 The natural waterslide.

From our lunch spot we hiked up to some some ruins of a granary high above the river. Another postcard shot.  About 107 degrees today.

 Camp that night is just above our most technical rapid of the trip called Hance. Rated a 10 on the European scale due to lots of rocks/deep holes.  Mike and I headed down river to check it out and we were glad that we were not in charge of navigating our load through this one.  Due to the heat, even in the middle of the night, I don't think anyone slept to well.

 Day 3

 It was a short morning on the boat.  We covered 11 miles on the water on the way to Phantom Ranch.  We hit some fine rapids today.  Many were due to the bottom rock layer of the canyon, 1.2 billion years old. That evening I learned from the ranger why last night was so hot.  In the evenings the cool air comes off the rim pushing hot air into the canyon.  After his talk he took us on a scorpion hunt.  He took out a UV flashlight, one flash and it revealed 5 scorpions just off the trail, they were all over the place.  Good thing they did not show this to use before we slept on the ground.

 Mike, Sam and I helped the crew carry about 200 Lbs of corpse-looking ice a quarter mile back to the boat.  The new group that would be taking our spots the rest of the way down the canyon looked like zombies from yesterdays hike.  As we passed with our gurney of ice, Jamie our guide replied, "It was Steve-O's last request to finish the canyon dead or alive."  Air conditioning was a welcome addition that night in our cabin.

 Day 4

Up early we left Phantom at 6 am.  As we climbed higher the layers of rock change drastically.  From the 1.8 billion year old shist layer to the horizontal 350 million year old layer of sandstone.  A light rain kept us cool.  We took our time and a lunch break at Indian Springs.  From there it was another 3000 ft up to the rim.  Total of the day from Phantom to the rim is 10 miles and 5000 ft. 

We spent the last evening at sunset taking the shuttle bus to various view points.

Everyone was in good spirits at the top.  We all knew we just completed one of those trips, many images saturated in our minds, places that are hard to believe are real, and it felt so good to be there.

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