Twig Adventures

My Adventures blog

Daily Adventures on the trail

GC Day 15: Lava

Grand Canyon Rafting Trip

Monday, March 4th 2024Lower National (Sandblaster Camp) mile 167 to Upper 185 Mile camp mile 186 19 miles, elevation 1628′ I’d never been so happy to get back on the river as this day. The wind abated and the skies were clear, so it seemed like perfect conditions to finally break free of Sandblaster campsite. Also, my shoulder was feeling much better. I could even lift some things. Plus, this was the day we were going to run our final big rapid. There was a sense of looking forward to it and of just wanting to get it over with. We got a decent start and crushed 13 miles by lunch, just in time to pull over for the scout.[…]

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GC Days 13 & 14: Havasu and Wind Layover

Grand Canyon Rafting Trip

Saturday, March 2nd 2024 Ledges Camp mile 152 to Lower National (Sandblaster Camp) mile 167 15 miles, elevation 1768′ Not surprisingly, I didn’t sleep very well, having a hard time getting comfortable. Everything was aching from my fall, not just my shoulder. I took another Vicodin as soon as I woke, waiting for it to kick in before I started moving. A pair of pesky ravens forced me out of my tent, their cries warning that they were awake and raiding our camp again. They’d swooped in as soon as we landed the day before and had already taken off with some various loot, including a whistle. We did a good job protecting our food but they were willing to[…]

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GC Day 12: Matkat Dislocation

Grand Canyon Rafting Trip

Friday, March 1st 2024 Opposite Deer Creek Camp mile 136.8 to Ledges Camp mile 152 15 miles, elevation 1828′ I started the day with a wild hair, deciding to paddle the 2 person ducky for a spell. I paddled an almost identical craft with my dad back in the days. Together we ran rapids on the Arkansas, Colorado, San Juan, Green and Yampa rivers, so I had many fond memories from such a boat. Tina joined me this day and we thought nothing of tackling a class 4 rapid after only 1 mile. We followed Charlie’s raft into Doris rapid, which was a mistake since he headed straight into the action. We didn’t call him Fun-Time Charlie for nothing, as[…]

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GC Days 10 & 11: Tapeats and Deer Creek

Grand Canyon Rafting Trip, Hayduke Trail

Wednesday, February 28th 2024 Fossil Camp mile 125.4 to Opposite Deer Creek Camp mile 136.8 11.4 miles, elevation 1962′ (hiking 8.6 miles, minus 2.5 miles missed along the river) This day was all about getting our hiking game up to speed. But first we had to make it past two Class 7 rapids, Bedrock and Deubendorff Rapids. I rode with Cleve for the first time, which I enjoyed very much. Bedrock is an intimidating rapid, with a giant building-sized boulder splitting the river into 2 halves. Rafts need to nail the right line, otherwise they can get pushed up against the rock and become high-sided (flipped) or stuck. Worse yet, they can go down the left channel, which has huge[…]

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GC Day 9: Elves Chasm

Grand Canyon Rafting Trip

Tuesday, February 27th 2024 110 Mile Camp to Fossil Camp mile 125.415.4 miles, elevation 2075′ Everyone was feeling well-rested after a day off. I for one was antsy to get back on the river and make some progress, even though we were well along the way. Only 7 miles downriver, we came to Elves Chasm, a popular side hike to an enchanted waterfall. We clambered a short ways up to the desired spot. I wasn’t wearing my drysuit, so wasn’t inclined to do what several did in climbing into the rocks and coming out halfway up the waterfall for a jump into the pool. It looked like a lot of fun. Charlie actually did it without a drysuit. We had[…]

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GC Days 7 & 8: Big Splashes and 1st Layover Day

Grand Canyon Rafting Trip, Hayduke Trail

Sunday, February 25th 2024Granite Camp mile 93.8 to 110 Mile Camp 16 miles, elevation 2188′ The day was off to a splashy start with some very big rapids. This was the start of the ‘Gems’ section, which is one of the most challenging days on the river. Many of the rapids are named after gems, starting with Crystal. First was a scout of Granite Rapid, easily done from our campsite. I set off with Charlie on his raft, while his usual crew/mate Lana stayed on shore to photograph our group with her nice camera. This was one of the most fun rapids yet, with a big wave train but not too much peril. Lana got some really great photos of[…]

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GC Day 6: Phantom Ranch Reset

Arizona Trail, Grand Canyon Rafting Trip, Hayduke Trail

Saturday, February 24th 2024Lower Cremation Camp mile 87.7 to Granite Camp mile 93.8 6 miles, elevation 2365′ A stop at Phantom Ranch, Mile 88, is pretty much mandatory for most raft trips, since this is the most feasible location to switch personnel. Understandably, it’s hard to commit to 3 or more weeks on the river, so some opt for an abbreviated schedule, either Lees Ferry to Phantom Ranch or Phantom Ranch to the end. Laura had just received a new job offer that she couldn’t pass up, so she was sadly only able to join us for 6 days. We pushed hard to make it to Phantom Ranch in this time frame…other groups typically do it in 9 days. But[…]

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GC Day 5: Big Water

Grand Canyon Rafting Trip

Friday, February 23rd 2024 Tanner Camp mile 68.7 to Lower Cremation Camp mile 87.7 19 miles, elevation 2450′ It was very cold overnight and I had frosty condensation on my tent in the morning. My thermometer recorded a low of 33F…the coldest night of our whole trip. This had everything to do with our exposed camp in the wide valley, not a change in the weather. We had a big day planned, with out first class 8 rapids coming up. I was nervous about this, so I rode with Charlie, who had a lot of confidence when it came to most things, especially rafting. He rowed a raft down the Yampa with Rob the previous year, so he had some[…]

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GC Day 4: LCR Perfection

Grand Canyon Rafting Trip, Hayduke Trail

Thursday, February 22nd 2024 Upper Nankoweap Camp mile 53 to Tanner Camp mile 68.7 15.7 miles, elevation 2691′ I woke to yet another migraine, even tough I tried to hydrate really well the previous day. I was officially out of my own meds this day, so someone gave me some of their extra. At this rate, I might still have to hike out of phantom Ranch in 2 days. I helped with breakfast in the morning while some of the rest of the group that didn’t get to do the hike at night went up in the morning. I saw a bunch of other people from the other 2 groups heading up as well, so I was glad I went[…]

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GC Day 3: Easy Ride to Nankoweap

Grand Canyon Rafting Trip, Hayduke Trail

Wednesday, February 21st, 2024 Nautiloid Camp mile 35 to Upper Nankoweap Camp mile 53 18 miles, elevation 2800′ I woke feeling well rested but unfortunately still with a migraine. I knew it was the result of having such a severe one the night before and experiencing a ‘rebound’ effect from the medication. I sometimes got locked into these patterns of migraines for up to a week. I took another precious pill, with my personal supply down to just 1. I had identified 2 people that had the same meds the day before, but hadn’t gone so far as to officially borrow from them yet. I really hated having to lean on other people for such things and was just hoping[…]

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