Even though this is not flying related I thought some of you guys might like to see some pictures from the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

This is the put-in at Lee's Ferry.


First day on the water...got a late start because a couple in our group had their tent burndown and had to go get a new one.


Some wildlife.


Scouting House Rock Rapid.


A cool spring


My buddy Jim setting up the Christmas tree.


Our Christmas tree.


Christmas morning...there was snow on the ground.


My wife and I...can't remember how far into the trip this was, only a few days I think.


The boats...except one of them...mine is the red one.


I think this is called Elves Chasm It is cool whatever the name is.


Deer Creek Falls.


On a short hike up Deer Creek.


Jim flipped in boat in Upset.


Short hike up Havasu. The color of the water is awesome.


There was some carnage


I stayed up till 2am sewing it back together with an upholstery needle and carpet thread.


On Tequila Beach right after out swim in Lava Falls...but I didn't flip the boat


Still smiling even on the last day.


It was an amazing trip and I can't wait to do it again.

Hey whee i was wondering what happened to ya. Man a trip like that would be awesome, i've always wanted to try that ever since i saw it for the first time a couple of years ago. Nice pics.

Great pics Whee... thanks for sharing them. I had to turn down the chance to go with some friends this past spring and it's been haunting me ever since. Seeing your pics didn't help that but I was stoked to see them. Looks like you had a great time!

Kinda thought those were boats on the van in your avatar. Wanna take me down the white salmon Hope to hit is this year with a buddy but is is always nice to go with a local. This was my third invite on the Grand and I figured I'd better go before my invites ran out.

Yep, the boats on the van are from a trip down the Colorado around Moab a while back. I totally will take you down the White Salmon but we've gotta get the timing right... I'm headed your way this spring. McCall bound...

Damn, first a Thanksgiving styling all the in-laws out with plane rides from the back field and then Christmas in the Grand Canyon. I'd say you had a pretty sweet holiday season!

Awesome pictures, Whee. Glad you had fun!!

Whee, a very cool trip. I kayaked that back in 1982. I left my car at the bottom end and we flew to the put in in a C206, a lot of it below the rim, checking out the rapids. I think it took us ten days. John

what an incredible adventure! Thanks for sharing it!

patrol guy wrote:Whee, a very cool trip. I kayaked that back in 1982. I left my car at the bottom end and we flew to the put in in a C206, a lot of it below the rim, checking out the rapids. I think it took us ten days. John

I thought a 206 was a lot faster than that...

Looks like a very special adventure, Whee! Your pics definitely convinced me that is something I must do. There is something very unique it seems about that float you can't get on the Salmon or anywhere else. Not that those trips aren't special in their own right, but the Colorado has its own appeal. Appreciate you sharing with us.

Flynengr

My son conducts the native fish research for the State of Arizona and is in the Canyon ca. 120 days per year. I have been with him on short trips several occasions and last year made the weight cut for the full month long research trip (until I lost weight...it would cut into their beer allowances). Up most of the night shocking fish, uprunning rapids, sleeping late, eating great...great companionship. It was a motorized research trip with some of the best boatmen around. February trip... only saw clouds two times .... 30's at night 70's daytime. Truly was spectacular. If you ever get a chance to go....make the time. Ralph[/img]

patrol guy wrote:I kayaked that back in 1982.

Was that in a fiberglass boat haha. My Dad still wants to be boating his fiberglass boat but we don't let him very often...still uses his Iliad paddle though.

The Grand Canyon is truly an awesome river and a fun trip but my favorites are still the Middle Fork and the Selway.

cool in the grand canyon, for sure. but i definitely second the middle fork
and the selway as th #1 picks. don't fing myself floating much, though,
seems i must be getting old or something..
my bird seems to end up in mccall about dark each nite, and we are
usually headed downtown or across the street to the mexican place
with the airplane sticking out of the roof for hot food...!

What a trip, thanks!

Whee,
I haven't posted on here in a while, but I'm still around reading. WRT some pictures:

1. A Cool Spring: that is Vassey's Paradise. That is a fresh water spring where we would re-fill our water jugs. Beware of the poison ivy!
2. That picture of you and your wife a few days in: That is the view at Nankoweap. There are some Anasazi Graineries that you had hiked up to. The view from there is the stuff of dreams. I even painted that very scene in college, a long time ago. That was the only A I ever got on something i painted... That is the best view of the trip.
3. Elves Chasm. That is indeed Elves. I have jumped off that rock into the pool below.

I have done the Grand (GFC as we call it) 5 times. Was supposed to do my 6th trip in April last year but chose to spend the time with Dad instead. I kayaked every trip except 1992, I did a kayak / raft run. I rowed half and kayaked half. I rowed Lava Falls at 19K cfs. Got my ass kicked, the V wave on the right stopped me cold and then stood my raft on edge and washed me off. I still have the image of my Nez Pierce stood on her side, me under her underwater looking up at the silhouette, waiting for her to come down on me, and GOD above smiled and set here down upright! I bolted back onto the seat to hear my buddy screaming: Cheese Grater rock...GDammit McCoy keep her off Cheese Grater rock!!! hahah, I missed the rock. Shoulda flipped but didn't...thank-you GOD!

Thanks for the trip down memory lane. I'm headed to New Zealand in 3 weeks to spend 2 weeks whitewater kayaking down there on the South Island. We are going to go Helicopter kayaking! What a gas. And when I get back, I am going to start banging rivets on a Sportsman. I know there are cheaper, "better" planes, but damn, that plane still haunts my dreams. I'm in love. Can't esplain it. Just am. I'm a goner.

As for my favorite run? well 8 years guiding in Colorado on the Arkansas, 24 years kayaking all over the US, and my favorite hands down? The GFC....angels singing in the background. I found my soul there. And there it shall be buried. Cheers!
Awol Arn sends.

I was also gonna comment on the standard picture of you and your wife, at Nankoweep, it is definitely a picture that I have with my gf, Nankoweep is usually about 4-5 days in and is a great layover place. Some of the best hikes on the Canyon lead to or start from there. I did a trip in 08, and am unfortunately skipping two trips this spring to run my new business. It is the greatest trip I have ever done, you guys think you can bring a lot of crap in a Maule, well you can put everything and the kitchen sink in an 18' raft (in fact we did). It really is a different world if you like whitewater then you've got that (in fact it's probably some of the best in the world) If you like hiking same thing, and if you like camping it's a 15-25 day trip that you are out every night. I kayaked every rapid over 6 (there is a 1-10 system for rating hardness of rapids) and it was really pretty easy but huge whitewater. I am applying for a 2010 permit maybe it's time for a BCP GFC. The only hard part is getting used to the Groover, but I'll let someone else explain that....

Mike

AwolArn wrote:Got my ass kicked, the V wave on the right stopped me cold and then stood my raft on edge and washed me off. I still have the image of my Nez Pierce stood on her side, me under her underwater looking up at the silhouette, waiting for her to come down on me, and GOD above smiled and set here down upright! I bolted back onto the seat to hear my buddy screaming: Cheese Grater rock...GDammit McCoy keep her off Cheese Grater rock!!! hahah, I missed the rock. Shoulda flipped but didn't...thank-you GOD!

Sounds exactly like what I did...to the tee. The flow was about 18k though. The group before us ran the left side...a guy flipped his dory and broke both ends open. Wish I could have seen it, but the duck-tape repair was pretty awesome.

Glad to hear there are so many boaters here...I'm a kayaker through and through but I had to row this trip because we were short on boatsmen, not sure I'd want to paddle that much flatwater anyways.

Speaking of groovers, there were a couple kids on the trip that were afraid to use it...took 'em five days till they finally did I like the groover though; where else do you get to take care of business while watching the river, canyons, birds, etc...except when there is frost in the morning.

LMAO....ahh the groover. Last trip in 2003, we had a 14 year old kid who did not go for 10 days! I am not kidding. He finally got so sick he had to go. He filled up a rocket box solo. One thing about groover duty, you get judged by how good the view is from the shop chosen...

I am a kayaker too, but love the flat water. I spend it up-stroking the eddies looking for beers floating and other river booty...found a couple paddles, a camera, many cases of beer, and more. The best part about kayaking it though is getting to run Hermit 3 or 4 times and also running Lava at least twice. It's easy to carry back up and do it again! One year I tried to surf the monster wave train in Hermit. It was running about 16 or 18K if memory serves me right. I had a 13' kevlar Stohlquist XS...think OLD SCHOOL! I caught one monster for a couple bounces, but even my XS' hull speed was too slow to stay on for long. It was a memorable couple bounces though!

I'm glad there are others who love the water as much as the air. Good memories all.

Arn

Whee.....back in '82, I thought I was almost "cutting edge", I had a mirage, but yes I still had my Iliad.

I don't remember levels, but up to Lava our group of 18 kayaks, the last guy through each rapid always swam, no matter who or where for some reason.

At Lava, it was high. We were all first timers and we scouted from the rocks as another small group went through. I think they all swam. Even their raft.

My knees were shaking for real! I do remember this calming thought. No matter how you went, you only needed to hold your breath for 18 seconds. That was my resolve. Also at that momet, I looked over at my buddy, and without saying a word, we both realized that we were the last two guys, not in a boat!

We scrambled for our boats. I shoved off putting my spray skrit on in steam. My buddy was last. He swam and I made it.

what memories, thanks,
PG

Hey PG: I did the Grand in my first trip in 87 in a "Neutral White" Mirage! My friends all made fun of me ( I was the only GFC Virgin ) cause when I got up to the lookout to scout Lava, the first thing I said was, "Where's the day groover...I GOTTA GO NOWWWWW!!!' I think I used it 3 times...everytime I walked up and looked at that mess of whitewater, I had to go again! I remember dropping into the big V wave on the right, I put my paddle out, got a huge breath of air and waited. I can still hear the sound of my head hitting the back deck of my Mirage! Like you, I held my breath until it got smoother then did an Extended Paddle Roll and rolled up! What good memories.

I can't even do an EPR now with these short little weird paddles with the 15* offset... I want my old 208 cm Black Bitch with a 90* offset back! Talk about pulling power....

Arn sends.