February 8, 2008

WWE Guide Flash's Winter Colorado River Trip

Lots of folks ask guides “What do you do in the off season?” For some of us, there really is no off season. Those who don’t travel to the southern hemisphere to run rivers in their spring and summer just put on a dry suit and raft anyway.

I’m just back from the Grand Canyon, running the Colorado from Lee's Ferry to Mead Reservoir, just under 300 miles, 21 days. A private trip with Debra, a lady I'd met at Sacramento State's guide school (I’d been asked to instruct potential oarsmen) who had won the lottery for a launch date THE FIRST TIME SHE TRIED!!!!!! She and her friend Dave were in the school to learn to handle a boat in whitewater so they could do the trip. Naturally, when I found out she had a permit, I asked if she could use another boatman. "Yes, we could definitely use someone with some Canyon experience". I had the idea of taking some WWE guides with me (Josh, Greg and Cait in particular), but if they had the time they didn't have the money and if they had the money, they didn't have the time. Debra eventually found somebody on the 'net who sounded like he had the experience to lead the trip (I didn't want to be the leader of a group of novices with only a grand total of one and a half trips to my credit). We ended up with a group of 7 in 4 boats to Phantom Ranch, picking up an 8th there.

Our launch date was December 28 and it was BUTT COLD!!!!!!!!!!! 13 degrees one night (averaging 28 degrees), never over mid 40’s during the days. The handwash station kept freezing up. Cameras and their batteries were dying at an appalling rate in the cold so we don’t have many pictures. I even seem to have brought back a minor case of frostbite on the tips of some of my toes, but I stress the minor.

Other than the cold, it was a pretty good trip for me. I used a SOTAR 16' self bailer boat that I’ve used on a lot of other rivers and have set up very nicely for me, but the others used a collection of antiques with some of the sketchiest gear I've seen on any river since rafting in Nepal (or with Dick). Dave drove a 14’ River Runner, Kali drove a 15’ Achilles self bailer, Kelly drove a 16’ Achilles bucket boat. Duct tape was everywhere! They were patching boats at put-in!! I almost left the trip on the spot, but stayed on just for the carnage potential.

I didn’t have long to wait. On the first river day, at Badger Creek, the first big rapid (not even one of the majors), Dave’s 14' flipped. The leader had insisted dry suits were not needed that day so the two folks in the boat went hypothermic almost instantly. Had to set up camp on the spot to warm them up, right their boat and repack it. Gotta give the Dave credit, he got back in the boat the next morning and drove it well for the rest of the trip (well, except for another flip at Granite rapid). My only mishap was to get launched from the boat in the tail waves at Hermit rapid, but I never lost contact with the boat (still had an oar in my hand) and was wearing my dry suit. I didn't even lose my hat.

When it wasn’t raining, the views were awesome as they usually are in the Big Ditch, especially with a thick coat of snow on the rim extending down to about 1000 feet above the river.

We picked up one last member of the group (making us a total of

at Phantom Ranch who told us he had hiked the 10 miles down from the South Rim on iced over trails in weather that ranged from high winds and blowing snow at the top to steady rain starting about that 1000 feet above us (it had been raining on us for 2 days and kept up another 3 days – not the only rain we had either). He said he was glad he’d brought little fold-up crampons for the upper parts of the trail.

Fourth straight day of rain

Camping in the rain

We met up with only 4 other groups on the trip. One group was camped at Nautiloid Creek recovering from the previous night’s new year’s eve revels. They were mostly Alaskans who thought the weather just lovely. Camped at Tuckup Canyon we heard motors and to our surprise saw a group of three big motor rigs and 2 little (~14’) power boats cruise down the river. Met them again the next day and found they were with Arizona Fish and Game doing a survey of food webs at the side creeks (one of them said he felt like he was in the movie Groundhog Day, doing the same things day after day).

At Deer Creek, 2 groups pulled in behind us. One group of 3 from Durango actually knew of our permit holder who had hoped to hook up with them when several potential members of our group had cancelled. Another set of 3 Alaskans showed up in the tiniest rafts I’ve ever seen. Not much more than misshapen inner tubes with spray skirts, at 4 lbs each they’d packed them in via Hermit Creek and were going to pack them out at Havasu Creek.

One person raft

They swore they had a permit, but given their itinerary and gear, I rather doubt it. The first group had seen them run a couple of rapids and said they swam a lot. I guess the moral of all this is that if you want the Canyon pretty much to yourself, go in the winter. Pack lots of warm stuff!

Totals for the trip: 4 flips (this one at Lava Falls), one surf, multiple skin cracks on fingers from cold and alkaline water, 2 oars lost (one from a flipped boat permanently lost and one of my spares stripped off the boat at House Rock which was reported found at Mile 37 and will be returned to me next month), 20 really good dinners on the river (one of the ladies, Marie, took over the food because she felt she couldn't do much else), one torn "Wing" shelter, a trashed aluminum roll table, a satellite phone lost in that first flip and perhaps most impressive, 3 brand new oarsmen who can say they rowed the mighty Colorado through the Grand Canyon successfully (well, they all survived).

Looks like my toes are going to stay attached, so now that I’m home warm and dry, I'm a happy camper.