Three months after our river trip I still have not completed the story.

Well this is the weekend. It’s 94 degrees in MSN today with 94% humidity. Too hot and too sticky to even breathe outside.

This is a LONGGGGGGGGG story and may only be of interest to those who were on the trip, but it was an EPIC adventure and in my mind anything less would not do the trip justice. Plus . . . as we get older and memories fade, I want to remember every moment!

A bunch of us from the Madison area have biked together for years, have traveled all over the world on adventures and had always talked about rafting the Grand Canyon. Unfortunately, there are  a limited number of trips offered each year and by the time we got serious about it each year the trips were full. Becky, third from the left, took the bull by the horns and in late October started the planning process for a trip the following spring. It would be an eleven day Hiking & Rafting adventure on the Colorado River, taking in the entire 250 miles of the Grand Canyon National Park. Here the gang tests out some new gear at Devils Lake.

It was quite a start to the trip when our flights from MSN to Las Vegas were cancelled the day before we were to leave because of a 24+ inch snowfall that was predicted to close the Denver Airport, our transfer point. A mad scramble, along with thousands of other stranded travelers, resulted in our rescheduling and making it to Las Vegas in time.

CRATE, the company we rafted with, works with a hotel ‘off the strip’, to serve as our jumping off point. We flew in, received our dry bags, transferred our gear, saw some of Las Vegas and would head to the river by motor coach.

The last time we will sleep in a bed like this for several weeks, or use a shower or a flush toilet, or a sink with running water, etc, etc.

I wondered why the hotel had supplied ear plugs. An ‘off the strip location’ = cheaper hotel rooms but in our case at the end of the McCarren Airport. Luckily air traffic eventually slows during the late evening hours

We had an afternoon to walk around a bit . . .

. . . and saw all that Las Vegas has to offer.

You don’t need to get far off the strip though before the quality of accommodations drops drastically and eventually ends all together . . .

. . . not what you see in the travel brochures.

We all arrived in LV at different times. emJay, Diana and I ventured out to the strip again this time for dinner. We enjoyed  . . .

several nice cocktails at Emeril’s Seafood Restaurant, a fantastic fish dinner . . .

and what could have been our last dessert for two weeks!!!

Back at hotel things were quiet, including the air traffic!!!

At 5;30am we all had our gear in the lobby . . .

. . . and boarded our motor coach.

Three hours later we arrived at the CRATE Colorado River HQ in Fredonia, AZ.

Not much to look at . . .

. . . but the lunch waiting for us was a  good representation of the quantity  to come during the week!!!

Becky samples the first of many cookies and snacks that would provided during the 11 day trip.

Head guide John, demos setting up a cot, what would become our third best friend, during the week (first being our wonderful spouses of course) . . .

. . . and here was our second best friend, the ‘toilet’ and hand washing station.

There would be two toilets set up at every camp consisting of a box like this one, set up a distance from camp. One of the ‘boxes’ would be placed in a tent about the size of a phone booth to afford the user some privacy. The other, known as the ‘adventure toilet’ would be set up in rock, tree or brush screened area, providing a $1,000,000 view every time one sat down!!!

The common reaction was  . . . Really???!!!

In order to move us along the river at a pace to allow time for hiking we would motor down the river. CRATE also offers rowing trips. From photos of past trips they had on the wall, one can see some rafter’s hands didn’t fair so good!!!

A last stop on the way our of town was for guns . . . ammo . . . and BEER!!!

Our first view of the Grand Canyon’s features across the Kaibab Plateau. We would eventually be in river cuts over 4,500 feet in depth!!!!

As we rode along in the bus, I noticed this piece of advice for not gaining weight on a trip. Well . . . two out of three ain’t too bad!!!

The first of the cuts appear . . .

. . . as we unloaded at Lee’s Ferry.

We are instructed on the safety measures concerning the raft, including having your life jacket on, and buckled, ANYTIME you are on the craft.

Several other companies were also assembling their rafts at Lee’s Ferry. Each raft would accommodate two adventurers with a guide sitting, elevated, in the middle of the raft and rowing.

Off we go, leaving civilization behind . . .

 . . . and so we begin our 11 day, 10 night adventure on the Colorado River. We’ll eat, raft, hike, eat,drink, eat, sleep  . . . EASY!!!        Here is an overview.   As we head out everyone claims a space. . . we won’t see any signs of civilization for 6 days . . .  until we pass under the bridge near Phantom Ranch.  One of the main concerns will be to STAY DRY as we pass through over 200 rapids during our journey. When you get hit by a ‘wall of water’ it finds a way inside even the best rain suit and the water is VERY ‘COLD !!!! No rain booties, here’s a way to improvise!  Although we didn’t see any signs of ‘modern life’ we did see building ruins and graineries such as this one left by ancient dwellers who made the canyon their home.  We had 24 rafters spread across two rafts. Eight of us from WI and sixteen from a hiking club out of Surprise, AZ. Nice people!!! During the day the sun could be EXTREMELY hot as we floated down the river, experiencing very little shade or breeze. It was a constant battle to stay dry from the rapids and yet keep your skin protected. Here Johnny demos the latest in complete river wear. Lots of geologic wonders including this lava tube formation, all that was left from an eroded volcano.  Between the 8 of us seniors from WI and the 16 seniors from AZ there were lots of ‘potty stops’. Peeing was always done in the river NOT in the toilets. The ‘rule’ was, when we stopped the men went downstream from the boat to pee and the women went upstream. Although it seemed like the men just went wherever they wanted and was the most convenient!!! By the second day most modesty of any kind was a thing of the past!!!   Here was a ‘natural’ hot tub we passed along the way. You can spot it on a satellite view from space!  Our five guides were up from dusk, when they yelled the ever awaited “Coffee!!!” at 6:30am,  until well after dark everyday. Once in a while while we hiked they might catch a cat nap.  We did see a few other outfitters on the river. Here is a ‘J’ boat made up of tubes lashed together. The rafters sit much higher than we did and these rafts tend to produce ‘swimmers’ when crossing challenging rapids.

. . . what can cause you to become a swimmer . . .watch this!!!

Sometimes when the smaller rafts flip in the rapids they may lose something that has not been tied down.

Here is a thrilling rescue!!!

Actual carvings in the rock left from the John Wesley Powell expeditions.  Each morning, and sometimes several times a day, we would have a geology lesson regarding what we were seeing along the way. VERY helpful and informative.  Dewey explaining what’s up ahead.

Here is a live example  Everyone wore a life jacket while on the boat and each had the name of a geologic feature along the way as a helper for you to remember which was yours.

    Lets stop for lunch . . . 

1 down, 199 more rapids to go!!!

How about reversing direction in mid rapids!!Our guides would describe each rapids as a One Hander Or Two Hander, meaning hold on with one or BOTH hands in order to stay on the boat!!!     A mini example of how water and wind cut the Grand Canyon. Although this 6 foot example was probably cut in one day, it took 5 million years for the Canyon to achieve it’s current depth. Wind and water erosion removed only a paper’s width of a layer per year . . .   . . .  and this is the result. Along the river John would read us passages from the Powell Expedition of what they had observed at particular points. Not much has changed since those early explorations.   There we areas of ‘green’ but not much. When we found one big enough, it usually became our camp for the night.

  Oh boy . . .  An example of an area we might stop at for a hike lasting anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour.   An example of a GREAT lunch stop . . .   . . . a natural amphitheater!!!An hour late we would be back on the river . . . . . . taking in the views.

“Look out for ‘gators emJay!!!

Our 11 day trip was basically the CRATES 8 day trip stretched to 11 by adding in the hiking component. It was a nice variation from the strictly rafting theme and allowed us to get some fantastic views looking down, instead of just up from the river.

At times we would pass long the river banks . . .

. . . other times it would be uphill.

Along the way we might see the ruins from an ancient dwelling. . .

but one ALWAYS needed to watch where one was going. No falls or sprained ankles during the trip. Although we did ‘loose’ one hiker for several hours but it all turned out good.

The hiking was done at a leisurely pace with plenty of time to stop, eat, drink and get a lesson from our resident naturalist, emJay.

Slot canyons were a favorite type of hike from river level.

Sometimes a boost was needed. John was always there to lend a ‘helping hand’!!!!

The views were always exceptional . . .

. . . but what goes up, must come down.

This was an fun area where the Little Colorado River met the Colorado River. The silty mountain fed river was shallow and warm enough to swim in when we stopped . . .

. . . what adult diapers??? No just our life jackets inverted to protect our bottoms . . .

. . . as we rode the current through the natural sluice gates of the river channel . . .

fun . . .

but hold your nose.

We made many runs!!!

Along another hike we found these pottery shards left . . .

. . . from all that remained of this ruin.

Some hikes were much, MUCH, higher and were not for the faint of heart. We all became very accustomed to the meaning of the phrase ‘Vertical Exposure’.

But there was time for stopping, reading or as Diana demonstrates here, paiinting!

 

Very windy, felt like flying!!!!

mmmmm . . not everyone made it out!!!

 

The river way is a living, breathing thing and at this time of year there is water around every corner.

A Kodak moment . . .

enjoyed by all.

especially emJay who used the falls to cool off!!

Except Dewey who grabbed a cat nap in a shady spot. Young people can sleep ANYWHERE, ANYTIME!!!

Slot canyons many times lead to . . .

an uphill climb.

WAY UP!!!!!

There usually was a BIG payoff though . . .

One . . .

. . . two

On one hike, emJay and I scrambled through ‘Cactus Flats’ on the way out . . .

then along the river to this beauitiful spot.

 

Our Wisconsin gang . . .

 

 

Watch your footing . . .

Down at last . . .

and back on the rafts . . .

that had literally been lashed to the rocks.

Don’t want to lose one down stream. No other way out!!!

 

Some rafters even brought along SUP (StandUpPaddleBoards).

 

Some hikes were a little more ‘challenging’ than others . . .

. . . but they all eventually lead us back to the river.

 

The river is a VERY harsh environment for all form of life. However, we hit the cactus bloom just a the right time. They were in full bloom  . . .

 

 

We did see some Big Horn sheep one afternoon who came down to the shore to check us out as we glided by . . .

Oh, there were reptiles and one needed to check ones shoes before putting them on in the morning.

 

No Tarantulas though!!!

Life along the river was slow . . . until we got to our campsite for the night. Then we needed to exert the only necessary energy of the day, forming a ‘bucket brigade’ to unload the 24 dry bags, our 24 sleep kits, our 24 ammo boxes and the kitchen gear.

First decision made by the crew was, Where the toilets would be staged. Then, where the kitchen would be placed.

First decision by the rafters, a mad scramble to find the ‘best campsite’ of the night!!!

The dry bags, sleep kits and ammo boxes were all numbered. emjay and I were numbers 24 & 25 so once we gathered all six of those items we headed to our camp. The ammo boxes were used to store items a rafter might need during the day. Meds, glasses, cameras, etc.

The kitchen was usually set up near the rafts to facilitate easy entry into the larder and ‘refrigerator’.

In the morning it was just the opposite with all numbered items being returned to the beach for loading back on the raft.

 

Fresh produce, we had salad every night right to the last day, was kept fresh in the hold of each raft. John had spent in excess of $4,000 at the Costco in Salt Lake shopping for our goodies. All the meat come from local purveyors.

T-shirt night for the Wisconsin contingent. Thanks to Diana for taking the lead on design and procuring!!!

Becky, a certified yoga instructor, routinely held morning sessions on the beach, when it was wide enough,

for those early risers who were interested . . .

. . . and even for those who ‘slept in a little too late’. Let’s load up!!!

The crew did the best they could finding us great campsites. Sometimes there wasn’t too much open space though and we needed to pull over for the night.

Here Matt shows his palatial digs for the night . . .

. . . complete with ‘shelving’ for all of his gear!!!

Until the sun went behind the mountains it was usually very HOT and one needed to stay of our the sun. Here Dewey uses a thermal infra red temperature gun to measure the heat reflected off the pontoon . . .187 degrees!!!

emJay and I had a located a GREAT waterside, private place this particular evening, even though it was quite a hike from the boats . . .

. . . our own private beach for bathing.

. . . and a room with a view.

Speaking of views . . . here is an assortment of ‘adventure toilet’ locations where you literally did have a million dollar view during each visit!!

 

 

 

Look out!!! The boys were quite the jokesters and always placing goodies around camp!

Here Johnny demos to Hawaii Bob how things are sanitized . . .

The ‘remains of the night’. The whole crew took turns playing chambermaid . . .

. . . and the Park Service rules are everything needs to be packed out . . . . EVERYTHING!!!!

Say . . . is there time for one more pit stop????

Last thing after the toilets were disassembled was to load the boats up. “Lift that barge, tote that bale”!!!

John and Diana with a million dollar view of the river from their bedroom (after Matt got done doing his laundry!!!)

Matt and Pam brought margarita fixin’s . . .

. . . complete with a collapsible measuring cup!!!

Watch the instructional video!!!!

The Wisconsin group became known as the ‘Happy Hour Crowd’ because as soon as we had our camps up, it was time to start drinking and snacking!!!

Others tended to join in the fun too!!!

Including Dewey . . . Hey, who’s making dinner???

Pam was the treasurer of our group and had a ‘strong box’ along for the purpose. Not many places to shop on the waterfront though.

So repeat . . .

Here is all the action!!!!!

and look for a good spot . . .

. . . wide open flats tonight at ‘Football Field’ campsite.

Great sky viewing. It was a full moon while we were on the river and before or after it came out the star show was spectacular. One night we saw the Space Station pass overhead.

Pat usually dipped a line each night and the boys were happy to cooked up whatever he caught.

Clint gave it try too!!

We each had a tent and only used them several nights preferring to sleep on our cots out ‘under the stars’. NO BUGS so nothing to worry about. Color coordinated tent and clothing . . . nice, cant get lost.

Everything must be packed out with minimal disturbance to the site. About half the evenings the boys grilled. Even the grills needed to be place above the soil on a protective mat to protect the soil.

This particular night we had a campfire using wood brought along for the occasion. Here Clint ‘helps’ the fire get going. WHOOOOOOOSH!!!!

But really nice . . . .

. . .  anyone know a story?

Jim became our resident story teller and had some good ones. He tells stories in clubs around the Phoenix area.

There have been many expeditions down the river in the past and the Park Service has removed most of the remnants but here is an abandoned boat they left . . . if boats could only talk.

CRATE provided all the food, snacks, three cans of soda/day/person, unlimited drinking water, tents, sleeping bags, cots, TP, EVERYTHING BUT LIQUOR. emJay and I brought vino in the form of Black Box which worked out great. Our first order of business when landing was to fish one of our 8 boxes we brought along, out of the rafts hold, and put it in the river to chill. By the time we finished setting up our camp it was happy hour!!!

Johnny and John have been raft crew members for a long, long time and are just like family!!!

Speaking of family, Sue and Keith celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary while on the trip.

John made a special presentation, complete with candles!!!

The usual scene the morning after, the night before . . .

Pat not only packed his fishing rod . . .

. . . but never seized to amaze us with what he pulled out of his dry bag . . .

womens’ undies . . .

. . . he was one happy guy and really had Hawaii Bob perplexed!!!

 

The one thing we ALL had in our dry bags, our sleep bags, our ammo boxes and any other orifice was sand. The dry beach type sand found its way into EVERYTHING including a few camera lenses.

Food is an important party of any trip and on this trip it was tasty, plenty of it and lovingly prepared. All five of the guides pitched in and helped with the prep. Each days breakfast and dinners staples were packed in a 10 gallon ammo can to keep them dry. Need Day 7 . . . just pull out the Day 7 ammo can and all the fixin’s we in the box!!

First order of business when we pulled in for the night was to was get the ‘booze bag’ in the water for chillin’

. . . and conversely in the morning the gang would wrangle down a ‘ringtail cat’, milk it and have the milk chilled for morning coffee (National Park Service approved!). Coffee was served promptly at 6:30am with a load cry of “Coffee” by whomever was on breakfast duty that morning. It also served as a wake up call for those not already roused!

The kitchen setup. Mats were place under the tables to catch crumbs or anything that dropped off the tables. Pack it in . . . Pack it out!!!

Once the boys had the kitchen set up and we were busy assembling our camps they would take a break, sit on the boats, have a few beers and talk  . . .  about us!!! (Thus our joke on Captain John about Pat pulling women’s underwear out of his dry bag everyday. I think Capt. John saw right through our gag!!!)

Food was cooked over propane or charcoal. These ‘jet engines’ would bring that morning water for coffee up to a boil in a flash!!!

Propane stoves were usually used for cooking breakfast . . .

. . . such as these fried ‘tators Clint was busy cookin’ up!!

Breakfast and dinners were served family style. As soon as everyone had gone through the line once, there was a chance for seconds. ALWAYS plenty of food!!!!

Clint used the flat pans for pancakes . . .

Fred and CJ load up on sausages and melon. Fresh fruit every morning!!!

Becky and pancakes . . .

. . . and sausages and fruit!

Dewey likes to talk to the food when he cooks . . . Clint not so much . . .

. . . and real maple syrup (not from Wisconsin)

emJay and Diana line up . . .

. . . need sustenance for a BIG day of hiking today!

. . . and how would you like your farm fresh, Grade A, X-Large eggs individually prepared?  no powdered eggs on this trip!!!

Usually we had a shore lunch which gave us a chance to get off the raft for a while and walk around. On days when we would be pulled over and hiking over the noon hour, we made a bag lunch in the morning and carried it on board in our ammo cans.

However, on days when we were not hiking over noon hour we pulled in and had a nice freshly prepared salad . . .

. . . and  learned how to make a serving cone out of a large tortilla. A great lunch on a hot day!!!!

Sometimes it was a sandwich buffet . . .

. . . with all the fixin’s.

No one went hungry on this trip!!!

Dewey with his Gilligan’s Skipper hat . . .

. . . and John prepared today’s lunch .  I had heard there was going to be salmon that night . . .

. . . and sure enough there they were

. . . cooked to perfection

Pam and Charlie were first in line tonight!!!

Dewey taking to his fixin’s again!!!

Doesn’t get any better than this, besides the fact you are three days from civilization and in the middle of nowhere . . .

. . . beef stew another tonight!

One night it was ‘Beer, Burgers and Brats’ (bring your own beer) in honor of Wisconsin meat!!!

. . . we definitely did our part

in making sure there were no leftovers.

Where are those brats from . . .

. . . Johnsonville, WISCONSIN!!!!

Hot off the barby. (dessert cooking in the foreground Dutch oven)

Another night is was pasta, with homemade sauce . . .

. . . lots of garlic and feta cheese!!!!

Dewey, Clint John and Zack busy with prep.

We had a couple of Mexican nights starting with chips and salsa . . .

followed by shrimp and  . . .

tilapia tacos!!!

YUMMMM!!

Oh those boys are something. Zack is a gps guru for the state of Utah and has a Asian market down the street from his office. He brought along some ‘preserved silkworms” one of his office mates had bought for the gang . . .

. . . to give them a try.

mmmmmmmmm . . . taste like chicken???

Captain John shows the boys how it is done . . .

Johnny is having second thoughts once he got it in his mouth . . .

Zack . . .

. . . he was happy

So was Clint, who had seconds.

The only rafter to try them was our own, Wisconsin Johnny . . .

. . . not sure he has ever been the same!!!!

Another night we got into camp late and had a great steak fry, by moonlight . . . very romantic

Individual ribeyes prepared over charcoal . . .

. . . rare or medium???

Salad, potatoes, corn, mushrooms, onions and a medium-rare steak. YUMMM! (what no red wine??? actually Diana and John were nice enough to share some of their grape!!)

Oh yeah, one more daily ‘job’ we had was to do our own dishes. Not a big deal. Scrape into a bag and do a three tub scrub and rinse. Done in two shakes. Tonight they even had battery operated lights decorating the dishpans. Everything is air dried. VERY sanitary. No one got sick on this trip!!!

Hey, how about some BB pork riblets tonight . . . start the cooking in beer . . .

. . . add sauce and finish on the barbecue.

Iowas own Pork Queen, emJay, gives her thumbs up as she returns for seconds!!!

Nice . . .

If you didn’t like pork, how about some chicken???

. . . AND there was always dessert. Fresh fruit or more often than not a cake baked in a Dutch oven over charcoal. Here Clint gives a lesson in icing a cake . . .

. . . as the group PATIENTLY stands by.

But how about adding a little Ready Whip from a can. They thought of everything!!! And if that was all too sweet . . .

Wisconsin Johnny passed the chocolate truffles!!! (I don’t know  . . . but I think he still looks a little crazed from the preserved silkworm appetizer night)

We passed out of the Grand Canyon Park in late afternoon and ended up camping on the adjacent  Hualapai Indian Reservation.

After a final pack up the following morning, we were on our way to Pierce Landing. Flat water today and our canyon walls would be soon be replaced by the sand banks of Lake Mead.

To hurry things along both rafts were lashed together and away we went . . . oh yeah, it was cloudy, about 40 degrees and was supposed to rain most of the day!!!

Smooth water BUT COLD and it looked ugly up ahead.

We started hearing helicopters and John explained the Hualapai had a budding tourist venture started that ferried tourists, via helicopter, from Las Vegas to their reservation where they would feed them lunch, take them on a short flat-water adventure and fly them back to LV.

We passed their boating operation which seem deserted on this rainy, cold day.

. . . rainy, yes this is just about when it started.

Before long the tarps were pulled out to help keep us dry. Soon the dry bags were opened and sleeping bags were passed around. If one is standing up moving around, 40 degrees is not so bad. Sitting under a wet tarp . . . not so warm!!!

Soon critters started appearing on board . . .

. . . where did that come from?

Oh yeah, and soon the boys broke out their ‘private stash’ in order to keep our insides warm . . .

. . . some stayed warmer than others!!!!!!!

. . . and some literally turned into animals!!!!

During the 5 hour ride, out to Pierce Landing ,we did make several stops. Here the guys finally got it right, on the last day, and headed ‘downstream’ to pee.

Soon we rounded the last corner and there was Pierce Landing.  The trip was over. Goodbyes with the crew were exchanged . . .

. . . and they assembled one last lunch salad for the gang to eat on the bus during the 2 hour drive back to Las Vegas.

We no more began loading onto the bus and the crew began breaking down the rafts.

After each trip they are disassembled, loaded onto trailers and trucked back to Fredonia for maintenance and preparations for the next trip.

Final Thoughts:   The trip of a lifetime! Almost impossible to fathom that in 2016  one could spend 11 days with no phone, computer, television, radio, tablet, etc. etc. What a joy!!! and no one had withdrawal symptoms.

If you enjoy the out of doors, at all, this is one trip you should add to your bucket list. Floating through a canyon that has taken 5 million years to form is almost beyond comprehension, but there it is . . . a new version of it around ever bend. Don’t miss it . . . but remember to sign up early. Limited seating, as they say!

Twenty two of the rafters loaded the bus for the ride back to Las Vegas, an overnight there and then a flight home. BUT Johnny G and I boarded his SUV which had our mountain bikes, a canoe, teardrop trailer and BIG coolers for a leisurely 8 day drive back to Madison taking in all the points of interest along the way!

But . . .that is a WHOLE nother story!!!