In August we floated the Grand Canyon…This has been on our travel list for awhile and we decided to do it to celebrate turning 60 this year. We did a lot of research as we wanted to find the best tour company for us. We settled on Hatch River Expeditions, who have been in business for 90 years. We chose a 7- day full canyon motorized tour, because 91% of the float is on flat water and that is a lot of paddle time. The trip truly exceeded our expectations by leaps and bounds.

On the drive there, we stopped at the entrance to the North Rim, as this would be our only official Grand Canyon sign. Our tour met at the Cliff Dwellers Resort. There were roadrunners scurrying around the parking lot.

That night we packed, repacked and packed again, and figured we were were as ready as we would ever be. The next morning we were given a brief orientation about our gear. We were each assigned a large “pumpkin” dry bag. It contained a tarp, sleeping bag, sheet, and pillow, all provided by Hatch. Our own duffel bag was then placed on top of those items, and would only be accessible at night. We were given a smaller dry bag that could be accessed at anytime during the day.

We were driven by van to the launch site at Lee’s Ferry. During the 1870s and 1880s, this was the crossing for the LDS emigrants bound for Arizona. It is approximately 15 miles below Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell.

We had two boats in our tour with 24 passengers, 2 guides (Matt and JP), and Dani as our chef.

We crossed under the official boundary of Grand Canyon National Park, which is marked by a wire hanging over the river. The park covers 1902 square miles. The Colorado River divides the park into two halves, as it flows for 278 miles through two main canyons, Marble Canyon and the Grand Canyon. It became a Preserve in 1906, a National Monument in 1908, and finally in February 1919 it became a national park.

The Colorado River was a clear greenish blue color for 1 mile, and then we encountered the Paria Riffle, which is where the Paria River enters the Colorado River. From that point on, the water was a dirty brown.

At mile 4.5 is Navajo Bridge, which is the last river crossing for vehicles, until Hoover Dam, 390 miles downstream. The original bridge was built in 1927 and is now only used by pedestrians. A new bridge was built and opened to traffic in 1995.

We brought our kids to the bridge in the spring of 1993, so it was cool to now float under it.

Marble Canyon was originally a National Monument but became part of Grand Canyon NP in 1975. John Wesley Powell named the canyon as the limestone reminded him of marble. Just below Navajo bridge we encountered our first “big” rapid known as Badger Creek Rapid.

At our lunch stop, Matt and JP set up a canopy and created an incredible sandwich buffet. We found a quiet shady spot to eat our sandwich.

It was then back on the river for more rapids, the first being at Soap Creek. These were named for the early pioneer Jacob Hamlin, who was known as the Buckskin Apostle. One night he boiled a badger, forgot about it and the next morning he had a pot of soap.

Between rapids the river is very serene

Our camp for the first night was at Sticky Beach, aptly named for the multitude of sticks. We experienced our first fireman’s line…this was repeated every morning to load the rafts and every night to unload the rafts. JP gave a demonstration as to how to use the Poop Box. The Grand Canyon is a Leave NO Trave area, so EVERYTHING has to be hauled out.

It rained on us as we set-up our tent, and there was a learning curve to figure out putting the cots together. Dani cooked an amazing dinner of steak, boiled potatoes, zucchini, and salad. For dessert we had dutch-oven brownies.

Night comes early to the canyon due to the steep walls. The rain quit and we had an absolutely gorgeous view from our tent!!

Every morning Dani was the made-to order egg cook. Breakfast became Jim’s favorite meal.

While taking down our tent, we learned that we had slept next to a Datura plant. It is considered sacred among the Zuni people, as it’s root is a powerful narcotic used for medicinal purposes. It’s flowers open during the night but close during the heat of the day. Apparently when you sleep near it, you are supposed to have wild dreams.

We also had a lesson on animals of the Grand Canyon…ravens are camp thieves and will grab food when you are not looking. We were also told to check our shoes each morning for scorpions. We were delayed in launching our boat, as there was a scorpion amongst the bags. Matt captured it and gently released it on the beach. Lesson learned…need to be more careful!!

After launching the rafts, our first rapid of the day was 21 Mile Rapid.

The topography of Marble Canyon with it’s Redwall Limestone is interesting. The canyon has several large caves where evidence of animals and humans have been found. There were also arches formed by erosion from water

We went through numerous rapids…they are a bit chilly in the mornings, but a welcome relief in the afternoons.

The rafts carry a large supply of water but places to re-fill are few and far between, so we made a short stop at Cave Springs. It was a good place to get fresh water. There were also unique hidden waterfalls.

Everyday, we would do a morning pit stop and an afternoon pit stop. It was a good time to stretch your legs and “take care of business” 🙂 The stops were always in beautiful places.

After a short float down the river, we stopped at Red Wall Cavern. It is 300 feet wide and has great views of the river. The Denver Symphony once floated the river and played here for the acoustics. It is located at mile 33 from the official park boundary

Dani pointed out the small fossils in the rocks. We created a heart in the sand and just enjoyed the awesome view.

Back on the boat, we came upon the Inside-Out Waterfalls…water flows inside the rock and comes out of the bottom.

36 mile Rapid was next on the agenda…

Our lunch buffet was at a beach area named Martha’s Kitchen. We learned that the hardest part of the trip, was balancing lunch…to save on time to wash dishes, we were not given a plate for lunch. You had to balance your sandwich, chips, cookies, and drink. By the end of the trip, we were much better at not dropping our food.

In the 1950s, Marble Canyon was a proposed dam site. At mile 39.2, exploratory drill holes were drilled in the canyon walls in the 1950 and 60s. The entrance is a bit narrow.

One of the bore holes can be explored. The main bore hole extends back about 200 yards, then splits into 3 separate tunnels. Some of the passageway had several inches of water, from ground seepage. We did notice that all the wood support beams were rotted away…yikes!!!

After leaving the bore hole, we noticed several dry waterfalls, and Jim made the comment, “wouldn’t it be cool to see a waterfall.. Well, the storm clouds started to build and there was lightening on the rim above us. Matt said that lightening rarely strikes in the bottom of the canyon. The wind started to blow at about 30 mph and the big rain drops stung. It was a bit cold!!

The heavy rain produced impromptu waterfalls. It was crazy to hear the sound of the waterfalls echo in the canyon. Our guide, Matt, said these waterfalls usually don’t last very long, so it was special for us to see them.

There was a waterfalls that had created a flash flood about 10 minutes before we got there, but we could still see the debris floating in the river.

We made a quick afternoon pit stop and Dave who was from North Carolina, helped push the boat back into the river. He slipped and fell in. This is his “I am Amazing” pose.

We camped for the night near Nankoweap Canyon. Since it was our 3rd Fireman’s line, we were pretty efficient in unloading the boat. We were much better the second night at setting up our cots. Dinner was salmon with almonds, peppers and onions, rice, and salad.

You would think that sitting on a raft wouldn’t be exhausting, but it is and we were in bed most nights by 8:30pm….LOL. The evening view was always amazing and the river gently lulled you to sleep.