Saturday, September 8
Day 8 in the Grand Canyon. Last night we camped at one of the most spacious campsites in the canyon with easy access to the river and fantastic views. Tonight is a different story. More about that in a minute. First, I’ll describe our day.
After another wonderful breakfast, we set out from just below Deer Creek. Just over a mile later we encounter Doris Rapid (6). I roll… again. But without consequences, meaning no swim. Doris is followed by Fishtail (6) where unfortunately Steve has a long, tiring swim. I recover his paddle and kayak as Big Mike tows him to shore.
If you’ve never experienced a swim in big whitewater, it’s hard to realize how exhausting it can be. Imagine combining that physical exhaustion with the mental stress (terror) of not being able to see the rapids. Every day I am utterly amazed at what our Team River Runner “Vision Team” is accomplishing. After resting on shore, Steve elects to ride a raft for the rest of the day. Eric accompanies him. The remainder our morning is relatively calm; nine miles of mostly flat water with only a few small to medium rapids before lunch.
At mile 148.4 our lunch stop is Matkatamiba Canyon, AKA “Matkat”. In this trip filled with nothing but highlights, Matkatamiba Canyon is especially memorable. It’s a beautifully sculptured slot canyon carved by an idyllic little creek.
Passage gets tight and steep in numerous places as we hike up the creek bed. The slot canyon through 500 million year old Muav limestone sometimes contains pools that can only be crossed by wading, swimming or body-stemming above the water. Our team works together to guide the blind vets up the canyon. Without the benefit of sight, Steve demonstrates his remarkable athletic agility as he scrambles up the narrow, sheer walls.
Ten minutes up from the river through the twisting corridor we arrive at a large amphitheater carved by the creek. Some in our group linger here. Others continue exploring, hiking farther up the narrow canyon. After about an hour of exploration, the group gathers back at the amphitheater. Steve Mace organizes about a dozen of us to sit tightly next to each other in the stream to form a “butt dam”. A few feet downstream from us he stacks small stones and twigs to create a doll house-size “village” of buildings and bridges. We wait a few minutes for the water to accumulate behind our rear ends, and then on Mace’s command we all stand up to release the hydrologic onslaught, which washes the village away.
YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/ke8k5uKmZcM
As our group makes its way back down, I guide Lonnie along the narrow, twisting trail to the gravel beach at the entrance to Matkat Canyon and back to our kayaks and rafts. It’s been a fun two-hour break from paddling and it’s time to move on.
Two miles downriver, we pause above our next big rapid, Upset (8), so Mace can give us “beta” about the line. Upset was named after boatman Emery Kolb flipped here in a small wooden boat. Kolb was part of the 1923 Birdseye Expedition organized by the U.S. Geological Survey to remap the Grand Canyon. At the bottom of the rapid near center river is a large hole that gives the rapid its name. Whatever route you choose, Mace advises, you want to avoid that hole.
Got it. All I have to do is stay upright and stay away from the hole at the bottom. So what do I do near the top? Roll. Fortunately I recover quickly but I’m not sure whether to go right or left to avoid the hole, which I can’t see but I know is just beyond these crashing waves. I take a guess, paddle to the right and successfully miss the hole.
YOUTUBE: https://youtu.be/5sBjLHrRfpg
Our campsite at the end of Day 8 is a scenic spot at mile 152 called the Ledges. Even though we paddled only 15 miles today, I’m glad this day is over because my ribs have been hurting all day. Thinking back to what may have caused this pain, I remember the thrashing I took at Crystal. I either bruised or cracked some ribs but there’s nothing to be done about it other than raid the Azra first aid kit. Big Mike, a former combat medic, recommends that I take Benedryl, so I do and that helps somewhat but it’s still a rough, mostly sleepless night. The least painful position is to lie flat on my back. There’s no soft sand to pitch a tent on the ledges; only solid rock that baked in the sun all day. The heat under our pads feels like a furnace. To gain some relief, I use water bottles to douse the thin bedsheet I’m lying under. The evaporation cools me down a little but the sheet and pad dry quickly in the hot desert air. I’ll be glad when morning finally arrives.
