Rafting the Colorado River

Editor’s Note: Ed Grove spent his early childhood living in rural McIntosh where he attended country school. His mother, Cora was a teacher at Mac-Winger during the 1960’s.

 

Our group won for a launch date of September 30th. The 16 people required 6 boats and 6 qualified oarsmen. Most all members had been previously selected for this run. I was on standby. A person dropped out so that put me in his place for the first week only. Two others were also in for the first week. We three would walk out at Phantom Ranch up the Bright Angel trail: an 8 mile hike climbing 4,240 feet. Three others would walk down and replace us.    

We all met in Flagstaff on the 28th  of September. There everything was loaded onto a truck. 13 of the group I have never met before, 5 of which are females. Five come from Jackson, WY. One from Michigan. Two from NM. One from Portland and the rest from California. We leave our cars in Flagstaff and board a van that takes us to Marble Canyon some 120 miles north of Flagstaff. Here we spend two days in the motel. It takes a day and a half getting the boats and provisions ready. We need provisions to last 21 days. We launch at Lee’s Ferry some 8 miles north of Marble Canyon. The boats are pumped up we start loading the provisions. A Park Ranger comes and checks that we have the required material and checks the ID of all those going. No ID, no go. 

September 30th about 11 AM we start down the river. We soon pass under the bridge at Marble Canyon, the last of civilization for one week. Its the only crossing of the Colorado River between Las Vegas and Mexican Hat, Utah. It is not long before we come upon some rapids. These are small and I even row through some. It is not long before we make camp for the night. It’s an area under a large overhanging rock.  We unload the materials needed to prepare dinner and set up camp. The first night we have fillet mignon with bacon wrap. Not bad for camping out. 

On the 2nd  day we run some good size rapids. I put on a helmet just to be safe. We get through that rapid Okay and I put my sun hat back on. The next rapids looks harmless. The boat hits a submerged rock just below the surface that nobody saw. The boat comes to a stop, I’m not hanging on well enough. I go head first over the bow. My hat and glasses go flying. I get turned around in the water and come up under the boat. The boat has come loose from the rock and is moving downstream. My head hits the under side of the boat about three times. I think we got to part company soon. I soon pop out in front of the boat but I’m in the heavy chop and pop up and under like a cork. 

I’m too far out in front of the boat for them to reach me. I’m moving at current speed. I’m soon in the smaller chop and stay on the surface. I see two boats downstream. Andy in the far boat and Bob is closer. By my drift I see I will just pass by the back of Bob’s boat. Jessica is riding in the bow. She reaches out her arm and we lock wrist. I’m pulled to the side of Bob’s boat.  Bob gets up from his rowing seat and turns me around in the water. I’ll pull you in backwards he says.  He then grabs the shoulder straps of my PFD and pulls me into the boat. I flop in like a big fish. Bob then rows to the shore and tells everyone we will camp here for the night.

 I walk up on the shore and remove my PFD. Deb comes running up with the first aid box. She wants to see if I have any abrasions that need first aid, but there are none. I start to shiver. She says “Remove your T-shirt”. The sun is still warm as it is early in the afternoon. I go lay my t-shirt out on a rock to dry. The others sets up camp for dinner and we enjoy the rest of the day. 

On the morning of the third day and on the first rapid we get hung up on a rock right in the middle of the boat. Nothing we can do will free us fron the rock. Soon members from the other boats come back along the shoreline and toss us a line which we hock to the D ring on the front of the boat. They pull back and forth soon free us.  We take Sunday off as a rest day. We get one day of rain while rowing and two days of rain at night.  If you have ever camped in the rain you know the misery. 

On the 5th day the river turns south. From here we can see the Tower at Desert View.  It is the only man made structure that can be seen on the ridge to the south. To the right of us on the river is Chuar Butte and Temple Butte. On June 30th 1956 two commercial airplanes collided over the Grand Canyon. They crashed into these two Buttes. Both airplanes took off from Los Angeles to the west three minutes apart. One turned right and was headed for Kansas City. The other turned left and was headed for Chicago. This meant their flight paths would cross over somewhere over the Grand Canyon. They were both at 21,000 feet when they encountered a large thunderhead. One went around the left side, the other went around the right side. 

Neither plane knew the other plane was in the area. The United DC-7 saw the Super Constellation but it was too late.  Its left wing sliced off the tail section and its number one propeller sliced through the under belly of the Constellation. Both planes crashed killing all 128 passengers. The bodies of 66 victims are buried in the Citizen Cemetery in Flagstaff.  Read the full story Google, June 30 1956 mid air over Grand Canyon.

The seventh day we reach Phantom Ranch. The 3 of us load our backpacks with only what we will carry out. We leave the other camping gear for those that are walking in to replace us. We all have canteen’s for water. There are two watering spots on the 8 mile hike out.  It takes us 7.5 hours to reach the canyon rim. We take a shuttle to the Yavapai Lodge where we are to find Bruce’s car. He walked down that morning with two others and left his car for us to drive to Flagstaff. 

We cannot find the car. Panic sets in. Ah but there is a shuttle to Flagstaff so we catch that at 6:30.  We finally get to Flagstaff. We are dead tired, find a pizza place to eat and then check into a hotel. The next morning the other two catch a flight home and I drive back to California. It is an experience of a lifetime that every one should try but less then .1% ever get a chance.

Two weeks later, October 22, I drive over to Diamond Creek AZ where the take out will be. To get to Diamond Creek go to Kingman, AZ then take old route 66 east to Peach Springs. Then go north on Indn Rte 6. It is the worst gravel road I have ever driven. 22 miles later I come to the Colorado River. The big truck and Van are already there.  All 6 boats are on the shore line. They are being unloaded and the boats are being deflated. The 16 members of the party did not know I was coming and are very surprised.  Four of them want to ride with me, so they load all their stuff into my truck. We first need to drive to the Rim of the Canyon to get Bruce’s car. Then I drive the others down to Flagstaff where we find their cars. All their stuff is transferred from my truck to their cars. Everybody is dead tired. I say goodbye for the last time.