Thursday 21st July

Thursday 21^st July – Day 5.  Mil3 47.5 – 65.  Carbon Creek Camp

3 Rapids today:

Nankoweap (3), Kwagunt (6), 60 mile rapid (4),

Tom was on cooking detail and did blueberry pancakes and sausages for breakfast (but I stuck with my cereal, yoghurt and milk!)  Mitchell brought me my flask of tea early again, very welcome I must say!

We had Travis (Mr Crowbar) as our guide.  He is very laid back and had been briefed by Glen about disappointing Julia on her desire to ride the bull down President Harding Rapid – so he let her ride bull on 2 rapids, including the un-named 60 mile rapid (grade 4).

We caught a huge wave on Kwagunt Rapid, a grade 6, (intentionally) and at 60 Mile Rapid, Mitchell got knocked off his seat and landed up in the foot well at the front of the boat.  Julia did not lose her seat riding the bull!!  We had a superb lunch spot, on a high ledge with and overhang of rock giving wonderful shade and good river views.  Our boat got stuck on a rock while we were having lunch and it took quite a bit of manoeuvring to get us off.

Our guides had been promising us a swim in turquoise water once we reached the Little Colorado River but when we got there it was brown and full of sediment due to rainfall on the rim, so no swimming for us!  Travis showed us where the native Americans (who own the land from the rim to the high water mark) are proposing installing a cable car with porta loos by the river and shops on the rim.  Glad we came before that is installed!!

Just after the outflow of the Little Colorado we saw where the salt is seeping out of the sandstone and solidifying (Tom collected some for us to try – hundreds, if not thousands of years old!!). We were told that the native Americans consider this a sacred site and boys, to prove their manhood, have to collect some of this salt and take it to their chief. As they do not use boats and most have never learned to swim, it is not an easy task and many do not survive it.

The geology of the canyon are constantly changing as we paddle our way through and the height of the rim on either side changes constantly, some peaks rise in tiers, like a cake, but today we saw some sedimentary rocks in multi-coloured bands like different coloured sand in a glass jar.

We saw 2 beavers today – one early on then one close up later, both swimming happily along the bank.  They cannot build dams in the river as the flow is too great and the wood rather sparse, but apparently they can do so in some of the side canyons.  While packing up the kit this morning Julia was stowing the camp chairs and a pack rat ran out of the bag (more like a large mouse than a rat I would say).

J and I decided not to do the hike up Carbon Creek at the end of the day today, feeling the heat and needing to chill out a little.  Kevin went but J and I had a wash in the river by the side of Doug and Mitchell’s tent where there were some stones ideal for sitting on, waist deep, to wash (though we decided not to wash our hair as the water was freezing and putting your head in it took more courage than we felt at the time!).

I have to say the food on the trip is amazing – BBQ T-bone steak (tender and succulent), pulled port and, tonight, tuna steaks, fresh fruit salad, excellent coffee in the mornings, guacamole, salads, wraps….. superb!  Some ring-tailed cats decided to sample our food and raided the camp kitchen during the night, managing to open the bread tins and pinch some bread.  We had seen tracks in the sand when we set up camp and I heard their distinctive clicking sound outside my tent, but when I looked I could not see anything in the moonlight, bright as it was!