Blogs from Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, United States, North America - page 43

Elves Chasm is one of the most beautiful spots in the Grand Canyon. A short walk up the creek bed and you’re there. Of course it was another hot day with temperatures around 100 degrees Fahrenheit and the group wasted little time in jumping in the cool water in the pool beneath a waterfall. You could climb up the rocks and jump into the pool too, but no diving. Climbing around in the side canyons was great!... read more

At mile 98, Crystal Rapid is the most difficult rapid on the Grand Canyon. Lava is bigger, but Crystal is more difficult to navigate and contains greater hazards. It is rated Class IV+ by Eastern standards. But, when Mark first saw it, he thought, “Why this isn’t any worse than some of the rapids back east.” However, when he saw the first large motorized pontoon boat stall out in a hole, and the second smaller one dump all its passengers, he realized the power of the Colorado. The holes were much worse than he assumed, and the current was much stronger too. Eric was our guide on this day, and we were the first paddle raft in our group to run it. We had to make an aggressive ferry from right to left of center at ... read more

As we got closer to the river, Diane and I were surprised at how green the river was. In all the pictures we had seen, it was always brown and that is what we expected. The green water confused me so much that for a second I thought it must be some tributary of the Colorado and not the river itself. We learned that the river is green at lower flows and brown at higher ones, and that because this was “weekend” water, the flow was reduced. There is less demand for power on the weekends so less water is released from Glen Canyon Dam. At the put-in, we met the rest of our group. The new guests were Becky Blankenburg and Steve Lieske, Karl Claus, Susan Goodman, Larry Neufeld, Bill Goodman, Linda and Jay Jones, ... read more

From the trailhead to the Colorado River the Bright Angel Trail drops 4460’ over 7.7 miles. The trail was rutty, hot, and dusty. Frequent water breaks are required, so we filled our water bottles every chance we got. We also took along some electrolyte powder to add to our water along the way. One of the most notable rest stops is Indian Garden, located 4.6 miles from the trailhead. It is a small Oasis 3000 feet below the rim and an excellent place to take a long break. The views are spectacular, so take your time and enjoy them.... read more

So I get up in the morning and immediately feel a sharp pain coming from my right heel. GREAT! Just what I needed when I'm at one of nature's wonders. However after walking around on it for about 15 minutes and getting it iced, the pain was practically eliminated. So I put on the hiking boots and I'm off to the South Kaibab Trail! You have to take a shuttle bus to the trailhead, or walk over a mile so I decided to wait for the bus. By this point I am certain of one thing....I am going down all the way to the Colorado River and back. Yes, I know this is not recommended that you hike this in one day, but from what I learned by talking to people on my previous hike that ... read more