The Grand Time

Tom's Journal

June 27, 2007 - Day 43

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Even though there were still some formidable rapids ahead, the mood had changed mostly due to the fact that all but Loren and I have only one day left on the trip.

Much of the discussions revolved around logistics such as what people and gear are going out with which vehicles, exchanging addresses to share photos, etc.

While I heard no one say it out loud, I felt sad to know our parting was eminent. You can probably imagine how personalities can clash when put in such close contact while facing obstacles, decisions and unexpected circumstances every day. Such clashes are fodder for river-runners’ tales, and I have witnessed some doozies over the years.

Unless I was the cause and was never told so, there were no such conflicts among those in our group.

We shoved off just after 8 am; for some unknown reason Steve still trusted my questionable rowing skills and we had a great time in the many rapids during the day’s eighteen miles.

Particularly memorable was our ride through 205 mile rapid where we went through a large hole that pushed us to the right where we got caught in a huge eddy. After trying once to row sideways out of it, we realized the only way was to float all the way to the top of it and then push out, which we finally did.

During the afternoon we stopped at Pumpkin Springs, a hot spring that creates its own pool by depositing minerals. The pool sits on the river’s left bank and bears an uncanny resemblance to a large pumpkin.

Less than a mile farther down some of the less mature of the group (you can guess who) had a blast jumping off a rock about 30 feet above the river on its right shore. It was a welcome respite from the heat and direct sun.

Soon after, Loren was lucky (charming?) enough to talk one of the commercial trips out of a block of ice, a precious commodity we hadn’t seen for many days.

Even though the canyon is widening, it is still stunning. Among the multi-colored rock layers, many black lava flows from the volcano many miles upstream are still visible.

Our nemesis the wind reared its ugly head in mid-afternoon and, after about an hour of trying to fight it with our usual bags of tricks, we camped on the right side across from a place called three springs canyon.

It is one of the nicest camps yet, and Mason wasted no time in locating the “Master Suite” for a well-deserved nap.

The Park Service folks we had met earlier stopped on the other side to collect more scientific data, and we watched them as we sipped ice-cold drinks.

Adding to our entertainment, at about 6 pm our friends in the other private trip who started with us at Lee’s floated by us; among other things we yelled encouragement. We have come to know them as “The Rastas” for their attractive attire and attitude.
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Mile by Mile Photos

June 27, 2007 - Day 43
Mile 864 through Mile 879

May 16 2007 - Day 1May 17 2007 - Day 2May 18 2007 - Day 3May 19 2007 - Day 4May 20 2007 - Day 5May 21 2007 - Day 6May 22 2007 - Day 7May 23 2007 - Day 8May 24 2007 - Day 9May 25 2007 - Day 10May 26 2007 - Day 11May 27, 2007 - Day 12May 28, 2007 - Day 13May 29, 2007 - Day 14May 30, 2007 - Day 15May 31, 2007 - Day 16June 1, 2007 - Day 17June 2 - 11, Day 18 - 27June 12, 2007 - Day 28June 13, 2007 - Day 29June 14, 2007 - Day 30June 15, 2007 - Day 31June 16, 2007 - Day 32June 17, 2007 - Day 33June 18, 2007 - Day 34June 19, 2007 - Day 35June 20, 2007 - Day 36June 21, 2007 - Day 37June 22, 2007 - Day 38June 23, 2007 - Day 39June 24, 2007 - Day 40June 25, 2007 - Day 41June 26, 2007 - Day 42June 27, 2007 - Day 43June 28, 2007 - Day 44June 29 2007 - Day 45June 30, 2007 - Day 46July 1 - 13, Day 47 - 58July 15, 2007 - Day 59
The last day; The river’s end