In Search of the Good Life...: The Ditch (Grand Canyon Rafting Trip) Part 9

Sunset view from a Tapeats overlook at Lower Blacktail Camp
Photo credit: Cory Inman

Before getting into what will be one of my favorite memories from the trip, I want to give a shoutout to my friend and former student Morgan. Morgan is an OEL graduate who just got off a 26-day trip on the Grand (I'm so jealous of her layover days! Ha!). I'm disappointed that our itineraries didn't allow us to actually meet-up on the river, but it was fun to think of Morgan being on the river at the same time as our crew.

Morgan, a truly cool bean.
Photo credit: Morgan Nicholson

Morgan and I recently caught up via phone after her crew got off the river. She told me about her amazing trip experience and crew, and what was especially striking to me is what a competent and confident outdoor educator Morgan has become. In addition to being an exceptional human who has a knack for building strong interpersonal relationships, Morgan rowed most of the major rapids and had greasy lines through them all. Morgan, you are an inspiration--I am so proud of you and I want to be like you when I grow up. Well done.

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4/4 Emerald (104.4) to Lower Blacktail (120.7)

I’ve been excited to finally get to this post. So many fun experiences on this day, and after Carnage at Crystal, a day of fun was both welcomed and needed.

But before that, a spotlight on Chris!!

Photo credit: Cory Inman

Where to start with Chris…such a fun presence on the trip. Chris is an out-of-stater (he represented Kansas City football every day of the trip, I think!) and is also part of the ATL crew. Chris and I spent a lot of time in the bow together, so I feel like we have an especially close bond. Lots of shared experiences involving cold water (and one of the swims!). The start of Chris’ trip was a little rocky--he got very sick with a fever in the first 48 hours of the trip, and as you might imagine, being out of your “normal” environment and swapping that with pretty extreme environmental conditions while feeling like garbage is pretty suboptimal.

That said, Chris is an absolute champ. Despite the obstacles, he stuck with it, and speaking on behalf of the rest of the crew, we are so glad he did. Chris has so many wonderful qualities, but if I had to choose and describe a few, I’d include the following:

He has a huge, HUGE heart and cares deeply for the folks around him. It is so, so evident. For example, after finding out about my personal interest/hobby in Texas Hold ‘Em, he surprised me with a lovely backcountry poker set that he found at one of our stops on the way home. It was so touching and I can’t wait to use it in the field, and by “use it,” I mean “beat everyone until I end up in heads-up poker where I will absolutely crash and burn.
His sense of humor is fantastic. It’s subtle and clever. A lot of folks might miss it if they’re not listening closely. And many puns, which is the most superior form of humor.
Chris always looks for ways to contribute to the group, whether that’s joining the cleaning crew, DJing the campfire party, or offering a word of support. He’s always looking out for others.
#1 trip documentarian. Thousands of fantastic pictures that I am so grateful to have to remember this trip.
Lastly, Chris was a phenom with navigation. He constantly had our point position pulled up on his phone to confirm our location on the river, which was especially valuable before running significant rapids. It also led to his river name: GPS!

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We started the morning off running Emerald (5), Ruby (5), and Serpentine (7). I was proud of our crew for not letting the events from the previous day shake our confidence or our focus. We ran these rapids without issue and there was much rejoicing.

Source: Monty Python GifGlobe

I don’t remember if I mentioned this in a previous post, but never hurts to mention it again. At this point on the trip, we were in a much more narrow part of the canyon, which meant that the current was faster, allowing us to cover more daily miles. I bring this up because it allowed us to (finally) have some off-raft side quests!

After Phantom Ranch, one of the first significant side quests was Shinumo Creek (109.2). Shinumo Creek is a short hike to a nice waterfall payoff. The water was cold, but it felt great to splash around with the crew. There were some human launches off the waterfall. It was especially nice to feel like we could all take a breath and relax. We were so busy having fun that we failed to get many good shots of the waterfall itself. Editorial staff--if you want to upload human launch off of waterfall onto YouTube, I'll post it.

Brothers Inman at Shinumo Creek

Photo credit: Chris Inman

Peace Up, A-Town Down
Photo Credit: Chris Inman

I've been writing this entry in chunks, and while writing this particular chunk, I'm feeling a lot of feelings so I'm gonna wax poetic for a few sentences.

Back on the boats after Shinumo. Once again, I wish I could remember what we talked about while cruising down the river, but I can't. And I guess that's what makes these trips special. You had to be there. But it's also hard. I want to remember every detail from this trip, but things are fading quickly and I can't keep up. I do remember that this was the day that we passed Elves Chasm. It was pretty late in the day and we missed the pull-off, so it wasn't meant to be, but I have heard from multiple GC veterans that this is a "do not miss" sidequest. Gives me a reason to go back. And I really want to go back.

The sun was beginning to set behind the canyon walls, so shortly after passing Elves Chasm, we began looking for camps. I believe we were shooting for Hundred and Twenty Mile camp (editorial staff--fact check me on this) and it was taken. As was Upper Blacktail. We were bummed, but Goose encouraged us to make camp at Lower Blacktail, and boy oh boy I sure am glad we did. While Chef Ada and Sous Chef Avery were cooking up a delicious dinner of burgers and baked beans, some of us went exploring around camp.

Doug and Steve at the end of a nice day on the river
Photo credit: Cory Inman

Chef Ada preparing a delicious feast at Lower Blacktail Camp. Check out that sunset!
Photo credit: Avery Higgins-Lopez

Brad and I enjoying one of my favorite views from the entire trip on top of a Tapeats overhang.

Photo credit: Cory Inman

Cory, Brad and I enjoying a perfect canyon sunset

Photo credit: Cory Inman

This camp was *fabulous*. Brad, Cory and I scampered all over the Tapeats sandstone looking for a good spot to set up for the evening. We decided to sleep out (no tents) on this night because we had great protection from the wind and the cloudless sky meant that we'd get some next-level star gazing. We eventually settled on a sandstone ledge right at the mouth of Blacktail Canyon, and Andy also joined us in this spot. We couldn't help but think of Ranger Jen's warning about sleeping out + bats + rabies and there were a non-zero amount of bats flying overhead, but we decided to risk it for a biscuit. So far, I think we're all rabies free?

Our campsite for the evening
Photo credit: Andy James

Possibly my favorite campsite of the trip...have I already said that about another camp?
Photo credit: Andy James

After dinner, Cory+guitar, Joe, Brad, Andy, and I ventured into Blacktail Canyon, a small slot canyon, on the advice of several river friends because we were told that the acoustics in Blacktail were next-level for playing music. Cory set up shop with his guitar, and we each found a nice flat spot on the canyon floor to lay down and star up at the sky while enjoying a truly-once-in-a-lifetime concert. We were there for hours. After the acoustic concert ended, we had an impromptu dance party (but had to be really careful with our footwork because it was super rocky) that included everything from Blue Swede's "Hooked On a Feeling" to The Fugee's "Killing Me Softly." After leaving the canyon, we went back to our paco pads and stargazed for a long time.

View of the stars while looking up from Blacktail Canyon.
I wish we had photos from the actual concert!
Photo credit: Andy James

Andy touching the Great Unconformity, where 550 million year old Tapeats Sandstone rests on top of 1.6 billion year old Vishnu Schist
Photo credit: Cory Inman