Below Kanab

MILE 144

The threat of rain precipitated a rush on tents and most folks set them up - a little tight, since this site offered only a few level spots at the top of the sandy bank. We got a few drops around bedtime, a few more in the middle of the night, and a final few as we got up in the morning, but never enough to force me inside the overheated tent.

Upper Deer Creek

MILE 136

Deer Creek, or at least one branch of it, emerges from a spring near the base of the limestone as a waterfall, then travels through a wide open and surprisingly lush valley to its canyon through the Tapeats. The waterfall and the pool at the spring were refreshing and shady. Past visitors (modern, not Anasazi) have created stone chairs and thrones from the fallen rocks and we hung out in the alcove for lunch.

Lower Deer Creek

MILE 136

The hike up Deer Creek was longer and more varied than any of our other excursions. There's a big waterfall at the bottom, almost at the river. Above the waterfall, there's a narrow canyon, which takes some hiking to get to. The trail follows ledges back through the Tapeats to the patio - where the canyon broadens back out. Along the way there were petroglyphs, Cambrian fossils, and a narrow trail with some decent exposure.

Granite Narrows

MILE 135

We're floating back into the metamorphics again. Somewhere in here the river narrows to 75', the skinniest it gets in the Canyon. We floated through slowly with much horseplay - maybe giving the group in front of us a chance to finish up at Deer Creek.

Deubendorff Rapid

MILE 132

Another early morning rapid with a scouting stop. Devon is fish-eying on Sandra today and the ride through Deubendorff winds up being one of the more memorable moments of his trip.

Below Bedrock

MILE 132

After Blacktail, we spent the afternoon running a series of fun, if not enormous rapids, including Forster and Fossil and Buttsucker (or at least that's what we called it - I'm not sure which one it was - maybe 128-Mile?). Specter was a great ride. Bedrock was a little tense.

We camped just below Bedrock on river right. The next morning, Greg read "Messing about in Boats" from Wind in the Willows. The setting is completely different, but the story was a perfect fit for our trip.