Below Nevills

MILE 76

We pulled up on river right just below Nevills Rapid to camp. There is considerable anticipation about tomorrow: Hance, Sokdolager, and entering the gorge.

That evening, some combination of Greg, Tom, and Rob told stories, but what stood out was Bill reciting Robert Service's The Spell of the Yukon from memory. Maybe about a different place, but a perfect touch.

In the morning, Greg did his regular reading. I believe, and it would have made sense given where we were, that this was when he read the story of Norm Nevill's pioneering of the river rafting business and the 1949 plane crash that took his life. Norm, Greg's grandfather, who pioneered the use of boats like the Sandra.

Unkar

MILE 73

We spent the afternoon meandering through the wide open canyon past Tanner Creek and Unkar Delta. The rocks here are Supergroup rocks - old and complicated, but not as old and complicated as the stuff we carve into tomorrow.

Palisades

MILE 66

We stopped for lunch a little below Palisades Camp (Chuar Rapid and Lava Canyon) on a sand bar on river left. The geology has gotten a bit less layercake - as we've dropped below the Tapeats into the Grand Canyon Supergroup, where the rocks got tilted and eroded long before the Paleozoic seas covered the landscape.

We could see (and it may show in these shots if the resolution isn't too degraded) the Watchtower at Desert View high on the south rim. The tourists may have seen our orange rafts and maybe even the bright colored umbrella through their binoculars, but they wouldn't have guessed we were playing bocce on the beach.

Little Colorado River

MILE 62

As we approached the Little Colorado, there was speculation about whether it would be running clear or not. Some evidence of passing storms late yesterday suggested possibility of rains in its watershed (a good portion of north central Arizona), but it was running fairly sediment-free, although the gray day diminished the blue waters a little.

We've entered the Tapeats now and the hike up the river is along its classic sandstone ledges. We reversed our life vests, wearing them over our bottom halfs like diapers to keep from scraping our butts on the rocks, and rode the rapids (in the case of some folks, over and over).

Nankoweap

MILE 53

Once we had set up camp, most of us headed off towards the Anasazi granaries up in the base of the Redwall, maybe 500' above the river. Greg led Devon and Ben on a fast-paced no break jog to the top - I struggled up five (maybe 10) minutes later huffing and puffing. Eventually we all found our way to the ledges in the amphitheater below the old ruins (which have been rehabbed a little) and listened to more stories. The view down the river was perfect - and familiar - as it is probably one of the more photographed and painted scenes in the canyon.