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Brandon-
climber
The Granite State.
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Mar 16, 2019 - 07:18am PT
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Dang, this thread is so cool! Now I know that I need to float that river. I’m unemployed right now, anyone putting in soon and need another person? I’m strong, can row my ass off. Also, I’ve been to Burning Man a few times. I’m good with costumes.
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bobinc
Trad climber
Portland, Or
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Mar 16, 2019 - 10:00am PT
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Nice post, Fritz. Glad you made it through okay. I've also had those forebodings on some trips... you have to decide if they are strong enough to hold you back but generally what happens (if you do go ahead) is that they fade amidst the fun...
I first rowed the GC in 1997 on about 20k continuous. What was the water like on your trip?
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Mar 16, 2019 - 12:17pm PT
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Thanks folks for the positive comments. Bobinc! I recall it was mostly in the 20,000 cfs range.
I did not get any decent photos of Granite, but I did receive a very-good scare in it. We kept catching up with another private party, with a very-experienced leader. That is one of their rafts in the hole at Crystal. At Granite, we got to the scout, just as they were launching & our somewhat dysfunctional trip leader yelled "just follow them!"
We launched in a gaggle & when I got to the far side of the river, where the rapid runs next to a cliff, things looked ugly, but possible. As I started down a tongue into the rapid, the tongue about 100 feet ahead of me suddenly collapsed & became a giant raft-eating hole. About 20' from the hole, the tongue suddenly formed again & I rode it between a huge hole on either side of me, in a clean run.
All our rafts made it through Granite, but one got too far right at the bottom & stuck in "The Forever Hole," a large eddy that is very difficult to break out of. After a few dozen circles around the eddy, the raft finally was able to break out.
Here's a photo I borrowed from the internet that shows a less-gripping run of Granite. https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1360&bih=539&ei=gDyNXIrEJeuQ0gLikYCQAg&q=granite+rapids+grand+canyon&oq=Granite+rapid&gs_l=img.1.2.0l4j0i24l2.3492.7319..11391...0.0..0.150.1424.5j8......0....1..gws-wiz-img.....0..0i30j0i8i30.toM4-ThOedk#imgrc=OSqqSJriozSrtM:&spf=1552759946650
Beau, age 14, learning to row while I kind of relax.
Fritz at left & an up-canyon view.
Way back upstream, the Little Colorado was running blue from minerals in its water. That is a rare happening, since normally upstream flows turn it milky.
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bobinc
Trad climber
Portland, Or
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Mar 16, 2019 - 02:01pm PT
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Granite is always intimidating. On our first trip, I was the first boat through. I looked over to the shore to my crew as I was getting closer, and I noticed one boatman indicating I should go further left, while another one, in front of the first one, was indicating further right! My line must have been okay because I made it right side up. You do really have to get very far right at the top then keep your momentum going through the big waves and avoid the suck from the right-side eddies.
I think Liz Hymans, long-time GC guide, was asked once about how often she felt she was in control in Granite. 'Never!' was the reply.
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norm larson
climber
wilson, wyoming
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Mar 16, 2019 - 03:28pm PT
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The big named rapids get all the press but there are some sleepers down there. Tiger was has come in to it's own in the past decade. You don't see it coming but it's very squirrelly and can give you a good wake up call early in the trip. Waltenburg is another that always had my respect. Not technical but it can be huge at the right level. Upset, keep your angle pointing left and keep pushing. Miss that hole. Quite often Dubendorf doesn't seem to go as planned. Over the table rock oops. Lots of boat loads tip out in Specter.
Down there its mostly about entry and angle.
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Fritz
Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
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Mar 17, 2019 - 11:07am PT
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TT! Per your above post about debris flows, when we ran Lava Falls in early June 1999 at about 20,000 cfs, the Prospect Creek debris flow from 1995 was still in evidence. It had originally constricted the Colorado River by approximately 50 percent.
However, since the other private group we followed through Crystal & Granite scouted & ran Lava Falls from the left side, we ended up going that way after first scouting Lava from the upper right side.
The length of Lava Falls is compressed in the following photos. The rapid goes for a long ways.
For some reason, one of the other group's boats decided to ferry across the river & run Lava on the right. They screwed-up badly & went right over the huge ledge hole at top center. Happily, after flipping, they washed out of the hole fairly quickly & their boat soon followed.
Their other boats had clean big water runs down the left side of Lava.
We really didn't like the looks of the right-side runs, so we ferried to the left-side & all our boats got through, with only one untoward incident.
My passenger was a young woman who had guided on the Grand for a summer & she had agreed to row her somewhat difficult father & his friends down the canyon. They had a falling out & she was now riding in other rafts & I appreciated her experience & thoughts on rowing Lava.
Since I had more maneuverability than the other rafts & we both were scared of the center ledge hole, I started a little more left & had shallow water from the Prospect Creek debris flow, & occasional rocks to dodge for a little while. Then I hit faster & deeper water with big standing waves & picked up a lot of speed. I thought we had a clean run!
Suddenly I flew over a sharp fang of rock that had hidden in the standing waves & it went right under my feet without touching the frame or pontoons.
The raft dropped about 4' into the hole below it & was stopped dead by the re-circulating wave. The rear of the raft backed up to where it was almost touching the fang & the washing machine action started. I had lost control of both oars by that time & I grabbed the edge of my seat to hang on.
After a few seconds of shaking, I saw my right oar coming back at me & as the grip presented itself, I grabbed on. A second later, the same thing happened with my left oar, & I was able to get a good push with both oars, & we washed out of the hole upright.
After we made it down to tequilla beach, I noticed the 7 gallon water container that had been lashed on top of the frame at the right front side, was now under the frame, although that wasn't possible. The raft frame was also badly bent, but still worked ok. I had the adrenaline shakes for the rest of the day.
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tuolumne_tradster
Trad climber
Leading Edge of North American Plate
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Mar 17, 2019 - 12:57pm PT
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That's a great story Fritz. My more experienced friend (guy with blue shirt on the left) rowed Lava not me, but he suffered a similar fate to what you describe. We contemplated the left side but decided to take our chances on the right. The bottom dropped out of the back end in that giant hole and he was swimming when I realized I was in the boat alone. I helped hem get back in the boat as we were doing 360s while bobbing up and down on the waves. Anyway, here we are celebrating at Tequila beach after the swim...
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