FREE
Gateway
AUTUMN 2019
To Canyon Country and the Grand Circle
Hike Willis Creek Canyon Kayak Glen Canyon Musings from the Grand Canyon
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Winter Hours: November 1February 28 8:45 am - 2:45 pm 7 Days a Week
Summer Hours: March 1 October 31 7:45 am - 4:15 pm 7 Days a Week Hiking Tours Depart Every 30 Minutes
$4800* Adults Per Person. Includes Navajo Nation Permit Fee.
$2800* Children 8-12 Years Old. Per Person. Includes Navajo Nation Permit Fee.
0-7 Years FREE
All Tours Are Guided THINGS TO BRING: HIKERS:
• Bottled Water • Closed-Toe Hiking Shoes • Sun Screen & Hat Hiking Tours Depart Every 30 minutes
TO BOOK CALL:
928.640.1761
www.antelopelowercanyon.com book@lowercanyontours.com *Prices subject to change.
2 Gateway to Canyon Country
Set against the dazzling Glen Canyon Overlook off Highway 89, the Sleep Inn & Suites® hotel and Baymont Inn & Suites® hotel in Page puts guests close to gorgeous Arizona landmarks like Horseshoe Bend and Rainbow Bridge.
SLEEP INN & SUITES 673 Scenic View Rd, Page, AZ, 86040, US Phone: (928) 645-2020 Fax: (928) 645-4950
These non-smoking affordable Page hotels are also near attractions like: • Antelope Canyon • Horseshoe Bend • Lake Powell • Wahweap Overlook • John Wesley Powell Museum • Water Holes Canyon
We want you to feel refreshed when you stay with us, that’s why our indoor heated pools and whirlpool is a great place to relax. Our exercise rooms are the perfect place to keep your endorphins going. Other amenities include: • Free full breakfast • Free WiFi • Free parking • Guest laundry All guest rooms offer a 40-inch HDTV and desk. Some rooms feature a balcony, coffee maker, whirlpool, microwave, refrigerator, sofa sleeper and in-room tea and coffee. Dream better at the Sleep Inn & Suites and Baymont Inn & Suites® hotel. Hotels in Page, AZ offer cozy, modern rooms at a great value. Book now!
Baymont Inn & Suites 677 Scenic View Rd, Page AZ Ph: 928-645-5050 • Fax: 928-645-0028 www.GatewaytoCanyonCountry.com 3
Dispatch from the Editor This dispatch is being written from Point Imperial, an overlook on the Grand Canyon’s North Rim with a sublime view to the east. Less than five feet in front of me the ground drops away and away and away through nine rock layers, and finally ends 5,800 feet below me at the Colorado River. From my vantage I can see a little green sliver of it, which includes Kwagunt Rapid, far below me. The Grand Canyon, celebrated its 100th anniversary of being a national park this year, and due to that milestone there has been a lot of discussion about the Grand Canyon this year, and a lot of events and festivals to commemorate our great love and appreciation for this special place; a place that is certainly one of the greatest on the planet. The crown that is the Grand Circle is emblazoned with many spectacular gems, among them Zion, Bryce, Arches, Canyonlands, Monument Valley, The Wave, Antelope Canyon, Horseshoe Bend. In my opinion, the shiniest gem in the Grand Circle’s crown is the Grand Canyon. Just sitting on its edge, looking out across it peaks, pyramids, buttes, towers and numerous sidecanyons, is a sublime experience. And exploring the Grand Canyon from floor level reveals so much more. I had the great, great fortune of being a Grand Canyon river guide for eight seasons and I can tell you that seeing the Grand Canyon from the bottom looking up is just as amazing – if not more so – than seeing it from the top. And from my eight years as a river guide inside the Grand Canyon I can also tell you this: The Grand Canyon is an amazing, singular paradise. And inside it, if you’re fortunate to spend a good amount of time exploring it, you’ll find another thousand hidden paradises. You’ll find them tucked at the back of Elves Chasm, or Tapeats Creek. The view from the top of Nankoweap Trail. Splashing through Monsoon pools in Tuckup Canyon. The sandstone pillar, standing like an ancient sundial, when you hike from Hermit Camp to Granite Camp. And many others. I spent eight seasons as a Grand Canyon river guide. But here’s a strange thing. I’ve visited the rim of the Grand Canyon fewer than ten times, even though I live only two and a half hours from either rim. My friends, especially those who live outside of the Grand Staircse, are always astounded to hear that I’ve only been to the rims of the Grand Canyon five or six times. But there’s a good reason why: remember that thing I said above, about the Grand Canyon having a thousand lit-
4 Gateway to Canyon Country
Gateway to Canyon Country is produced four times a year by the staff of the Lake Powell Chronicle, P.O. BOX 1716, Page, AZ 86040. Copyright 2019 News Media Corp. Phone 928.645.8888 Fax 928.645.2209 Publisher Mike Caywood mcaywood@lakepowellchronicle.com
tle hidden pockets of paradise, splendor, wonder hidden inside of it? The same holds true for Zion, Arches, Canyonlands and Monument Valley. They all have dozens or hundreds of their own little paradises tucked away inside of them, and I spend a good bit of my free time finding them, and exploring them. And contemplating them. And those places are just the paradises inside gems of the crown. Within the Grand Circle itself lie thousands upon thousands more such places. If I could grant myself five lifetimes, I still couldn’t visit all of them. So happy 100th birthday Grand Canyon! To me, it seems silly – pure human hubris – to celebrate the 100th birthday, or anniversary of a place that’s been around for millions of years. Perhaps a better way of looking at it is this year marks the 100th anniversary of the day humans were wise enough to realize that a place on earth had value beyond what could be extracted from it. Much of that credit needs to go to President Theodore Roosevelt who designated the Grand Canyon a National Monument in 1908 (declaring it a national park was outside the scope of his presidential powers). To President Roosevelt the Congressmen who designated the Grand Canyon a national park preserving it for my and my daughter’s generation, I thank you, and salute your foresight. Steven Law Editor
Editor Steven Law slaw@lakepowellchronicle.com
Contributors Steven Law Nicole M. Anderson Phil Clark
Composing Marty Sisk msisk@lakepowellchronicle.com Advertising Ed Pease epease@lakepowellchronicle.com Norma Tsinnijinnie ntsinnijinnie@lakepowellchronicle.com Circulation Jim Blittersdorf John Baker
Connect With Us: facebook.com/GatewaytoCanyonCountry facebook.com/LakePowellChronicle
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Pow Wow Trading Post Specializing in Native American Arts & Crafts 635 Elm Street, Page, Arizona
powwowtradiingpost.com • 928.645-2140
www.GatewaytoCanyonCountry.com 5
Gateway to Canyon Country Autumn 2019
CONTENTS
6 Gateway to Canyon Country
Favorite Hike: By Phil Clark Navajo Mountain to Rainbow Bridge Page 10
A Slice of Cake on a Slice of Beach In a Slice of Paradise
By Steven Law
A smoothwater kayak in Glen Canyon Page 24
Musings from the Grand Canyon
By Nicole M. Anderson
Page 30
Photo, this page by Steven Law: Desert Rapture. Hikers in Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. Cover Photo by Steven Law: River Revelry. Sharon Woodard enjoys a day kayaking in Glen Canyon.
www.GatewaytoCanyonCountry.com 7
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8 Gateway to Canyon Country
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favorite hike Navajo Mountain to Rainbow Bridge
10 Gateway to Canyon Country
www.GatewaytoCanyonCountry.com 11
During this challenging multi-day hike, backpackers will travel through some of the most remote, most beautiful country in America.
12 Gateway to Canyon Country
R
Story and photos by Phil Clark
ainbow Bridge is a huge natural stone ridge in a remote part of southern Utah and is sacred to Native Americans. There are two ways to get to Rainbow Bridge: by boat or on foot. I recently went on foot, with a full pack and with four other new friends. William Howard Taft established Rainbow Bridge National Monument by Presidential Proclamation in May 1910. The National Monument preserves a unique and impressively large natural bridge which has been known to Native Americans long before the arrival of anglos to the Colorado Plateau. It arcs across the sky as if a rainbow indeed turned into a reddish brown sandstone arch streaked with desert varnish. From its base to the top of the arch, it is 290 feet-nearly the height of the Statue of Liberty-and spans 275 feet across the arroyo. Navajo stories tell of a male and a female rainbow person coming together in perfect union, and being frozen in time. This rock rainbow is particularly special because it looks like a rainbow from both sides, which is quite rare. Everyone has a bucket list. Mine is still a work in progress and hiking to Rainbow Bridge was one of the items on that list. A friend of mine announced one day on Facebook that he was organizing a backpacking trip to Rainbow Bridge and to let him know if anyone was interested in going. I jumped at the chance. To hike to Rainbow Bridge, the party must have a Navajo Nation hiking permit. The group leader was in charge of that. The rest of us just had to get our packs ready and show up. Five of us showed up at the rendezvous address and piled our heavy packs in the back of a friend's pickup. As I hoisted my pack, an 'old school' Kelty frame, I was glad it was not as heavy as usual. At 44 pounds with water, while lighter than usual, it still felt heavy. We drove some 100 miles to the trailhead on a day when the skies were clear and hardly a breeze was blowing. The wildflowers were highlighting the landscape with color as we approached the trailhead. After leaving the paved road, the roads weren't marked and criss-crossed through the sandy and rocky landscape. Our leader knew the way. Finally, we got to the trailhead and the view was already impressive. We had only a hint of what awaited us. Some in the group had been on the hike. The rest of us hadn't. The hike is not for the novice backpacker. While the net elevation drop from trailhead to Lake Powell is around 2200 feet, the hike has plenty of uphills to climb for a net elevation gain. The two longest steep climbs ended up easier than they looked from the bottom, even in the 80s heat. Water is the crucial factor in deciding when to go. A person needs four liters of water to start the trip, the minimum for one day. Some years, the
www.GatewaytoCanyonCountry.com 13
streams dry up. This year, with the generous snows we didn't have to worry about water. The trails were originally established by the Civilian Conservation Corps and could use a little tender loving care. The condition of the trails varied from just walking across a packed sand path to switchbacks that were covered with round rocks. Cairns were frequently well placed to make following the trail easy. Sometimes it seemed there were too many cairns. One of the hikers in our group successfully hiked the entire trail in Chaco flip flops without injury! I swore that, after seeing her accomplish this feat, I wouldn't make fun of another hiker in flip flops! To each their own! I'll just use boots. As we hiked up and down the trail, the beauty around us kept changing. From a distance, Navajo Mountain, which towers above Rainbow Bridge, doesn't look all that jagged. The landscape unfolded with amazing rock formations including fins 14 Gateway to Canyon Country
and canyons. We didn't have time to explore many nearby places, and made a mental note to spend a day longer, next time, to allow exploration. A look at the topo map shows a general east-west line of canyons, fins and cracks. Several hours later, and countless photos taken, our leader identifies our camp site for the night. It is on a high, flat area with a splendidly expansive view to the north. In the distance rose the Henry Mountains. Between the Henrys and our camp, thousands of canyons and countless rock formations lie between. Water was about 1/2 mile away from camp. While plentiful, it still needed to be hauled to camp. I pulled out a featherweight cloth bucket-bag and filled it with about a gallon of water. One of the other hikers in our group and I shared the task of hauling this precious resource. We hung out by the campfire for a while, cooking steaks and potatoes in the coals, fresh swiss chard sauteed on a nearby backpacker's stove rounded off
the evening meal. The next day was the longest, most challenging day. As a reward for our efforts, we were greeted with beauty at almost every turn. The wildflower blooms kept changing with new colors and shapes for each mile or two rarely leaving an area flower-less. The ridges in the distance took shape as masses of sandstone fins cut by canyons. At seemingly each turn in the trail, the scenery just got better. The water kept being plentiful with a couple chances to top canteens as we hiked. We all had our water treatment systems and it isn't advisable to drink untreated water. At lunch we soaked our sore feet and basked in the sun. Some wandered off to a nearby sandstone dome. I focused on wildflowers and let my eyes take me around the area. After lunch we continued to make our way to the ultimate goal of the trip. Rainbow Bridge itself. It was that afternoon I saw some trail retain-
ing walls that likely dated back to the CCC days. Luckily the switchbacks were still there to allow climbing out of the canyons. The scenery continued to lay itself out in front of us. We hiked over dome shaped rock, sandy washes, through bushes and down a crack wide enough for a backpack which led to the main canyon, the canyon we would continue to follow tomorrow. Tonight, the group stayed where they had stayed before, in a deep canyon with a flattish area to set up tents and kitchens. As we set up the camp, we heard the sound of frogs croaking in the canyon. With the many alcoves carved out by the creek, the amphibians may have figured out how to amplify their sound by sitting in the sweet spot of an alcove. They were loud. I spent a long time listening to the sounds of nature at camp. The amplified frog sounds were
See Rainbow page 22 www.GatewaytoCanyonCountry.com 15
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718 Vista Ave., Page, AZ • 928-645-0908 16 Gateway to Canyon Country
Colorado River
Warm Creek Bay
City Antelope Point of Marina & Page, Launch AZ Ramp
Glen Canyon Dam
Lone Rock Beach/ Fee Camping State Line Launch Ramp Wahweap Marina & Launch Ramp
Wahweap Bay
Padre Bay
West Canyon
Rock Creek
HoleIn-TheRock
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Lake Powell Last Chance Bay
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San Jaun River
Escalante River
Halls Creek Bay
Halls Crossing Marina
Bullfrog Marina
Bullfrog Bay
Antelope Point Marina
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Colorado River
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www.GatewaytoCanyonCountry.com 19
89
A
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Ave.
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Dr.
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Knoll
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11
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Bure au S t.
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5
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St.
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S. La
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Sandpiper Dr.
R d.
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Appaloosa Rd.
Morgan Rd.
e Pow
. ll Blvd Powe Blvkde. eSll. La
Cam eron S
Palomino Rd.
Rd. Coppermine
Maverick Loop
Jerome St.t
Azure Rd.
Cascade St.
Cameron St.
C
Haul Rd.
4
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Newburn
Marble Rd.
San Francisco Rd.
Bran Rd.
I
Page Public Library Manson Rd.
Rd.
Cach
e Rd.
Falcon Ct.
Golden Eagle Ct.
Hawk Ct.
Haul Rd.
7
d. ell Blv
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Elk Rd.
Kaibab Rd.
89
e Pow S. Lak
B uckeye Dr.
H a u l Rd. t.
Piute Ct.
Bass Ct.
Packer Ct.
Cliff Ct.
Clydesdale Rd.
Coppermine Rd.
Manson Rd.
Bonita Rd. W
To Antelope Point Marina Navajo Generating Station & Kayenta, AZ
98 To Flagstaff, AZ
Bonita St.
Aztec St.
Amado St.
98
printing
Azure Rd.
5
lake powell
C Sunset St.
San Francisco Rd.
98
Bonita Loop
Amand Cir.
Amado Rd. W
Shetland
Pinto Rd.
O’Neil Loop
Mustang Rd.
To Horseshoe Bend
Cameron St.
Sunset Rd. W
89
Ct. Lakeside
Newburn Rd.
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St.
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Sage Ave.
e ll
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3rd Ave .
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Del Barrco Ave.
e.
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Av 8th
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Pondersoa St.
Redrock St.
Willow St.
Vermilion Ave.
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Birch St .
Tamarisk St.
Tower Butte Ave.
Pow
E lm
Spruce
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esa Ave. dM
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Fi
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Na
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Cypress Ave.
Driftwood
S.
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4th Ave.
Gum St.
1s
Gunsight St.
Turquoise Ave.
6th
N. Navajo Dr.
United States Post Office
Glen Canyon Dr.
S c enic View
Dr.
Ave .
Gramdview St.
S. 7t h
89
ATM
on Glen Cany
Aero Ave.
10th St.
Juniper Ave.
Thunderbird Ave.
Park Golf Course
Pop lar S t.
8
Dr. Eagle
School
Golliard Park
N. 10th Ave.
Grandview St.
Church
0 th A ve.
Castle Rock St.
Lake Powell National Golf
N. 1
t St. Gunsigh
Fire Station
A
Page Municipal Airport
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R
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n scala re E Pad
Police Station
. Plateau Ct
w St.
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t
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Ave.
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Page Hospital
Ave
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13th
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14th Av e
Dr.
15th Av
W. View Dr.
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1 6th Ave.
Marinas
2
4
17th Ave.
Dr.
89
Scenic Overlooks
. iew St
Pu e blo
Visitors’ Centers
20th
Grandv
18th Ave.
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19th Ave.
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Must See
1
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. 20th Ave
To Glen Canyon Dam Wahweap Marina & Kanab, UT
KEY
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street index Aero Ave. C, D-2 Amado St. C-4 Amado Rd. W. C-4 Armand Cir. C-4 Antelope Ave. D-3 Appaloosa Rd. B-5 Aqua Ave. D-3 Aspen St. C-3 Aztec St. C-4 Azure Rd. B-4 Bran Rd. B-4
Bass Ct. C-3 Birch St. B,C-3 Bonita Lp. C-4 Bonita Rd. W. C-4 Bonita St. C-4 Buckeye Dr. D-4 Bureau St. C-2 Butte Ct. C-1 Cll. Hermosa D-2 Cache Rd. B-4 Cameron St. B-3, D-3,4 Cascade St. C-4
Castle Rock St. C-2 Cathedral Ave. C-2 Cedar St. B,C-3 Cemetery Rd. B-3,4 Cheryl Ave. D-3 Cliff Ct. B-3 Clubhouse Dr. B-1,2 Clydesale Rd. B-4 Coconino St. C-2 Colorado St. D-2 Coppermine Rd. (89T) C-3,D-3,4,5
20 Gateway to Canyon Country
Crestview Ave. D-2 Cypress Ave. D-2 Date St. B-2,3,C-3 Del Barrco Ave. D-2 Diane Ct. D-3 Driftwood Ave. D-2 Eagle Dr. B,C-2 Elk Rd. B-3,4 Elm St. B,C-2 El Mirage St. D-2 Falcon Ct. B-4 Fir St. C-2
Glen Canyon Dr. D-1,2 Granada Rd. C-4 Grandview St. C-1,2 ,D-2 Golden Eagle Ct. B-3,4 Gum St. B,C-2 Gunsight St. C-1, D-1,2 Haul Rd. A,B,C,D-4 Hawk Ct. B-4 Hemlock St. C-2 Hopi Ave. D-3 Jerome St. C-4
Juniper Ave. D-2 Kachina St. C-2 Kaibab Rd. B-3,4 Knoll Ave. C-1 Lake Powell Blvd. A-3,B-1,3,C-1,2,3, D-3 Lakeside Ct. D-3 Manson Rd. B,C-3 Marble Rd. C-3 Maverick Lp. C-4 Mesa Dr. C-1 Morgan Rd. B-4,5
Mustang Rd. B-5 Navajo Dr. B,C-1,2,3, D-2 Newburn Rd. C-3,4 Oak St. D-3 O’Neil Lp. B-4 Osprey Dr. D-3 Packer Ct. C-3 Padre Escalante Dr. C-1,2 Palomino Rd. B-4 Pine St. C-2
Pinto Rd. Piute Ct. Plateau Ct. Ponderosa St. Poplar St. Pueblo Dr. Red Mesa Ave. Redrock St. Rim View Dr. Rimview Dr. Sage Ave. Sandpiper Dr.
B-5 C-3 C,D-1 D-2 C-2 C-1 C-2 D-2 C-1 C-2 D-2,3 D-3,4
San Francisco Rd. B,C-4 Scenic View Rd. B-1,2 Shetland B-5 Spruce D-2 Sunrise St. D-3 Sunset St. B-4 Sunset Rd. W. B-3,4 Tamerisk St. D-2 Thunderbird Ave. C,D-2 Tower Butte Ave. D-2 Turquoise Ave. C-2 Valley Ct. C-1
Vermilion Ave. Veronica Ct. Via Valdez W. View Dr. Village Dr. Vista Ave. Westview Dr. Willow St. 1st Ave. 2nd Ave. 3rd Ave. 4th Ave.
D-2 D-3 C-4 C-1 D-3 C-1,2 C-1 D-2 B-2,3 B-3 B,C-3 C-2,3
5th Ave. 6th Ave. 7th Ave. 8th Ave. 9th Ave. N. 10th Ave. 10th St. 11th Ave. 12th Ave. 13th Ave. 13th Ct. 14th Ave.
C-2,3 C-2,3 C-2 C,D-2 C,D-2,3 C-1,2 D-1,2 C,D-1 C-1 C-1 C-1 C-1
15th Ave. 16th Ave. 17th Ave. 18th Ave. 19th Ave. 20th Ave.
C-1 C-1 C-1 C-1 C-1 C,D-1
The Comfort Inn & Suites® hotel in Page, Arizona
offers easy access to a variety of outdoor activities along the Colorado River, including water skiing, hiking, biking, fishing, golfing and raft trips. This Page, AZ hotel is also convenient to Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon. Guests of the Comfort Inn & Suites will appreciate our many amenities including: • Free wireless high-speed Internet access • Business center • Heated indoor pool & Jacuzzi! • Complimentary hot breakfast • Fitness Room
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Rainbow from page 15 just one of the 'instruments' that were playing. Crickets were punctuating the sound with their contribution. The sound of the creek was the percussion section in the sound of water gently flowing over rocks serving as background 'beat'. The 'orchestra' was mesmerizing. At first my fellow campers offered their own track with their camp stories. I found that by moving around along the creek, the various 'tracks' of sound changed with the frog sounds becoming louder, the further away from human voices I went. It bad been a long, strenuous day and as I listened to the frogs, I was grateful for the opportunity to have gone on this hike. Grateful to have seen such incredible scenery. Grateful that nothing bad happened. Grateful for my new friends. The camp felt a lot like a river camp that one might find along the Colorado River or any of the other wet canyons of the Colorado Plateau. We hung out and talked for a while before fatigue took over and it was time to fall asleep, looking at the star-filled sky. The last day proved to be the most windy. We packed up camp quickly and finished breakfast. We all knew that today would be the easiest backpacking day and the day we would see Rainbow Bridge. We only had three miles to cover and several hours til our rendezvous with another friend with a boat to take us back to Antelope Point Marina. We hiked down the canyon. Not too far, one in our group noticed a small 'tub' of water in the creek. Even though we hadn't gone long, the idea of getting wet was enticing. Hesitating for a while, we finally decided to cool off. Good choice, I thought, as we carefully let ourselves into the water. The water was perfect. A little cold, to preclude sudden immersion, and didn't take long to get used to. Wish we had known about it yesterday! 22 Gateway to Canyon Country
We continued following the trail and the canyon, stopping at the site of an old cowboy camp. Above the camp was a tall and deep alcove. Some in the group scrambled inside the alcove. Others just relaxed and enjoyed the scene. Throughout the hike, we saw various man-made structures. Some appeared to be native sheep camps. At last, the edge of the stone rainbow came into view. Just a portion of it but it was unmistakable. Before long, we crossed the fence with the National Park Service sign marking the official Monument boundary. It had been a long time since I had seen Rainbow Bridge and never got to see it appear from the upstream, sunnier side. When so near, it doesn't seem like the US Capitol or even most of the Statue of Liberty could fit underneath, but I don't doubt it. I remember the day when it wasn't a long walk from the boat dock to be able to get a view of the bridge. The waters of Lake Powell used to be under the bridge. Today, some thirty years later, the trail from the bridge is over a mile long and it seemed to be the longest of the entire trip. We enjoyed the moment of being at Rainbow Bridge. The ravens were sailing through the canyon. The canyon flowed water and formed a variety of pools. The winds had died down. There were very few others. It was peaceful. As if blessed, we had beauty all around us for our entire trip. The Bridge still is as impressive as ever. A near-perfect half circle, connected on one side to a cliff. Once on the boat, refreshments in hand, the ride was a bit bumpy with a lot of white caps on the water. Our friend's boat cut through the water like a knife. The wind that woke us up this morning had just increased, foretelling a storm passing through. Luckily we had excellent weather for the three days. The next day, it rained.
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Experience
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Hwy. 89 • Milepost 542 5 Miles South of Page AZ
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www.PageChamber.com
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www.ReddyIce.com 928.645.8886 ext. 35480 2018 E. Frontage Rd., Page, AZ 86040
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A slice of cake on a slice of beach In a slice of Paradise Smoothwater kayaking on the Colorado River between the Glen Canyon Dam and Lee’s Ferry
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Story and photos by Steven Law
he river is coke bottle green. The mid-morning sunlight falls gently on whiskey-colored cliff walls. The Cicadas are making their rasping noises from the tamarisk trees which line shores, a sound like a card dealer repeatedly fanning his thumb over the edges of a deck of cards. Up on the rim the temperature on this August morning is already in the mid-90s, but down in the bottom of Glen Canyon, which only recently emerged from the canyon’s wall shadow, the temperature is ten degrees cooler. We arrange our small amounts of gear in our kayaks – water bottles, lunches, and cameras in drybags – then push off the bank and into the current. The river below
the Glen Canyon dam is exceptionally clear and healthy. Looking over the side of our kayaks into the water we see trout swimming beneath us and a healthy ecosystem of river weeds and other aquatic plants waving in the water. To get to this spot on the river we hired a company called Kayak the Colorado to haul our kayaks, gear and ourselves from Lee’s Ferry up the river. We choose to disembark about 10 miles upriver at a beach and campsite called Ferry Swale. There are seven of us, a group of friends from Page, Arizona. We’re also joined by an old friend of mine, and his mom, from Oakland, California. www.GatewaytoCanyonCountry.com 25
The Colorado River has some amazing, world-class whitewater, but there is no whitewater along the stretch between the Glen Canyon Dam and Lee’s Ferry. We are not in whitewater, fast-action, highly-maneuverable kayaks, but long, roomy sea kayaks. This stretch of the river flows at four miles per hour. Most of the paddling we do is to stay out of the eddies, or to move closer to get a better look at some ducks, or some wild horses grazing on the river bank. It’s August 4, 2019. We chose to float this section of the Colorado River because it is an auspicious day. Exactly 150 years earlier, on Aug. 4, 1869, John Wesley Powell and his crew floated through this section of Glen Canyon. They camped the night of Aug. 3 just above the Crossing of the Father’s and camped the night of Aug. 4 at what is now Lee’s Ferry. On the night Powell and his men camped at the spot in 1869 it was just another empty spot inside a massive empty spot. After paddling/floating for about 45 minutes we pull our kayaks onto a beach where we disembark from our lovely fleet. Because it is an auspicious date, we run into several more friends of ours from Page who are also on the river commemorating the day. Some are on kayaks, some on a drift boat. Two of them, Mick and Gina Swapp, are on a pimped-out pontoon boat, named River Time. Mick and Gina are celebrating another big occasion: Mick’s 63rd birthday. A man in our group, George Hardeen, works with Mick and knew that it was his birthday, and so he brought with him a birthday cake, which he presented to Mick. For years Mick worked weekends as a river guide on this stretch of river, something his friend George does currently. These four different groups of friends, even though we came separately and launched at different times, just happened to converge at Petros Beach at the same times and 26 Gateway to Canyon Country
we spend 30 minutes saying hello to each other. Shannon offers me a beer. Mick offers to let me use his blower to air up my inflatable kayak, which I had failed to pump as tight as it should have been. We then leave the river and walk up a sand trail to see the famous “Descending Antelope” petroglyph panel, which depicts antelope, humans, bighorn sheep and abstract etchings which are harder to interpret their meaning. After viewing the petroglyph panel we return to our kayaks and push out onto the river again and here we enter the Horseshoe Bend section of the river. We float. We paddle. We drift. We trail our hands in the cold water. We take out cameras and phones and take photos of the beautiful day. I lay my paddle across my kayak and let the lazy river take it. The nose catches a slight eddy, which slowly spins my kayak around like a compass needle lazily searching for north. I lie back and let the river carry me downriver, while I gently spin about and gaze at the sky and watch the light change on the cliff walls like chameleon skin. In this manner I, and the members of my group, pass through Horseshoe Bend and a short distance below that we pull over to another beach – a place called Lunch Beach – to stretch our legs and slow down the trip. With the river flowing at four miles an hour, our wonderful day on the river will be over too soon if we don’t make a few stops along the way. The other group of kayakers, and the Swapps pull over too. Here Mick gets out the birthday cake George had presented him earlier in the day. In true boatman style, he slices it with his fish knife, then gives everyone a slice. We sing him Happy Birthday. And there we each eat a slice of cake on a slice of beach inside a slice of paradise. Not bad, not bad. After half an hour on the beach we get back on our kayaks and go a short distance downriver. Here Mick and
Gina pull River Time into the shade against the left cliff wall and tie off to a piton anchored into the wall. There Mick gets out his guitar and the kayakers, still in their kayaks, pull in close and listen to Mick play his guitar and sing some of his original river songs, which were inspired by this very stretch of river. After listening to Mick, we thank him for sharing his wonderful music with us, and then push out into the current again into the canyon’s beautiful afternoon light. Early morning and late afternoon are my favorite times to be on the river. A summer morning on the river is one of life’s great delights. The air is cool. The light is soft. Swallows, sometimes by the thousands, skim over the surface of the water catching insects. On mornings following a nighttime rainstorm, mist and fog lift off the river which gives the canyon a just-created quality. Smell the river. Smell the willows. Smell the grass. Late afternoon on the river is also amazing.
John D. Lee, for whom Lee’s Ferry is named, moved to the area in 1870 with the goal of establishing a Ferry Crossing. The ferry, which was a wooden barge pulled back and forth across the river by a cable, was finally established in 1873.
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There’s a time of day when the sun has descended low enough that the cliff walls cast their shadows on the water. The shadow on the river essentially turns it into long, linear mirror. The cliff walls and the trees on the shore are mirrored on the river, which turns the canyon into a funhouse work of art. After the river serenade, we spend another 90 minutes paddling to Lee’s Ferry, and the end of our day’s kayaking adventure. Along the way we passed a group of wild horses grazing on the bank at the river’s edge. Though a float trip through this stretch of the Colorado River starts a short distance below the Glen Canyon Dam, access to the river can only be obtained from Lee’s Ferry. From there, private boats are allowed to launch and motor upriver where they can drop off their friends with kayaks. You’ll be sharing the river with rafts from Wilderness 28 Gateway to Canyon Country
River Adventures, who transport sightseers from the Dam to Lee’s Ferry, as well as fly fishermen with Lee’s Ferry Anglers, who park their jetboats on the bank, or on gravel bars and flycast for trout. Two companies offer backhaul services from Lee’s Ferry upriver. They will transport you, your friends, your dogs, your kayaks and whatever gear you want to bring with you upriver and drop you off at whatever point you wish to begin your float trip. Camping along the river is also allowed, but you must camp in a designated campsite. There are nine of them along the river. Camping at them is free, but they cannot be reserved in advance. They operate on a first come, first served basis. If you plan to camp, the companies that provide the backhaul can drop your camp gear off at your desired beach, then transport you and your kayaks up river, and from there you can paddle back to your campsite.
Kayak the Colorado
Kayak the Colorado rents kayaks, canoes, and stand-up paddleboards. They charge $75 per person for the backhaul. Kayaks and canoes rent for about $45. They will meet you at Lee’s Ferry any time that works best for your group. (928)-856-0012, kayakthecolorado.com
Wilderness River Adventures
Wilderness River Adventures charges $65 per person for their backhaul services. You must meet them at Lee’s Ferry at times specified by them. They do not rent kayak, canoe or SUP rentals. 800-992-8022, www.riveradventures.com www.GatewaytoCanyonCountry.com 29
Musings from the Grand Canyon
“There is something ominous about a swift river, and something thrilling about a river of a out of mystery, the nearest downstream bend a door to further mystery.�
30 Gateway to Canyon Country
By
Nicole Anderson
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he muddy water rushed through the heart of the canyon creating waves sometimes four, five feet deep. The walls, cut deep from eons of wind and rain created a canyon so deep and desolate that few will experience it from its heart. I stood on the plateau, my family's luggage draped in black garbage bags in hopes of keeping it dry as I watched a black storm cloud bubble up in the distance against the azure blue sky. The golden hues of the canyon seemed to soften as the storm rolled in and the heat of the arid desert seemed to cool, if only for a moment. A chill rushed through my body as I reached for my tattered and wellloved flannel shirt for warmth. We had walked several miles down into the depths of the canyon. The trail was wide with the occasional sagebrush or boulder holding its place boldly in the midst of the stark canyon. We sang songs and chased lizards, always making sure to stay hydrated, and when we heard the rumbling of the mule train in the distance we quickly scurried to the wall as if to bolt ourselves to it for our protection. The mules – at least ten per train – strode past us at a very quick speed, the dirt swirled in the air left us covered in dusty powder, as if we were celebrating the Holi Festival, signifying the arrival of something new. My children were 13, 10, and 8 years young at the time and were excited to be on such a grand adventure that had been months in the making. Strangers and friends alike repeatedly asked me, “What kind of mother takes her children to the bottom of the Grand Canyon?” Was it so much of an oddity that I wanted my children to experience an untouched world? A place where few people travel? A place where nature and wild still collide and yet find peace with one another? I didn’t think so, but the unsolicited comments kept rolling in, much like a rock careening down the canyon. My favorite comment perhaps
of any kind. The nearest upstream bend is a gate
~ Edward Abbey Beyond the Hundredth Meridian www.GatewaytoCanyonCountry.com 31
came from a Scoutmaster who told me, “I don’t even take boys on hikes that long until they were well into their teens. What are you thinking taking two girls?” He was sure my son would be fine, but my girls? In true Edward Abbey fashion, all I could think was that he wished for our trails to be “crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous leading [us] to the most amazing view[s].” And so, we went despite my uneasiness. Truth be told, those naysayers had weaseled their way into my head. Sure, I had purchased the best hiking boots and gear money could buy and we carried more water than we could drink on that journey, but it was hot, dry, and I was way out of my comfort zone. The rest of my family - my cousins and aunts - had walked ahead of us and now, as dusk slowly made her way into the canyon, shadows from the smallest pebble or bush appeared high up on the canyon walls -walls taller than the Empire State Building- a realization that it was just me, my three children, and the canyon. The Grand Canyon.
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ow, decades later, I find myself on a bench just outside the back doors of the Visitors Center at the North Rim. The blistering sun feels hot on my skin and beads of sweat trickle down my spine. Leaning back in my chair I rest my feet on the stone wall built by members of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in 1933, a huge undertaking. On the South Rim, if you look closely at the wall you will find a stone, shaped like a heart, installed by a CCC worker in 1935 for his Harvey Girl Sweetheart (a hotel waitress). Legend says they were married in that very spot a few years later. Pondering this love story, I took a drink from my water bottle and then raised the bottle over my head and poured it down my back, sending chills down my spine leaving me refreshed from my day hike along the edge of the canyon rim. As I sat there staring into the abyss of the grandest canyon in the world the air seemed to once again soften with clouds tumbling in from the distance and in this rare weather phenomena, fog began to fill the canyon stopping just shy of the rim’s edge. The clouds, fluffy and frothy in appearance gave us the illusion that we could simply walk across them to the other side of the canyon. Air temperatures typically cool as it moves higher into the Earth's atmosphere, yet during one of these rare inversion events, “a layer of warm air traps cool air and moisture closer to the ground, preventing it from dissipating as it normally would, resulting in a total cloud inversion. It is said to be such a rarity that most people don’t ever see it in their lifetime. I walked back inside the visitor’s center past the bronze statue of Brighty - a most legendary burro - stroking his nose for luck and turned the corner into the restaurant where I stopped
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in my tracks. That moment hung in the air much like the fog in the canyon and I recalled my first trip to the Grand Canyon where I sat in the chair at the corner table by the window as a child, staring into the canyon when suddenly, or perhaps not so suddenly, the clouds rolled and tumbled into the canyon filling it with marshmallow clouds. My mother seemed giddy at the moment, my dad took photos, and then we just sat together staring out the window, sipping our hot chocolate. I didn’t realize it at the time what a rare event I was privy to see; neither did my parents but it was one of those moments where the canyon etched itself into your memory, never to be forgotten. John Wesley Powell said, “You cannot see the Grand Canyon in one view, as if it were a changeless spectacle from which a curtain might be lifted, but to see it you have to toil from month to month through its labyrinths.” Even then you may not fully see it at all. For it is rare, wild, and much of it untouched. Unexplored even. For it is the Grand Canyon. Fully wild and in the words of Wallace Stegner, “We simply need that wild country available to us, even if we never do more than drive to its edge and look in.”
At the End of Your Day... • Deluxe guest rooms with fridges, microwaves, Coffee pots, irons & ironing boards • Boat parking/AC power • Convenient location • Free wireless Internet • Breakfast • Guest laundry
LAKE POWELL Lake Powell Days Inn & Suites 961 Hwy 89, Box 3910, Page, AZ 86040
(928) 645-2800 www.daysinn.net Nationwide Reservations 1 (800) DAYSINN
www.GatewaytoCanyonCountry.com 33
Thunderbird Resort
at East Zion
Restaurant (435) 648-2262 Golf Course (435) 648-2188 Gift Shop (435) 648-2203 ext 5 www.ZionNational-Park.com
Zion National Park - 12 miles Bryce Canyon - 60 miles Grand Canyon - 85 miles
Mt. Carmel Junction, Utah Junction of Scenic Byways US 89 & SR 9 Hours: 7 am - 11 pm
34 Gateway to Canyon Country
www.GatewaytoCanyonCountry.com 35
928-645-4082
Experience the authentic atmosphere of Mexico and enjoy the best Margarita’s in town.
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