We recently had the opportunity to join a Colorado River rafting expedition through the Grand Canyon. The trip was led by
Gary Hart, who assembled a group of photographers (and friends) for a 6-day excursion with
Western River Rafting. It was a week filled with awe-inspiring sights, exhilarating whitewater rides, meditative moments, and engaging companions. We rafted 20-40 miles each day, camping on sandy shores at night under a deep canopy of stars and beneath majestic canyon walls. We were serenaded by the sounds of flowing water nearly 24 hours a day. It was an intense experience that etched indelible images and memories in our minds and left us filled with shapes, sounds, colors, flows, and feelings of reverence for the wonders of the planet we call home.
The areas in and around the Grand Canyon have been inhabited for at least 10,000 years, initially by Ancestral Puebloan people (Anasazi). Today, Grand Canyon National Park recognizes
11 associated Tribes, including the Havasupai, Hualapai, Navajo, Hopi, Paiute and Zuni Nations, who work with the National Park Service (NPS) and nonprofit organizations such as
Grand Canyon Trust to help ensure their
voices are heard and their legacy and heritage in the canyon are preserved and respected. There are many sacred sites within the canyon, including the confluence of the
Little Colorado River (LCR), which is viewed by the Navajo and Hopi as the place of emergence, where life began, giving it great spiritual significance. During our first two days on the river, covering the 60 miles from Lees Ferry to the LCR, we were rafting along
Navajo Nation Tribal Parks, and all along the way we drifted by or visited historical sites where ancient people farmed and/or built pueblos. I appreciated that our guides brought these sites to our attention and acknowledged the historical and spiritual significance of these sites to indigenous people. It is also important to note that the establishment of the Grand Canyon as a national park led to the displacement of indigenous communities within and adjacent to the canyon, and
heritage rights are still not fully recognized. I’d also like to note that there are
continuing threats to the sanctity of areas in the Grand Canyon.
Our supremely competent, highly experienced, and extremely hard-working guides took us safely through 46 technically-challenging rapids over 188 miles of meandering river, stopping for hikes to waterfalls, archeological sites, and a high-desert oasis. As we dipped into the deep waves and swirling waters of
Hance Rapid,
Granite Rapid,
Hermit Rapid,
Crystal Rapid, the
Gem Series Rapids (Agate, Sapphire, Turquoise, Emerald, Ruby, and Serpentine),
Bedrock Rapids,
Dubendorff Rapids,
Lava Falls, and many others, all with churning waters cascading over boulders, we held tightly to the straps and ropes of our raft while being tossed about and getting (sometimes forcibly) splashed by the water tossed over the front of our boat.
During the day we stopped for short hikes to iconic and much-photographed sites such as
Redwall Cavern (Mile 33),
Nankoweep Canyon and Granaries (Mile 52),
Little Colorado River Confluence (Mile 62),
Elves Chasm (Mile 117),
Stone Creek Falls,
Deer Creek Falls and Patio (Mile 137), and
Havasu Canyon (Mile 157). At night we camped on sandbars along the river’s edge, hoping the winds would be calm and we could enjoy the incredible night sky high above the canyon walls. Each morning we rose early to the call of our guides and enjoyed breakfast before packing our gear back on the boat, hopefully setting off before the sun made its way into the inner canyon and the coolness of the early morning gave way to the heat of the day.
Our first night’s campsite was by North Canyon Rapid (Mile 20.8), where we were able to enjoy the mesmerizing music of the rapid all night, and which offered a perfect view of the Milky Way as it was rising about 2 am. On our second night we camped across from the
Little Colorado River Confluence (Mile 61.6), which allowed us to ferry over in the late afternoon for a short walk along the river’s cobalt blue waters. And it gave us an opportunity to view the early morning light as it slowly made its way down the canyon walls and reflected in calm areas of the river. The confluence has special spiritual significance for indigenous people, and I did my best to visit respectfully and sensitively, and to humbly appreciate the gift of this special experience. Our third night was at Garnet Canyon (Mile 115), about which I remember very little, other than it was a short distance the next morning to Elves Chasm, allowing us to reach this popular site while it was still shaded from the sunlight and before other rafting groups pulled in ahead of us. Our fourth night was across from Deer Creek Falls (Mile 137), where we pulled in early in the afternoon in time to both visit the Falls and take a strenuous hike to the amazing and magical oasis high above. The hike was not for the faint of heart, necessitating walking along a narrow ledge above the hundred-foot drop-off into the narrow slot canyon below. Our fifth and final night was at Tequila Beach (Mile 179), where we were deposited just after rafting through the granddaddy of the rapids, Lava Falls. This campsite was my favorite, providing plenty of room to spread out along a sandy shore. And it offered open views up and down the river to both east and west. The afternoon light on the eastern canyon walls was fantastic, and the starry sky was simply amazing. We were even able to see the space station traversing across the evening sky, linking us from the depths of the canyon with the heavens above. The only thing missing was a prime view of the Milky Way core, but you can’t have it all!
In this gallery I attempt to share the visual story of our excursion, through images that provide a glimpse of our experience during these six superb days on the river. The photos represent scenes that captured my eye and called out to me over the course of our rafting experience. I include my photos of the iconic sites we visited, such as Elves Chasm, and scenes of the river and canyon walls as we journeyed along. In addition to scenes of grandeur and majesty, I was captivated by the dancing light on flowing water as it cascaded over and around rocks and boulders. Most of the time, I had only brief glimpses of this light just before we dropped into the rapids with my camera safely stored away. But on a couple of occasions we camped by a rapid, arriving at our campsite just before the shadows took over the mesmerizing light on the fast-moving water. These photos turned out to be among my favorites. Finally, and thanks to the encouragement of our leader Gary Hart, several of us rose with our cameras and tripods in the middle of the night to capture images of the Milky Way arching across the southern sky, framed by the silhouette of the canyon walls. Of course, photographs cannot come close to capturing the incredible vastness of the night sky, but they help us connect with the expansive universe of which we are such an infinitesimal but meaningful part.
I hope the images I’ve shared in this gallery will give you a small glimpse of our experience rafting through the timeless wonder of the Grand Canyon.
