Page 12 - flipping-paddle-magazine

ThePaddler 18 Two years ago I sent Patrick, my partner, an email with the title ‘Paddle Down the Grand camp Canyon’. On the very next line I wrote, “I NEED to do this. I have set a calendar alarm for February and we should apply each year until we get it! There’s some pretty big rapids.” and that’s how it all started. by HannaHtaylor However,we didn’t have to apply each year because only a few weeks after entering our first US National Parks Lottery for a non-commercial Grand Canyon permit we were told we had been successful. I was grinning from ear to ear and so was Patrick. We opened a bottle of champagne to celebrate. In the following 18 months there was a lot to of a sort called the 'groover'. Essentially a large plan not least of all finding another six people to ammunition can with a toilet seat on top. join our team. Time ticked on until eventually we Everything that goes down the river must be w packed out... and I mean everything! Further were ready for the adventure. Two UK friends were joining us and we had arranged to meet four Americans from California. It’s fair toere ready for the adventure. Two UK friends were joining us and we had arranged to meet four Americans from California. It’s fair to say we were an inexperienced down the line we come to resent unpacking, bunch when it came to oar hauling, setting up, breaking down and rafting but there was a sensible repacking quite so much stuff. amount of white water A debrief by the ranger the following morning knowledge amongst the team. talks about some of the issues the canyon can Arriving into Las Vegas it was too entail, snakes, bark scorpions, heat stroke. At damn hot but ‘The Strip' is a bonkers as one point he reminds us... “You’re going on you'd expect. Thunderstorm floods settled on the holiday in an oven.” He wasn't wrong. Although main boulevard causing mayhem! Little did we we came to realise quite quickly that it was way realise at the time that the same weather pattern more of an expedition than a holiday. would also be turning our lush green river into We finally cut loose from the bank and drifted muddy bath water. It was monsoon season after down the Colorado River! The moment we had all and perhaps we should have done a little been waiting for. Spirits were very high. Gill and more homework. myself chose to paddle the inflatable kayaks Our team of eight had 16 days from put in to (duckies) along the first stretch as there no take out for our trip permit and we chose to do significant rapids. We float down the river full of Paddlers: one of the longest variations pulling out at Pierce expectation. I’m taking my lead from Gill and scouting Ferry totalling 281 miles. we’re both surprised at the size of the riffles. If these aren’t even graded I can’t quite imagine Gill Once at a very hot Lees Ferry we start inflating the size of what is yet to come. Mark and rigging boats. A good job we only do this Joseph once. We loaded coolers full of The water is incredibly cold, probably 5 Celsius. It's come from the bottom of the dam about 15- food/ice/beer/gin/vegetables the list goes on. We Rick planned to be eating fresh vegetables on day 15... miles upstream and warms up only slightly over Bruce and huge steaks on day five! We have a huge the 280 miles. Hyperthermia is a real issue if Patrick four-burner stove, washing up buckets, three full you end up accidentally swimming. Dwight size folding tables, chairs and umbrellas. It's camping but not as I know it. We have a Portaloo ThePaddler 19