Deer Creek Canyon

The next dozen rapids were a series of easy to medium intensity. Around mile 127 (204km) was Randy’s Rock, a huge slab of sandstone partially submerged to the left of the river. The rock was named after a young commercial guide who in 1976 took a nap on his rig whilst one of his passengers was left in charge to row it. Sure enough, Randy was woken when his rig collided with a massive rock. The force of the river wrapped the boat around the rock, tossing its passengers and some of the gear into the river. The remaining gear got caught underneath the undercut of the slab, dragging the boat below water level.

Unable to free the boat from the rocks, the expedition party exited the river and hiked to the nearest campsite with whatever items were recovered. At some point during the night, the boat freed itself and was salvaged. Unfortunately, the frame of the boat was damaged beyond repair and left to sink to the bottom of the river. The tubes were deflated for later extraction.

The expedition continued to the end of its journey on other rigs. You could imagine the company owner’s dismay when the party reached the end and was told that one of his rigs had been lost because the guide took a nap.

Deubendorff Rapids is known for its many large holes and pour-overs. It was named after Seymour Deubendorff, who in 1909 was the first person to flip his boat in it. In his journal, Seymour described riding over waves and when his boat came into one of the trenches the rear hit a rock capsizing him. When he surfaced, he struck his head on the boat. He attempted to swim to shore but was carried downstream, mostly submerged, only catching his breath between waves. Finally, he was rescued and to his great satisfaction so was his cap.

Arriving at Granite Narrows, I travelled through the narrowest section of the river. At 76ft (23m) wide, it indeed felt quite narrow. Within these narrows was Deer Creek Canyon and at the end was the spectacular site of Deer Creek Falls, plunging 126ft (38m) from above into a shallow pool below. Another opportunity to refresh myself with a swim, I leaned against the ancient rocks and pondered that in less than 3mi (5km) I would have reached the halfway point.

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