Peace Ferry

 As I flowed through the remaining rapids, I sensed the end was near. I absorbed whatever stories were left to tell and here’s one final one about Lava Cliff Rapids (not to be confused with Lava Falls Rapids from earlier). In the early 1900s, the Lava Cliff Rapids were considered the most formidable in the Grand Canyon, illustrated by their tumultuous and forceful currents and frothing waves. When the Kolb brothers ran the Colorado in 1911-12, they opted to portage to bypass the rapids. So did Julius Stone’s expedition in 1909 and Otis Marston in 1923. However, in 1937 as part of a scientific expedition, Frank Dodge, the lead boatman, braved the rapid in a homemade wooden boat and succeeded in conquering it. 

Today you wouldn’t know the rapids were ever there. They disappeared in the 1930s when Lake Mead’s water levels rose. 

Rounding the bend at Dry Canyon, about half a mile further (800m) was a short canyon on the left where at the top I could just make out the Grand Canyon Skywalk, a U- shaped cantilever bridge with a glass floor that juts out from the canyon wall. Suspended in the air, the view through the glass floor is a 500-800ft (150-240m) vertical drop into the canyon below. 

Three miles (5km) before Pearce Ferry, the walls of the Grand Canyon came to a sudden end and the wonders of the canyon finished. Leaving the desert canyon behind the Colorado River continued on for the remainder of its journey spilling into the Gulf of California.

I finished my Grand Canyon adventure at Pearce Ferry, the furthest take-out point on any Grand Canyon river expedition. 

When I first began this journey at Lees Ferry, I didn’t know what to expect beyond steep canyon walls and hundreds of rapids. The Grand Canyon is much more than a spectacular geologic formation. It is filled with stories of ancient people who occupied it and pioneers who explored it. It is full of brave explorers who tackled it, scientists who wanted to understand it, photographers who wanted to capture its essence and travellers who wanted the thrill of the experience. Stories abound since its early sighting, be they stories of triumph, disaster or mysteries and now I can add my story to it too.

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The team at The Conqueror Challenges
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