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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Lava Falls Rapids

 Now I can imagine that in 1923, when Emery Kolb “upset” his boat (a term used back then meaning flipped) by hitting a steep hole in the centre of the rapid, he indeed might have been upset. Lucky for him, Frank Dodge, another boatman and great swimmer jumped in and retrieved the boat. Since the rapid had no name, it was immediately bestowed with Upset Rapids.

After so much murky water, the milky-blue Havasu Creek tucked within Havasu Canyon was a welcome sight. Havasu Creek is the second largest tributary of the Colorado River and home to several spectacular waterfalls and a multitude of pools to swim in. The incredible blue colour was such a contrast to the brownness of the Colorado. Even more fascinating was the defined line where the two rivers met, with pale blue on one side and murky brown on the other.

A gentle cruise followed for several miles with a few mild rapids until I came across the most advanced one on this journey in the form of Lava Falls Rapid. In the centre of the entry point was a huge ledge hole with turbulent waves crashing into the hole. The strong current pushed around the sides of the ledge. Fierce lateral waves seethed and frothed seemingly ready to gobble me up.

 A feeling of trepidation hit me as my raft headed straight over the ledge into the hole. With the raft tilting to the right and partially submerged, the force of the oncoming wave was enough to flip the raft over and launch me into the river. The raft, caught in the water’s turbulence, was tossed around and around like a spit roast on speed. In the meantime, I surfaced and bobbed up and down, riding the waves, letting the current carry me forwards and out of the rapid. Once the raft cleared the hole, it followed me downstream where I was able to climb back onboard. As adrenaline coursed through me making my ears ring, I was delighted to have come out unscathed. This rapid may be super short but it packs a punch in those few seconds.

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