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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Diamond Peak

Around mile 216 (346km), I entered the Lower Granite Gorge where the canyon closed in, narrowing the width of the Colorado. The rapids were easy and uncomplicated, passing the occasional small rock piles in the middle of the river and a handful of islands.

The canyon seemed to have softened with more vegetation present and less imposing layers of rock, except for the pointy Diamond Peak that I could see for miles before I reached it. Adjacent to the peak was Diamond Creek Beach. A wide sandy beach, it had several permanent concrete tables with benches and each with a metal cover above it to shield them from the sun. From here I had a perfect view of the craggy peak.

As the first place accessible to vehicles since Lees Ferry (mile 0), Diamond Creek is a popular spot for day trippers and also for river runners to end their trip or start the shorter route downstream.

Diamond Creek Canyon is prone to flash flooding during monsoon season and it often washes parts of the road away. In the summer of 1984, a couple of river outfitters were heading up the canyon in their trucks. When one of the vehicles got stuck in loose gravel everyone hopped out to help free it. Then, the rumbling came. At first thinking it might be a plane or thunder, imagine their surprise when 100 yards (90m) away a 10ft (3m) wall of water filling the canyon raced towards them. With only seconds to spare, everyone raced up the cliffs, just barely managing to escape. Fortunately, no one was hurt but a couple of guides spent several hours stuck on a narrow ledge waiting for the water to recede and be rescued.

The water was so forceful that the trucks were pushed into one another, rolled into the river and submerged whilst the gear floated away. A lot of the equipment was recovered a few days later 20mi (32km) downstream in Lake Mead. One of the rafts was found 29 years later in the lake. When the water is low, one of the trucks becomes visible in the river not far from Diamond Creek.

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Navajo Bridge

A gentle meander from Lees Ferry turned into the first rapid near Paria Beach. The speed of the water flowing downstream over a combination of hard and soft rocks created a mild turbulence in the water. The gentle ripples, small waves and minimal obstructions made for an easy rapid and a great first experience.

For the next 1.5mi (2.4km), I rafted quietly on the river taking in the magnificent canyon with low lying plants and scrubs dotted along its banks.

Another mile further (1.6km) I had my first glimpse of the Navajo Bridges, two steel-arch bridges connecting the rims of the canyon. Once in full sight I marvelled at their structure. The two bridges almost identical in design were a mere 330ft (100m) apart. The original bridge built in 1929 was the only vehicle crossing until it became too narrow for modern-day traffic. To alleviate the problem a second bridge was built in 1995, converting the original one into a footbridge.

Large chunks of rock were carved out of the canyon’s walls to make way for the bridges’ footings. During construction the engineers installed a large mesh screen to catch any loose rock from blasting. One particular guide recalls that for some time they could pass under the bridge only between 11am and 1pm, the time when the engineers were at lunch.

It took a staggering 6.3 million pounds (2.9 million kg) of steel to construct these sleek and uncomplicated looking bridges. Integrating into the landscape, the bridges continue as an overland link whilst below its shadow provided me with temporary relief from the sweltering heat.

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