Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83 based; site houxa.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxt!houxm!houxa!dyons From: dyons@houxa.UUCP (N.MITRA) Newsgroups: net.travel Subject: Colorado Rafting Trip (Reply to Queries) Message-ID: <900@houxa.UUCP> Date: Thu, 16-Jan-86 08:43:49 EST Article-I.D.: houxa.900 Posted: Thu Jan 16 08:43:49 1986 Date-Received: Fri, 17-Jan-86 06:30:32 EST Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ Lines: 121 >From: ihnp4!k.m.austin > >Nilo, > > Hi! I'm interested in hearing about your GC experiences. >Please send me mail, or post to net.travel. I'm sure there are >many others who are interested. > >Kim Austin >ihnp4!npois!kma As there have been many letters to me on this subject, I am going to consolidate my responses here and answer some specific questions as I go along. Also please bear with the somewhat disjointed style of this writing. I went on a 9-day raft trip on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon (about 350 river miles) towards the end of July 1985. The temperatures in the GC are in the range 100 F - 70 F, but the extreme dryness helps greatly. Also there are no bugs to speak of, so one doesn't have any of the usual outdoor camping discomforts. I went with Grand Canyon Expeditions of Kanab, Utah (address to follow later), one of the many river- running outfits. It was recommended by a friend and, in turn, I highly recommend their service. I stayed overnight at Las Vegas. On the evening before the trip, we met our guides/pilots and were given waterproof bags (2 of them) and an "ammo" bag. One bag is for the sleeping bag that they supply, the other for one's personal belongings, and the ammo bag for cameras etc. There is little need for much clothing. I spent most of the day in swimming shorts (as did most people) whilke in the evening one "changed for dinner"as it were into cotton shorts or perhaps slacks. I do not have this problem, but those of a lighter hue should certainly bring lots of suntan and long- sleeved shirts for comfort from the sun. EVERYBODY must have hats or caps, preferably several because one is sure to be blown away... Anyway, the next morning at about 4:00 AM we set off for a 6-hour ride through extremely scenic country to reach Lee's Ferry where all the river expeditions start. The trip ends at Lake Mead and we were driven back to Las Vegas. >From: ihnp4!seismo!harvard!macrakis (Stavros Macrakis) >Sounds exciting, but what's the excuse for the $1200 fee? That comes >to something like $130 a day. If you calculate, say, 10 to a raft, >with one guide, and expenses (food, insurance, raft) of maybe $40 a >day (I can't see how to get a higher figure), the guide/company is >getting $900 a day. Seems steep. For $100/person/day you can go to >an excellent hotel with a large room, three meals, private beach, pool, >... on the Riviera. I'm not saying that one is better than the other, >just wondering how they can justify such incredible prices for a >camping trip! True, Stavros, but all I can say in their defence is that there is no way to do it cheaper. To run the Colorado, as we river-runners call it, you have to get permission from the Nat. Park Service. It is difficult for an inexperienced group to prove that they have the skills to navigate a river that I can only describe as FEROCIOUS, though not unkindly so. One's only chance is to go with registered outfits. As for their expenses, they do provide equipment (one might not want to subject one's sleeping bag to wear and tear, for instance), lots of stout, hearty food, a continual supply of soft drinks, beer, orange juice.. As for the hotel-like atmosphere, one does have private beaches, one can loll about as much as one pleases (clinging on tightly while going through a rapid, of course), have one's meals served at regular hours...and so forth. Ofcourse, when taking a vacation like this , one is naturally the sort who prefers a non-Riviera atmosphere. Also, the Riviera is so passe and the fact that one can dine out on one's experiences for months on end is surely worth some money :-) >From: ihnp4!tektronix!tekcbi!jimb >.........................................................I heard that >there are some great swimming holes and waterfalls to play under and >water slides (natural) etc. Is it true???? >How about snakes???? >How about water and air temps in summer???? > >Jim Boland >tektronix!tekcbi!jimb Quite right, Jim. As we went down the river, we stopped frequently to see the major "sights". Usually this was a climb up a side canyon following the stream that trickled down to reach it's source. Usually this lead to a benign waterfall, where one could bathe at the pool underneath. At one such place, called Elves Chasm, you could climb through a tunnel under the falls, climb up to the ledge and jump into the swimming pool. We never tired of this. Then, at the meeting of the Colorado and the Little Colorado , we cruised up the little C - a quiet stream - where one could swim in the lower reaches, while those more daring floated down very small rapids wearing their life jackets. Incidentally, wearing life j's is mandatory when one is on the boat or near water. There are also hikes up the canyon walls to see Indian ruins, pictographs etc. There need not even be any particular reason for taking a hike...one just did itbecause every view was different and unique. If you have an interest in geology, you can impress your fellow canyoneers with your knowledge but I warn you that the river boatmen have a lot of knowledge too. As for snakes, yes, rattlers abound I'm told though we never saw any. I did see a long red snake called a racer which I was assured was not poisonous. I'm dead scared of snakes, but the possibility of meeting them is so rare that I wasn't uncomfortable in the least. Ditto lizards etc. >From gargoyle!shallit Mon Jan 13 20:12:44 1986 remote from ihnp4 From: ihnp4!gargoyle!shallit (Jeff Shallit) >Yes, I'm interested. Is such a trip available for, e. g. March 20-27? >Who do I contact? Does one need to know how to swim? (I don't). > >Jeff Shallit >...ihnp4!gargoyle!shallit No, you do not have to know swimming to go on this river trip. The Colorado is icy cold (because of Glen Canyon Dam) and the river flows at a very high velocity with strong currents, rapids and whirlpools. Should one fall in, swimming is no use: one usually passes out due to hypothermia. If not , one usually is bashed into rocks or sucked underneath....I think you get the point. The other pleasures of swimming at waterfalls and so forth, I think a non-swimmer can usually forego. This raises the question of baths and so forth...At camp, one carried out one's ablutions as best one could at the river bank by wading a little bit and splashing. Portable toilets are carried. If you write to these people, they'll be able to provide you with specific dates. I believe that August is the rainy season in the canyon while April is springtime with desert flowers in bloom. I'll be glad to answer further questions, if any. Grand Canyon Expeditions P.O. Box O Kanab, Utah 84741 Phone: 801-644-2691