Day 9 - Mile 119 Creek to Bonita Creek Rapid

Thursday, September 25th was an easy day on the river. After the exhilaration of yesterday's events it was nice to have a relatively calm and relaxing day. We would travel just 14.5 miles (from mile 119 to mile 133.5), stop for two short hikes, and cross through 7 minor rapids.

A panoramic view of the Colorado River and our campsite at Mile 119 Creek.

Two miles after leaving our campsite, we stopped at Blacktail Canyon for a hike through its slot canyon. It wasn't a long hike. There were no big boulders to climb over nor any major obstacles. At last! A hike that I could do!

It was a fairly easy walk. Slightly uphill with a sometimes smooth, sometimes rocky canyon floor.

To give a little perspective as to the height of the canyon walls... there's a person at the bottom-center of this photo.

The end of the "trail" was marked by a pool of emerald green water at the bottom of a drainage area.  Simply marvelous.

Upon our return to the entrance of the canyon, one of the private groups was waiting to go in.

One of the little rapids we encountered.

Not the first bighorn sheep we had seen but this one and several others were fairly close to shore. We were told this was most likely a female.

Enjoying the calm water as well as the scenery.

Going through another rapid.

At mile 132 we stopped for another short hike, also one that I could do! It was an easy walk back to a little waterfall along Stone Creek. We took our time here. Standing beneath the waterfall for a little shower, albeit without soap, was so very refreshing.

Our campsite at Bonita Creek was just a mile and a half downriver. It was a leisurely float, as most of the day had been. There were times when we simply drifted, when not a word was spoken by anyone. Those were truly magical moments.

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Note: The page Grand Canyon Raft Trip lists all of my posts published about this Grand Adventure!

Published under a Creative Commons License.
Becky Wiseman, "Day 9 - Mile 119 Creek to Bonita Creek Rapid," Kinexxions, posted November 6, 2014 (http://kinexxions.blogspot.com/2014/11/day-9-mile-119-creek-to-bonita-creek.html : accessed [access date])

Day 8 - Part 2 :: Crystal Rapid to Mile 119 Creek

Wednesday, September 24th. Having made it safely through Crystal Rapid, rated 10+ and one of the biggest we would encounter, we still had 20 miles of river to cover and 17 more rapids to run!

Approaching Tuna Creek Rapid (5), less than a mile downriver from Crystal Rapid.

Fred and Sue, in Matt's raft, start through Tuna Creek Rapid.

The paddle boat crew follows Matt's raft around the bend and through Lower Tuna Rapid.

It was just a nice, easy, little, roller-coaster ride! In the next half-mile we would go through 100 Mile Rock Rapid (5).

Back into calmer waters for a short time.

In the next 4 1/2 miles we would encounter "the Gems." Ranging from just a little splashy to a wild roller-coaster ride, they were a lot of fun! Agate (2-4), Sapphire (7), Turquoise (3-6), 104 Mile Rapid (5-7), and Ruby Rapid (7) were their names.

Chelly going through one of the "Gem" rapids.

Stunning. Colorful. Man is such an insignificant creature when compared to the magnificence of Mother Nature.

Barrel Cactus thrive in this section of the Gorge, which is an arid, desert environment. So unlike that of the the upper canyon where the banks of the river were covered with Tamarisk trees and other green vegetation.

Eight more rapids would follow with the biggest being Serpentine Rapid (6-8) and Waltenberg Rapid (6-9).

In one of the short sections of calmer waters, the paddle raft crew played "hunker down." The object was to maintain your balance while pulling on a rope to unbalance your opponent.

Strength has little to do with it... it's all about balance and agility!

At about mile 117, we stopped for a hike into Elves Chasm where a waterfall and big pool of water awaited those who ventured over the trail, which included some big boulders that had to be overcome.

As the rest of the group ventured forth, I was directed to a smaller, lower waterfall and pool where the guides filled storage containers with fresh water.

A soft, salmon-colored light reflecting off the canyon walls blanketed the area. I was fascinated by the big boulder on the left.

A closer look revealed that it was composed of fragments of smaller stones.

Nearby, another boulder also had small rocks embedded within.

Our campsite at Mile 119 Creek was just ahead. It had been an incredibly exhilarating day with 19 rapids "conquered" in just 22 and a half miles. We looked forward to an evening of rest, relaxation, refueling, and rehashing the events of the day.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Note: The page Grand Canyon Raft Trip lists all of my posts published about this Grand Adventure!

Published under a Creative Commons License.
Becky Wiseman, "Day 8 - Part 2 :: Crystal Rapid to Mile 119 Creek," Kinexxions, posted November 5, 2014 (http://kinexxions.blogspot.com/2014/11/day-8-part-2-crystal-rapid-to-mile-119.html : accessed [access date])