Day 11 - Part 1 :: Mile 145 to Matkatamiba Canyon

Saturday, September 27th would be a slow, easy day on the river. We would travel 20 miles (from mile 145 to mile 165), stop for one hike, go through four small rapids and one biggie.

As we left the 145 Mile campsite, the clouds that had moved in the previous day were still hanging around. The sun would occasionally make its presence known but never stuck around for very long.

We would go through a small rapid half a mile after leaving the campsite then float in calm waters for three miles before stopping at Matkatamiba (aka Matkat) Canyon for a hike.

Matkat is a slot canyon that provides unique challenges the further you proceed. Matt was concerned about the weather. It looked like it could rain and he didn't want us to get caught in a flash flood , so we would only go a little ways into the canyon.

This was another hike where we wore our rafting shoes rather than hiking boots. In most places the water was only a few inches deep. Shown above was the first "obstacle" a short distance into the hike. It was a little awkward, and it wasn't pretty, but we all made it up to the next level.

At the third  (or fourth ?) level the canyon makes another turn...

to some slippery steps up to the next level...

At this point, DJ and I decided not to go any further.  Matt said they weren't going to go too far (as it turned out they were only gone 5 minutes and the entire hike lasted a little over 20 minutes). Anyway, I wanted to take some pictures!

So I turned around and went back the way we had come.

An optical illusion? With the twists and turns it's hard to tell where it really goes.

This section required us to climb up/down the "steps" on the left to get around the little waterfall. Here the water was about knee deep.

On his way back, DJ inadvertently provided some idea of the width and height of the canyon.

The rest of the group caught up with us quickly but they took it slow going down these high steps.

A few minutes later we were back at the rafts ready to continue our journey. That's Matkatamiba Rapid in the background, it's only rated a 2 on the Grand Canyon scale.

Justin is moving on down the river.

We still had 17 miles to go and a few more rapids to run.

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If you're curious, like I was, about what we missed out on because the hike was cut short, just Google "Matkatamiba Canyon" and see for yourself!

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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 11 - Part 1 :: Mile 145 to Matkatamiba Canyon," Kinexxions, posted November 8, 2014 (http://kinexxions.blogspot.com/2014/11/day-11-part-1-mile-145-to-matkatamiba.html : accessed [access date])

Day 10 - Bonita Creek Rapid to Mile 145

On Friday, September 26th, we would travel 11.5 miles on the river (from mile 133.5 to mile 145), run six rapids ranging from a rating of 5 to 8, and have the opportunity to go on a hike.

One mile after leaving the campsite we passed through Tapeats Rapid.

Do you see an owl up in the canyon wall?

A short distance down the river from Tapeats we came to a mile-long section of the canyon known as Granite Narrows or Granite Gorge.

At one spot the width of the river shrinks to just 76 feet - its narrowest point within the Grand Canyon - but the rest of the gorge doesn't feel much wider. Silence surrounds us as we float with the current. There is no chit-chat or laughter. We are simply in awe of it all.

At mile 137, about half a mile after exiting Granite Narrows, we stop at Deer Creek for a hike. One of the private groups was there too but left shortly after our arrival.

The trail goes up, through that "break" and up some more, way more!

This hike had three options to go with it. The first option was a relatively short route through Deer Creek with a little rock scrambling to a tall waterfall. The second and third options both took the steep trail to an area called the Patio that was, apparently, a little oasis. The third option was to continue on further beyond the Patio to a place called the Throne Room. From what I heard from others, the trail on that third option included a rather precarious, narrow ledge above a slot canyon!

It was an extremly challenging hike for those who chose to do it - everyone except me and KJ (one of the guides always stayed with the rafts). While KJ did whatever it was he had to do with the rafts, I waited in a nice shady spot relaxing and catching up on my trip notes.

Lower Deer Creek Waterfall, taken from a short distance upstream from where Deer Creek joins the Colorado River.

I have no idea how much time elapsed but KJ eventually escorted me to the lower waterfall. We walked through the creek a ways then climbed over a few boulders to get back to a small open area. He stayed for a few minutes then went back to the rafts. I had the place all to myself for about 2 hours!

There is nothing to provide scale, but this waterfall was at least 80 feet high! The force of the water coming down was tremendous. And it was loud, especially when you got close to it. There was no standing under this waterfall for a shower! But I did lay down in the stream for a few minutes. Quite refreshing!

At one point, eons ago, Deer Creek flowed over the top of that wall.

Simply Beautiful.

We had lunch after everyone returned from the hike. Deer Creek, to the right of the second raft, flows into the Colorado River and creates a little riffle.

We left Deer Creek in the early afternoon. I had forgotten to change the battery in the camera before leaving Deer Creek and it went dead shortly after this photo was taken. We traveled seven more miles downriver before stopping for the night. Dark clouds started moving in shortly after leaving Deer Creek. So, with the possibility of rain, tents were put up.

It was a rather warm night, one of the warmest thus far, so I slept outside. Until the wind picked up and a few raindrops hit the ground. The rain shower didn't amount to much but the wind was blowing sand all around so the night was spent in the tent. I missed waking up in the middle of the night and seeing the sky filled with stars!

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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 10 - Bonita Creek Rapid to Mile 145," Kinexxions, posted November 7, 2014 (http://kinexxions.blogspot.com/2014/11/day-10-bonita-creek-rapid-to-mile-145.html : accessed [access date])