RaftingGrandCanyon - User contributions [en]

The V Wave Podcast

2026-05-07T01:19:06Z

TomMartin:

Welcome to '''The V Wave Podcast!'''

[[File:GEM enters V Wave.jpg|thumb|GEM enters the V Wave. Courtesy Duwain Whitis]]

[[File:AlgarRadio1959.jpg|thumb|Herb Hirst (left) and Jim Algar on the radio to the South Rim, 1959. Photo courtesy The Huntington Library and the Robert Malott family.]]

[[File:Meander Canyon.jpg|thumb|In Meander Canyon headed for Cataract Canyon. Courtesy Tom Martin]]

[[File:USGS at Lava Falls 1923.jpg|thumb|The MARBLE held up by block and tackle at Lava Falls during a 98,500 cfs flood September 19, 1923. Courtesy USGS]]

[[File:Gates of Lodore Ramp 2023.jpg|thumb|Gates of Lodore Ramp on a busy summer day 2023. Courtesy Tom Martin]]

[[File:OMC Lees 1937 Cal Tech ps sm.jpg|thumb|Lees Ferry, 1937. Photo courtesy The Huntington Library.]]

[[File:FirstConcrete1960.jpg|thumb|June 17, 1960, first concrete in the foundation of Glan Canyon Dam. Courtesy National Archives]]

[[File:P1250391 stitch ps sm.jpg|thumb|Storm clouds build at Blacktail Canyon. Courtesy Tom Martin]]

[[File:Day 7 Kwagunt Crash 3 ps.jpg|thumb|Wayne Learn flying toward the Kwagunt beach in 1967 to rescue the pilot and passengers from a ditched Piper Comanche 6. Photo courtesy Louis Hudgin.]]

[[File:Sediment in lwr Cat.jpg|thumb|Sediment in lower Cataract Canyon. Photo courtesy Tom Martin.]]

[[File:Screenshot 2025-04-07 164814.jpg|thumb|Lees Ferry stage gauge during Blake's Trip, October-November 2025.]]

[[File:Toni and Robert at Redwall.jpg|thumb|Toni and Robert getting married at Redwall Cavern. Photo courtesy Toni Perry.]]

[[File:Erwin Oertli hands.jpg|thumb|Erwin Oertli's Hands after 60 years of rowing rivers. Photo courtesy Janet Oertli.]]

This podcast is created by a cast of river lovers who understand the river resource comes first.

On the shoulders of a healthy river do we recreate ourselves.

What comes second is river access, a VERY thorny V Wave all in itself. The V Wave discusses these things AND river ecology, recent river trips, river history, river management, and new changes on rivers. Have a topic you'd like to hear more about or help discuss? Get in touch with Tommartin@rrfw.org The V Wave is brought to you by River Runners For Wilderness. Special THANKS to Char and Trev for the idea behind this!

'''Podcast #1 August 21, 2023: The Case of the Steamboat Sting, Dinosaur National Park, 1957-1959.''' Join Tom Martin as he recounts a sting operation conducted on some do-it-yourself river runners at Dinosaur National Monument in 1957.

[[File:August_21_2023_the_steamboat_string_v_wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #2 August 23, 2023: Stocking fish above a dam and poisoning them below.''' John Weisheit and Tom Martin discuss killing smallmouth bass and green sunfish at the Colorado River Slough just below Glen Canyon Dam in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

[[File:2023.8.23 Weisheit and INTRO V Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #3 August 24, 2023: Recent Grand Canyon River Trip Report.''' Dr. Mathew Arnold and Tom Martin discuss Dr. Arnold's July 2023 18 day Lees to Pearce river trip through the Grand Canyon. They discuss the trip orientation, trip safety, boating on 17-19,000 cfs, and surviving a flip, also known as getting back on the horse after you are bucked off.

[[File:2023.8.24 Arnold and INTRO V Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #4 August 27, 2023: Colorado River Source To Sea In Sections.''' Wayne Belcher and Tom Martin discuss Wayne's journey to go from the Wind River Range to the Gulf of Califocnia on the Colorado River in sections. Wayne is now 7 years into this project and only has 10% of the distance to complete.

[[File:2023.8.27 Belcher and INTRO V Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #5 August 28, 2023: There Is Work To Be Done: Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni.''' Jeff Ingram has been advocating for a unified Greater Grand Canyon for over 60 years. Jeff and host Tom Martin discusses the amazing potential to unify the interpretation of, and protection for, the greater Grand Canyon with the creation of '''Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni National Monument'''.

[[File:2023.8.28 Ingram V Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #6 September 1, 2023: ABC section of the Green River Goes RecDOTGov Part 1''' Murry, UT, plumber, family man, and river runner Aaron Olsen talks about his experiences with the ABC Section of the Green River and his concerns about RecDOTGov taking over campsite reservations.

[[File:2023.8.31 Olsen V Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #7 September 3, 2023: RecDOTGov with Dennis Willis: This is going to get worse Part 2''' Retired BLM Recreation Planner Dennis Willis recounts the history and pitfalls of RecDOTGov.

[[File:2023.9.3 Willis V Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #8 September 7, 2023: BLM Vision Statement with Dennis Willis: Partnering With Commercialization Part 3
Retired BLM Recreation Planner Dennis Willis explores the Bureau of Land Managements latest Vision Statement. The BLM Vision Statement is here:
⁠https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2023-08/Blueprint%20for%2021st%20Century%20Outdoor%20Recreation508.pdf⁠
Written comments can be sent to blm_recreation_feedback@blm.gov

[[File:2023.9.7 Willis and INTRO V Wave Final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #9 September 15, 2023: Shelly Martin: I Did It Myself'''
Shelly Martin recounts purchasing a 16 foot cataraft and rowing it through Grand Canyon from Lees Ferry to Diamond Creek in August, 2023. The cat was new to her and she had never rowed Grand Canyon before.

[[File:2023.9.25 shelly martin did it herself v wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #10 September 21, 2023: Rain Moves Rocks'''
In May of 2023, I received an invitation from the USGS to review a proposal focusing on campsites and debris/flows flood hazard in the Grand Canyon. That lead to a meeting in Flagstaff on September 20, 2023. USGS Hyrologist Paul Grams joins this podcast to review yesterday's meeting and speak about a flood/debris flow/rain on cliffs warning system.

[[File:2023.9.21_Paul_Grams_V_Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #11 October 2, 2023: Low Water Grand Canyon in September 2023: Family, Flips, and Motors V Oars in Hance!'''
River runner Bob Woodward just completed a 21 day Grand Canyon river trip with his wife, children, and grandchild. Bob recounts the difficulties they had with low water, two boats flipping at Horn Creek, arranging a helivac for a hiker, and dealing with a motorized tour boat running into one of their rafts in Hance Rapid.

[[File:2023.10.2 Woodward and Intro V Wave Final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #12 November 6, 2023: Talking With A Dam'''
John Weisheit, Co-founder of Living Rivers, speaks about scoping comments prepared for the Bureau of Reclamation Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for Operations at Glen Canyon Dam.

[[File:November_6_2323_Talking_To_A_Dam.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #13 February 8, 2024: Self-Support Rafting'''
Adam Hopkins and James Tansey discuss their January to February, 2024, 14 day long Grand Canyon river trip. Even with 14 days, they hiked a lot. One trick they used was to not bring ice in their coolers.

[[File:2024.2.8 V Wave Hopkins and Tansey.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #14 March 26, 2024: Shelly Martin: I Did It Myself PART 2'''
Shelly Martin recounts her February 2024 Grand Canyon river trip rowing a 16 foot cataraft from Lees Ferry to Pearce Ferry.

[[File:INTRO V Wave and 3.26.2024.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #15 August 1, 2024: 10 and 8 Year-olds Set Record in Grand Canyon'''
Amanda Burnham-Marusich and her husband Macy recount their Grand Canyon kayaking trip with their daughter Azalea (age 10) and son Wylie (age 8). Both children paddled the entire distance themselves, setting a new record as the youngest girl and boy to kayak the entire length of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon.

[[File:Burnham vwave.8.1.2024 final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #16 February 5, 2025: Being Voted Off The Team'''
Sophie Hilaire recounts what happened on her January 2025 Grand Canyon river trip when the Qualified Boat Operator endangered the team. Her group unanimously told him to leave at Bright Angel, and he did.

[[File:Sophie_hilaire_vwave_2_5_2025_final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #17 February 25, 2025: Grand Canyon Solo in a Wooden Dory'''
Chris Thornley is no stranger to solo Grand Canyon river trips. He'd done 7 solos in a rubber raft. In the fall of 2024 he purchased a used wooden dory. In this V Wave, Chris and I talk about his January 2025 Grand canyon solo dory trip.

[[File:Vwave chris thornley 2.25.25 FINAL.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #18 March 7, 2025: Day 1 Grand Canyon Broken Tibia'''
Patty Pinkham recounts her lessons learned when she rafted over the center boulder in Badger Rapid. The resultant boat flip broke her leg on Day 1 of her Grand Canyon river trip.

[[File:2025.3.7 Patty Pinkam VWave Final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #19 March 18, 2025: Tolio Foot Rot Explained By Dr. Tom Myers'''
Dr. Tom Myers discusses how to take care of your feet on Grand Canyon River Trips. Thanks to Christina King for suggesting this topic. You can see a paper Dr. Myers and others wrote about this topic [https://wiki.rrfw.org/images/2/22/Myers-2020-tolio-in-grand-canyon.pdf '''HERE.''']

[[File:2025.3.18 Myers V Wave FINAL.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #20 March 27, 2025: Mud Heads On Dirt'''
In this Podcast I speak with Sedimentology experts Sam Baggie, Brenda Bowen, Mike Dehoff, and John Weisheit about the reservoir sediment moving out of lower Cataract Canyon. We also discuss the San Juan arm of the reservoir behind Glen Canyon Dam and the sediment in the lower end of the Grand Canyon deposited by the reservoir behind Hoover Dam.

[[File:mud_heads_v_wave_mar_27_2025 Final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #21 April 10, 2025: Humble Pie or Zoroaster the Disaster'''
Blake Millecam and Dusty Spath recall their October 2024 Grand Canyon river trip. A flip in Georgie (24 Mile) Rapid was followed by a flush through boulders and a pinned dory along the right shore at Zoroaster and a flip at Lava.

[[File:Vwave humble pie apr 10 25 final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #22 April 29, 2025: The Perfect Run: Married At Redwall Cavern'''
Toni and Robert Perry recount getting married in April, 2025, at Redwall Cavern on their 8 person Grand Canyon river trip.

[[File:Vwave perfect run 4.29.25 final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #23 May 17, 2025: River Hands: A Lifetime Of Rowing'''
Janet Oertli recounts her 2025 Grand Canyon River Trip and her father Erwin Oertli's over 50 years of river running. You can follow along looking at the pictures we are talking about at this [https://photos.app.goo.gl/pK81SLZJCb9ZGw156 link].

[[File:Vwave river hands 2025 05 17 q.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #24 July 23, 2025: Flash Flood At Deubendorff; A Firsthand Account'''
Lani Gordon and Larkin Carey recount watching a flash flood exit the mouth of Galloway Canyon into Deubendorff Rapid on August 22, 2024. That flash flood rearranged the boulders in the rapid as they watched. We also discuss some flash flood history in Grand Canyon and flash flood situational awareness while on river trips.
[[File:Vwave Flash Flood 2025 07 23 Final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #25 February 11, 2026: Soloing Grand Canyon at 74 Years Young'''
On September 2, 2025, 75-year-old Bruce McElya launched his 17 foot cataraft at Lees Ferry, AZ. Three weeks later, he reached Pearce Ferry, 280 miles distant. This was Bruce's 11th solo Grand Canyon rafting trip. In this V Wave, Bruce discusses his background in river running and about this solo trip rafting Grand Canyon.
[[File:Mcelya_FINAL_2.11.26.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #26 May 4, 2026: Permit Holder Things To Know'''
Janine Millam is acting as permit holder for her deaf brother. We review some things the permit holder should know to make their Grand Canyon river trip run smoother.
[[File:may_4_2026_ph_talk_v_wave.mp3]]

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We at River Runners for Wilderness (RRFW) are working hard to make sure do-it-yourself river runners have a seat at the resource protection and river access table. You can join RRFW (Membership is Free!) by clicking [https://rrfw.org/membership here]. Did you find this all volunteer-built WIKI helpful? You can express your appreciation with a donation to the non-profit River Runners for Wilderness [https://rrfw.org/catalog/donations here]! Thank you! (September 2023)

Click [[Main Page | '''here''']] to return to the '''Main Page'''.

The V Wave Podcast

2026-05-07T00:33:57Z

TomMartin: Podcast # 26 upload

Welcome to '''The V Wave Podcast!'''

[[File:GEM enters V Wave.jpg|thumb|GEM enters the V Wave. Courtesy Duwain Whitis]]

[[File:AlgarRadio1959.jpg|thumb|Herb Hirst (left) and Jim Algar on the radio to the South Rim, 1959. Photo courtesy The Huntington Library and the Robert Malott family.]]

[[File:Meander Canyon.jpg|thumb|In Meander Canyon headed for Cataract Canyon. Courtesy Tom Martin]]

[[File:USGS at Lava Falls 1923.jpg|thumb|The MARBLE held up by block and tackle at Lava Falls during a 98,500 cfs flood September 19, 1923. Courtesy USGS]]

[[File:Gates of Lodore Ramp 2023.jpg|thumb|Gates of Lodore Ramp on a busy summer day 2023. Courtesy Tom Martin]]

[[File:OMC Lees 1937 Cal Tech ps sm.jpg|thumb|Lees Ferry, 1937. Photo courtesy The Huntington Library.]]

[[File:FirstConcrete1960.jpg|thumb|June 17, 1960, first concrete in the foundation of Glan Canyon Dam. Courtesy National Archives]]

[[File:P1250391 stitch ps sm.jpg|thumb|Storm clouds build at Blacktail Canyon. Courtesy Tom Martin]]

[[File:Day 7 Kwagunt Crash 3 ps.jpg|thumb|Wayne Learn flying toward the Kwagunt beach in 1967 to rescue the pilot and passengers from a ditched Piper Comanche 6. Photo courtesy Louis Hudgin.]]

[[File:Sediment in lwr Cat.jpg|thumb|Sediment in lower Cataract Canyon. Photo courtesy Tom Martin.]]

[[File:Screenshot 2025-04-07 164814.jpg|thumb|Lees Ferry stage gauge during Blake's Trip, October-November 2025.]]

[[File:Toni and Robert at Redwall.jpg|thumb|Toni and Robert getting married at Redwall Cavern. Photo courtesy Toni Perry.]]

[[File:Erwin Oertli hands.jpg|thumb|Erwin Oertli's Hands after 60 years of rowing rivers. Photo courtesy Janet Oertli.]]

This podcast is created by a cast of river lovers who understand the river resource comes first.

On the shoulders of a healthy river do we recreate ourselves.

What comes second is river access, a VERY thorny V Wave all in itself. The V Wave discusses these things AND river ecology, recent river trips, river history, river management, and new changes on rivers. Have a topic you'd like to hear more about or help discuss? Get in touch with Tommartin@rrfw.org The V Wave is brought to you by River Runners For Wilderness. Special THANKS to Char and Trev for the idea behind this!

'''Podcast #1 August 21, 2023: The Case of the Steamboat Sting, Dinosaur National Park, 1957-1959.''' Join Tom Martin as he recounts a sting operation conducted on some do-it-yourself river runners at Dinosaur National Monument in 1957.

[[File:August_21_2023_the_steamboat_string_v_wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #2 August 23, 2023: Stocking fish above a dam and poisoning them below.''' John Weisheit and Tom Martin discuss killing smallmouth bass and green sunfish at the Colorado River Slough just below Glen Canyon Dam in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

[[File:2023.8.23 Weisheit and INTRO V Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #3 August 24, 2023: Recent Grand Canyon River Trip Report.''' Dr. Mathew Arnold and Tom Martin discuss Dr. Arnold's July 2023 18 day Lees to Pearce river trip through the Grand Canyon. They discuss the trip orientation, trip safety, boating on 17-19,000 cfs, and surviving a flip, also known as getting back on the horse after you are bucked off.

[[File:2023.8.24 Arnold and INTRO V Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #4 August 27, 2023: Colorado River Source To Sea In Sections.''' Wayne Belcher and Tom Martin discuss Wayne's journey to go from the Wind River Range to the Gulf of Califocnia on the Colorado River in sections. Wayne is now 7 years into this project and only has 10% of the distance to complete.

[[File:2023.8.27 Belcher and INTRO V Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #5 August 28, 2023: There Is Work To Be Done: Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni.''' Jeff Ingram has been advocating for a unified Greater Grand Canyon for over 60 years. Jeff and host Tom Martin discusses the amazing potential to unify the interpretation of, and protection for, the greater Grand Canyon with the creation of '''Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni National Monument'''.

[[File:2023.8.28 Ingram V Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #6 September 1, 2023: ABC section of the Green River Goes RecDOTGov Part 1''' Murry, UT, plumber, family man, and river runner Aaron Olsen talks about his experiences with the ABC Section of the Green River and his concerns about RecDOTGov taking over campsite reservations.

[[File:2023.8.31 Olsen V Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #7 September 3, 2023: RecDOTGov with Dennis Willis: This is going to get worse Part 2''' Retired BLM Recreation Planner Dennis Willis recounts the history and pitfalls of RecDOTGov.

[[File:2023.9.3 Willis V Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #8 September 7, 2023: BLM Vision Statement with Dennis Willis: Partnering With Commercialization Part 3
Retired BLM Recreation Planner Dennis Willis explores the Bureau of Land Managements latest Vision Statement. The BLM Vision Statement is here:
⁠https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2023-08/Blueprint%20for%2021st%20Century%20Outdoor%20Recreation508.pdf⁠
Written comments can be sent to blm_recreation_feedback@blm.gov

[[File:2023.9.7 Willis and INTRO V Wave Final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #9 September 15, 2023: Shelly Martin: I Did It Myself'''
Shelly Martin recounts purchasing a 16 foot cataraft and rowing it through Grand Canyon from Lees Ferry to Diamond Creek in August, 2023. The cat was new to her and she had never rowed Grand Canyon before.

[[File:2023.9.25 shelly martin did it herself v wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #10 September 21, 2023: Rain Moves Rocks'''
In May of 2023, I received an invitation from the USGS to review a proposal focusing on campsites and debris/flows flood hazard in the Grand Canyon. That lead to a meeting in Flagstaff on September 20, 2023. USGS Hyrologist Paul Grams joins this podcast to review yesterday's meeting and speak about a flood/debris flow/rain on cliffs warning system.

[[File:2023.9.21_Paul_Grams_V_Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #11 October 2, 2023: Low Water Grand Canyon in September 2023: Family, Flips, and Motors V Oars in Hance!'''
River runner Bob Woodward just completed a 21 day Grand Canyon river trip with his wife, children, and grandchild. Bob recounts the difficulties they had with low water, two boats flipping at Horn Creek, arranging a helivac for a hiker, and dealing with a motorized tour boat running into one of their rafts in Hance Rapid.

[[File:2023.10.2 Woodward and Intro V Wave Final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #12 November 6, 2023: Talking With A Dam'''
John Weisheit, Co-founder of Living Rivers, speaks about scoping comments prepared for the Bureau of Reclamation Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for Operations at Glen Canyon Dam.

[[File:November_6_2323_Talking_To_A_Dam.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #13 February 8, 2024: Self-Support Rafting'''
Adam Hopkins and James Tansey discuss their January to February, 2024, 14 day long Grand Canyon river trip. Even with 14 days, they hiked a lot. One trick they used was to not bring ice in their coolers.

[[File:2024.2.8 V Wave Hopkins and Tansey.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #14 March 26, 2024: Shelly Martin: I Did It Myself PART 2'''
Shelly Martin recounts her February 2024 Grand Canyon river trip rowing a 16 foot cataraft from Lees Ferry to Pearce Ferry.

[[File:INTRO V Wave and 3.26.2024.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #15 August 1, 2024: 10 and 8 Year-olds Set Record in Grand Canyon'''
Amanda Burnham-Marusich and her husband Macy recount their Grand Canyon kayaking trip with their daughter Azalea (age 10) and son Wylie (age 8). Both children paddled the entire distance themselves, setting a new record as the youngest girl and boy to kayak the entire length of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon.

[[File:Burnham vwave.8.1.2024 final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #16 February 5, 2025: Being Voted Off The Team'''
Sophie Hilaire recounts what happened on her January 2025 Grand Canyon river trip when the Qualified Boat Operator endangered the team. Her group unanimously told him to leave at Bright Angel, and he did.

[[File:Sophie_hilaire_vwave_2_5_2025_final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #17 February 25, 2025: Grand Canyon Solo in a Wooden Dory'''
Chris Thornley is no stranger to solo Grand Canyon river trips. He'd done 7 solos in a rubber raft. In the fall of 2024 he purchased a used wooden dory. In this V Wave, Chris and I talk about his January 2025 Grand canyon solo dory trip.

[[File:Vwave chris thornley 2.25.25 FINAL.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #18 March 7, 2025: Day 1 Grand Canyon Broken Tibia'''
Patty Pinkham recounts her lessons learned when she rafted over the center boulder in Badger Rapid. The resultant boat flip broke her leg on Day 1 of her Grand Canyon river trip.

[[File:2025.3.7 Patty Pinkam VWave Final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #19 March 18, 2025: Tolio Foot Rot Explained By Dr. Tom Myers'''
Dr. Tom Myers discusses how to take care of your feet on Grand Canyon River Trips. Thanks to Christina King for suggesting this topic. You can see a paper Dr. Myers and others wrote about this topic [https://wiki.rrfw.org/images/2/22/Myers-2020-tolio-in-grand-canyon.pdf '''HERE.''']

[[File:2025.3.18 Myers V Wave FINAL.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #20 March 27, 2025: Mud Heads On Dirt'''
In this Podcast I speak with Sedimentology experts Sam Baggie, Brenda Bowen, Mike Dehoff, and John Weisheit about the reservoir sediment moving out of lower Cataract Canyon. We also discuss the San Juan arm of the reservoir behind Glen Canyon Dam and the sediment in the lower end of the Grand Canyon deposited by the reservoir behind Hoover Dam.

[[File:mud_heads_v_wave_mar_27_2025 Final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #21 April 10, 2025: Humble Pie or Zoroaster the Disaster'''
Blake Millecam and Dusty Spath recall their October 2024 Grand Canyon river trip. A flip in Georgie (24 Mile) Rapid was followed by a flush through boulders and a pinned dory along the right shore at Zoroaster and a flip at Lava.

[[File:Vwave humble pie apr 10 25 final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #22 April 29, 2025: The Perfect Run: Married At Redwall Cavern'''
Toni and Robert Perry recount getting married in April, 2025, at Redwall Cavern on their 8 person Grand Canyon river trip.

[[File:Vwave perfect run 4.29.25 final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #23 May 17, 2025: River Hands: A Lifetime Of Rowing'''
Janet Oertli recounts her 2025 Grand Canyon River Trip and her father Erwin Oertli's over 50 years of river running. You can follow along looking at the pictures we are talking about at this [https://photos.app.goo.gl/pK81SLZJCb9ZGw156 link].

[[File:Vwave river hands 2025 05 17 q.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #24 July 23, 2025: Flash Flood At Deubendorff; A Firsthand Account'''
Lani Gordon and Larkin Carey recount watching a flash flood exit the mouth of Galloway Canyon into Deubendorff Rapid on August 22, 2024. That flash flood rearranged the boulders in the rapid as they watched. We also discuss some flash flood history in Grand Canyon and flash flood situational awareness while on river trips.
[[File:Vwave Flash Flood 2025 07 23 Final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #25 February 11, 2026: Soloing Grand Canyon at 74 Years Young'''
On September 2, 2025, 75-year-old Bruce McElya launched his 17 foot cataraft at Lees Ferry, AZ. Three weeks later, he reached Pearce Ferry, 280 miles distant. This was Bruce's 11th solo Grand Canyon rafting trip. In this V Wave, Bruce discusses his background in river running and about this solo trip rafting Grand Canyon.
[[File:Mcelya_FINAL_2.11.26.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #26 May 4, 2026: Permit Holder Things To Know'''
Janine Millam is acting as permit holder for her deaf brother. We review some things the permit holder should know to make their trip run smoother.
[[File:may_4_2026_ph_talk_v_wave.mp3]]

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We at River Runners for Wilderness (RRFW) are working hard to make sure do-it-yourself river runners have a seat at the resource protection and river access table. You can join RRFW (Membership is Free!) by clicking [https://rrfw.org/membership here]. Did you find this all volunteer-built WIKI helpful? You can express your appreciation with a donation to the non-profit River Runners for Wilderness [https://rrfw.org/catalog/donations here]! Thank you! (September 2023)

Click [[Main Page | '''here''']] to return to the '''Main Page'''.

File:May 4 2026 ph talk v wave.mp3

2026-05-07T00:22:30Z

TomMartin: Janine Millam visits with Tom Martin about being a Permit Holder on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National park.

== Summary ==
Janine Millam visits with Tom Martin about being a Permit Holder on the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National park.

Main Page

2026-05-07T00:14:15Z

TomMartin:

<strong>Rafting Grand Canyon is currently being migrated.</strong>
== '''WELCOME TO THE RAFTING GRAND CANYON WIKI!''' ==

[[Image:Three boats above House Rock.jpg‎|300px|right]]

This is a peer-produced on-line guide to all aspects of planning, conducting and participating in a do-it-yourself journey on the Colorado River through Grand Canyon National Park.

To see what's here, click on any of the titles in the list of main headings on the left of this page.

'''The [[Table of Contents]] might be a good place to start.''' There's also a search function on the left side of this page as well.

You can participate in the writing of this guide! The [[Editorial board]] of this guide would like to hear from you. Logged in users can participate in the discussion. Please provide your experience/updates to any section of this guide. Your contributions may be added to the articles by the editorial staff. If you wish, you name will also be listed in the [[List of Co-Authors]], if your suggestions are incorporated in this project. River Runners for Wilderness holds the copyright for this project.

Consult the [http://meta.wikipedia.org/wiki/MediaWiki_User%27s_Guide User's Guide] for information on using the WIKI software.

Have a question/comment/suggestion about this site and want to ask/tell someone about it? If so, please send an e-mail to any or all of the following folks:

[mailto:%74%6F%6D%6D%61%72%74%69%6E%40%72%72%66%77%2E%6F%72%67 Tom Martin]

[mailto:%6A%6F%6A%6F%68%6E%73%6F%6E%40%72%72%66%77%2E%6F%72%67 Jo Johnson]

[mailto:%74%6F%6D%72%6F%62%65%79%40%72%72%66%77%2E%6F%72%67 Tom Robey]

'''PLEASE report broken links to the folks above. Thanks!'''

This resource is a free on-line service to the river running community from River Runners For Wilderness. You can check out the '''River Runners For Wilderness''' web site by clicking [https://RRFW.org here.]

'''''On Facebook?'' Now you can ask other river runners about the river at the Facebook Group [https://www.facebook.com/groups/raftgc/ Rafting Grand Canyon]!

This Rafting Grand Canyon WIKI is provided as a free service by River Runners For Wilderness (RRFW.org) to the whitewater boating community, to promote communication about the Grand Canyon river trip experience between whitewater enthusiasts. RRFW assumes no responsibility for the content of messages posted to and pages posted on this WIKI, and RRFW does not assume responsibility for river trips or other activities arranged through and with the use of this list.

Use of this WIKI, including setting up a user name and password, does not constitute membership in River Runners For Wilderness.

We at River Runners For Wilderness (RRFW) are working hard to make sure do-it-yourself river runners have a seat at the river access and resource protection table. You can join RRFW (Membership is Free!) by clicking [https://rrfw.org/membership here].

Did you find this all volunteer-built WIKI helpful? You can express your appreciation with a donation to the non-profit River Runners for Wilderness [https://rrfw.org/catalog/donations here]! You can also email any of the folks above and simply say "Thank you!" 05-2026

2025-04-30T00:30:51Z

TomMartin:

File:Vwave perfect run 4.29.25 final.mp3

2025-04-30T00:26:55Z

TomMartin:

Main Page

2025-04-30T00:20:42Z

TomMartin:

The V Wave Podcast

2025-04-11T05:16:27Z

TomMartin:

Welcome to '''The V Wave Podcast!'''

[[File:GEM enters V Wave.jpg|thumb|GEM enters the V Wave. Courtesy Duwain Whitis]]

[[File:AlgarRadio1959.jpg|thumb|Herb Hirst (left) and Jim Algar on the radio to the South Rim, 1959. Photo courtesy The Huntington Library and the Robert Malott family.]]

[[File:Meander Canyon.jpg|thumb|In Meander Canyon headed for Cataract Canyon. Courtesy Tom Martin]]

[[File:USGS at Lava Falls 1923.jpg|thumb|The MARBLE held up by block and tackle at Lava Falls during a 98,500 cfs flood September 19, 1923. Courtesy USGS]]

[[File:Gates of Lodore Ramp 2023.jpg|thumb|Gates of Lodore Ramp on a busy summer day 2023. Courtesy Tom Martin]]

[[File:OMC Lees 1937 Cal Tech ps sm.jpg|thumb|Lees Ferry, 1937. Photo courtesy The Huntington Library.]]

[[File:FirstConcrete1960.jpg|thumb|June 17, 1960, first concrete in the foundation of Glan Canyon Dam. Courtesy National Archives]]

[[File:P1250391 stitch ps sm.jpg|thumb|Storm clouds build at Blacktail Canyon. Courtesy Tom Martin]]

[[File:Day 7 Kwagunt Crash 3 ps.jpg|thumb|Wayne Learn flying toward the Kwagunt beach in 1967 to rescue the pilot and passengers from a ditched Piper Comanche 6. Photo courtesy Louis Hudgin.]]

[[File:Sediment in lwr Cat.jpg|thumb|Sediment in lower Cataract Canyon. Photo courtesy Tom Martin.]]

[[File:Screenshot 2025-04-07 164814.jpg|thumb|Lees Ferry stage gauge during Blake's Trip, October-November 2025.]]

This podcast is created by a cast of river lovers who understand the river resource comes first.

On the shoulders of a healthy river do we recreate ourselves.

What comes second is river access, a VERY thorny V Wave all in itself. The V Wave discusses these things AND river ecology, recent river trips, river history, river management, and new changes on rivers. Have a topic you'd like to hear more about or help discuss? Get in touch with Tommartin@rrfw.org The V Wave is brought to you by River Runners For Wilderness. Special THANKS to Char and Trev for the idea behind this!

'''Podcast #1 August 21, 2023: The Case of the Steamboat Sting, Dinosaur National Park, 1957-1959.''' Join Tom Martin as he recounts a sting operation conducted on some do-it-yourself river runners at Dinosaur National Monument in 1957.

[[File:August_21_2023_the_steamboat_string_v_wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #2 August 23, 2023: Stocking fish above a dam and poisoning them below.''' John Weisheit and Tom Martin discuss killing smallmouth bass and green sunfish at the Colorado River Slough just below Glen Canyon Dam in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

[[File:2023.8.23 Weisheit and INTRO V Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #3 August 24, 2023: Recent Grand Canyon River Trip Report.''' Dr. Mathew Arnold and Tom Martin discuss Dr. Arnold's July 2023 18 day Lees to Pearce river trip through the Grand Canyon. They discuss the trip orientation, trip safety, boating on 17-19,000 cfs, and surviving a flip, also known as getting back on the horse after you are bucked off.

[[File:2023.8.24 Arnold and INTRO V Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #4 August 27, 2023: Colorado River Source To Sea In Sections.''' Wayne Belcher and Tom Martin discuss Wayne's journey to go from the Wind River Range to the Gulf of Califocnia on the Colorado River in sections. Wayne is now 7 years into this project and only has 10% of the distance to complete.

[[File:2023.8.27 Belcher and INTRO V Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #5 August 28, 2023: There Is Work To Be Done: Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni.''' Jeff Ingram has been advocating for a unified Greater Grand Canyon for over 60 years. Jeff and host Tom Martin discusses the amazing potential to unify the interpretation of, and protection for, the greater Grand Canyon with the creation of '''Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni National Monument'''.

[[File:2023.8.28 Ingram V Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #6 September 1, 2023: ABC section of the Green River Goes RecDOTGov Part 1''' Murry, UT, plumber, family man, and river runner Aaron Olsen talks about his experiences with the ABC Section of the Green River and his concerns about RecDOTGov taking over campsite reservations.

[[File:2023.8.31 Olsen V Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #7 September 3, 2023: RecDOTGov with Dennis Willis: This is going to get worse Part 2''' Retired BLM Recreation Planner Dennis Willis recounts the history and pitfalls of RecDOTGov.

[[File:2023.9.3 Willis V Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #8 September 7, 2023: BLM Vision Statement with Dennis Willis: Partnering With Commercialization Part 3
Retired BLM Recreation Planner Dennis Willis explores the Bureau of Land Managements latest Vision Statement. The BLM Vision Statement is here:
⁠https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2023-08/Blueprint%20for%2021st%20Century%20Outdoor%20Recreation508.pdf⁠
Written comments can be sent to blm_recreation_feedback@blm.gov

[[File:2023.9.7 Willis and INTRO V Wave Final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #9 September 15, 2023: Shelly Martin: I Did It Myself'''
Shelly Martin recounts purchasing a 16 foot cataraft and rowing it through Grand Canyon from Lees Ferry to Diamond Creek in August, 2023. The cat was new to her and she had never rowed Grand Canyon before.

[[File:2023.9.25 shelly martin did it herself v wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #10 September 21, 2023: Rain Moves Rocks'''
In May of 2023, I received an invitation from the USGS to review a proposal focusing on campsites and debris/flows flood hazard in the Grand Canyon. That lead to a meeting in Flagstaff on September 20, 2023. USGS Hyrologist Paul Grams joins this podcast to review yesterday's meeting and speak about a flood/debris flow/rain on cliffs warning system.

[[File:2023.9.21_Paul_Grams_V_Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #11 October 2, 2023: Low Water Grand Canyon in September 2023: Family, Flips, and Motors V Oars in Hance!'''
River runner Bob Woodward just completed a 21 day Grand Canyon river trip with his wife, children, and grandchild. Bob recounts the difficulties they had with low water, two boats flipping at Horn Creek, arranging a helivac for a hiker, and dealing with a motorized tour boat running into one of their rafts in Hance Rapid.

[[File:2023.10.2 Woodward and Intro V Wave Final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #12 November 6, 2023: Talking With A Dam'''
John Weisheit, Co-founder of Living Rivers, speaks about scoping comments prepared for the Bureau of Reclamation Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for Operations at Glen Canyon Dam.

[[File:November_6_2323_Talking_To_A_Dam.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #13 February 8, 2024: Self-Support Rafting'''
Adam Hopkins and James Tansey discuss their January to February, 2024, 14 day long Grand Canyon river trip. Even with 14 days, they hiked a lot. One trick they used was to not bring ice in their coolers.

[[File:2024.2.8 V Wave Hopkins and Tansey.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #14 March 26, 2024: Shelly Martin: I Did It Myself PART 2'''
Shelly Martin recounts her February 2024 Grand Canyon river trip rowing a 16 foot cataraft from Lees Ferry to Pearce Ferry.

[[File:INTRO V Wave and 3.26.2024.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #15 August 1, 2024: 10 and 8 Year-olds Set Record in Grand Canyon'''
Amanda Burnham-Marusich and her husband Macy recount their Grand Canyon kayaking trip with their daughter Azalea (age 10) and son Wylie (age 8). Both children paddled the entire distance themselves, setting a new record as the youngest girl and boy to kayak the entire length of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon.

[[File:Burnham vwave.8.1.2024 final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #16 February 5, 2025: Being Voted Off The Team'''
Sophie Hilaire recounts what happened on her January 2025 Grand Canyon river trip when the Qualified Boat Operator endangered the team. Her group unanimously told him to leave at Bright Angel, and he did.

[[File:Sophie_hilaire_vwave_2_5_2025_final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #17 February 25, 2025: Grand Canyon Solo in a Wooden Dory'''
Chris Thornley is no stranger to solo Grand Canyon river trips. He'd done 7 solos in a rubber raft. In the fall of 2024 he purchased a used wooden dory. In this V Wave, Chris and I talk about his January 2025 Grand canyon solo dory trip.

[[File:Vwave chris thornley 2.25.25 FINAL.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #18 March 7, 2025: Day 1 Grand Canyon Broken Tibia'''
Patty Pinkham recounts her lessons learned when she rafted over the center boulder in Badger Rapid. The resultant boat flip broke her leg on Day 1 of her Grand Canyon river trip.

[[File:2025.3.7 Patty Pinkam VWave Final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #19 March 18, 2025: Tolio Foot Rot Explained By Dr. Tom Myers'''
Dr. Tom Myers discusses how to take care of your feet on Grand Canyon River Trips. Thanks to Christina King for suggesting this topic. You can see a paper Dr. Myers and others wrote about this topic [https://wiki.rrfw.org/images/2/22/Myers-2020-tolio-in-grand-canyon.pdf '''HERE.''']

[[File:2025.3.18 Myers V Wave FINAL.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #20 March 27, 2025: Mud Heads On Dirt'''
In this Podcast I speak with Sedimentology experts Sam Baggie, Brenda Bowen, Mike Dehoff, and John Weisheit about the reservoir sediment moving out of lower Cataract Canyon. We also discuss the San Juan arm of the reservoir behind Glen Canyon Dam and the sediment in the lower end of the Grand Canyon deposited by the reservoir behind Hoover Dam.

[[File:mud_heads_v_wave_mar_27_2025 Final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #21 April 10, 2025: Humble Pie or Zoroaster the Disaster'''
Blake Millecam and Dusty Spath recall their October 2024 Grand Canyon river trip. A flip in Georgie (24 Mile) Rapid was followed by a flush through boulders and a pinned dory along the right shore at Zoroaster and a flip at Lava.

[[File:Vwave humble pie apr 10 25 final.mp3]]

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We at River Runners for Wilderness (RRFW) are working hard to make sure do-it-yourself river runners have a seat at the resource protection and river access table. You can join RRFW (Membership is Free!) by clicking [https://rrfw.org/membership here]. Did you find this all volunteer-built WIKI helpful? You can express your appreciation with a donation to the non-profit River Runners for Wilderness [https://rrfw.org/catalog/donations here]! Thank you! (September 2023)

Click [[Main Page | '''here''']] to return to the '''Main Page'''.

2025-03-31T00:02:38Z

TomMartin: Mud Heads On Dirt. In this interview I speak with Sedimentology experts Sam Baggie, Brenda Bowen, Mike Dehoff, and John Weisheit about the reservoir sediment moving out of lower Cataract Canyon. We also discuss the San Juan arm of the reservoir behind Glen Canyon Dam and the sediment in the lower end of the Grand Canyon deposited by the reservoir behind Hoover Dam.

== Summary ==
Mud Heads On Dirt. In this interview I speak with Sedimentology experts Sam Baggie, Brenda Bowen, Mike Dehoff, and John Weisheit about the reservoir sediment moving out of lower Cataract Canyon. We also discuss the San Juan arm of the reservoir behind Glen Canyon Dam and the sediment in the lower end of the Grand Canyon deposited by the reservoir behind Hoover Dam.

Main Page

2025-03-30T23:40:54Z

TomMartin:

The V Wave Podcast

2025-03-18T19:38:01Z

TomMartin: Next V Wave

Welcome to '''The V Wave Podcast!'''

[[File:GEM enters V Wave.jpg|thumb|GEM enters the V Wave. Courtesy Duwain Whitis]]

[[File:AlgarRadio1959.jpg|thumb|Herb Hirst (left) and Jim Algar on the radio to the South Rim, 1959. Photo courtesy The Huntington Library and the Robert Malott family.]]

[[File:Meander Canyon.jpg|thumb|In Meander Canyon headed for Cataract Canyon. Courtesy Tom Martin]]

[[File:USGS at Lava Falls 1923.jpg|thumb|The MARBLE held up by block and tackle at Lava Falls during a 98,500 cfs flood September 19, 1923. Courtesy USGS]]

[[File:Gates of Lodore Ramp 2023.jpg|thumb|Gates of Lodore Ramp on a busy summer day 2023. Courtesy Tom Martin]]

[[File:OMC Lees 1937 Cal Tech ps sm.jpg|thumb|Lees Ferry, 1937. Photo courtesy The Huntington Library.]]

[[File:FirstConcrete1960.jpg|thumb|June 17, 1960, first concrete in the foundation of Glan Canyon Dam. Courtesy National Archives]]

[[File:P1250391 stitch ps sm.jpg|thumb|Storm clouds build at Blacktail Canyon. Courtesy Tom Martin]]

[[File:Day 7 Kwagunt Crash 3 ps.jpg|thumb|Wayne Learn flying toward the Kwagunt beach in 1967 to rescue the pilot and passengers from a ditched Piper Comanche 6. Photo courtesy Louis Hudgin.]]

This podcast is created by a cast of river lovers who understand the river resource comes first.

On the shoulders of a healthy river do we recreate ourselves.

What comes second is river access, a VERY thorny V Wave all in itself. The V Wave discusses these things AND river ecology, recent river trips, river history, river management, and new changes on rivers. Have a topic you'd like to hear more about or help discuss? Get in touch with Tommartin@rrfw.org The V Wave is brought to you by River Runners For Wilderness. Special THANKS to Char and Trev for the idea behind this!

'''Podcast #1 August 21, 2023: The Case of the Steamboat Sting, Dinosaur National Park, 1957-1959.''' Join Tom Martin as he recounts a sting operation conducted on some do-it-yourself river runners at Dinosaur National Monument in 1957.

[[File:August_21_2023_the_steamboat_string_v_wave.mp3]]

~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~

'''Podcast #2 August 23, 2023: Stocking fish above a dam and poisoning them below.''' John Weisheit and Tom Martin discuss killing smallmouth bass and green sunfish at the Colorado River Slough just below Glen Canyon Dam in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

[[File:2023.8.23 Weisheit and INTRO V Wave.mp3]]

~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~

'''Podcast #3 August 24, 2023: Recent Grand Canyon River Trip Report.''' Dr. Mathew Arnold and Tom Martin discuss Dr. Arnold's July 2023 18 day Lees to Pearce river trip through the Grand Canyon. They discuss the trip orientation, trip safety, boating on 17-19,000 cfs, and surviving a flip, also known as getting back on the horse after you are bucked off.

[[File:2023.8.24 Arnold and INTRO V Wave.mp3]]

~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~

'''Podcast #4 August 27, 2023: Colorado River Source To Sea In Sections.''' Wayne Belcher and Tom Martin discuss Wayne's journey to go from the Wind River Range to the Gulf of Califocnia on the Colorado River in sections. Wayne is now 7 years into this project and only has 10% of the distance to complete.

[[File:2023.8.27 Belcher and INTRO V Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #5 August 28, 2023: There Is Work To Be Done: Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni.''' Jeff Ingram has been advocating for a unified Greater Grand Canyon for over 60 years. Jeff and host Tom Martin discusses the amazing potential to unify the interpretation of, and protection for, the greater Grand Canyon with the creation of '''Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni National Monument'''.

[[File:2023.8.28 Ingram V Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #6 September 1, 2023: ABC section of the Green River Goes RecDOTGov Part 1''' Murry, UT, plumber, family man, and river runner Aaron Olsen talks about his experiences with the ABC Section of the Green River and his concerns about RecDOTGov taking over campsite reservations.

[[File:2023.8.31 Olsen V Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #7 September 3, 2023: RecDOTGov with Dennis Willis: This is going to get worse Part 2''' Retired BLM Recreation Planner Dennis Willis recounts the history and pitfalls of RecDOTGov.

[[File:2023.9.3 Willis V Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #8 September 7, 2023: BLM Vision Statement with Dennis Willis: Partnering With Commercialization Part 3
Retired BLM Recreation Planner Dennis Willis explores the Bureau of Land Managements latest Vision Statement. The BLM Vision Statement is here:
⁠https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2023-08/Blueprint%20for%2021st%20Century%20Outdoor%20Recreation508.pdf⁠
Written comments can be sent to blm_recreation_feedback@blm.gov

[[File:2023.9.7 Willis and INTRO V Wave Final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #9 September 15, 2023: Shelly Martin: I Did It Myself'''
Shelly Martin recounts purchasing a 16 foot cataraft and rowing it through Grand Canyon from Lees Ferry to Diamond Creek in August, 2023. The cat was new to her and she had never rowed Grand Canyon before.

[[File:2023.9.25 shelly martin did it herself v wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #10 September 21, 2023: Rain Moves Rocks'''
In May of 2023, I received an invitation from the USGS to review a proposal focusing on campsites and debris/flows flood hazard in the Grand Canyon. That lead to a meeting in Flagstaff on September 20, 2023. USGS Hyrologist Paul Grams joins this podcast to review yesterday's meeting and speak about a flood/debris flow/rain on cliffs warning system.

[[File:2023.9.21_Paul_Grams_V_Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #11 October 2, 2023: Low Water Grand Canyon in September 2023: Family, Flips, and Motors V Oars in Hance!'''
River runner Bob Woodward just completed a 21 day Grand Canyon river trip with his wife, children, and grandchild. Bob recounts the difficulties they had with low water, two boats flipping at Horn Creek, arranging a helivac for a hiker, and dealing with a motorized tour boat running into one of their rafts in Hance Rapid.

[[File:2023.10.2 Woodward and Intro V Wave Final.mp3]]

~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~=~

'''Podcast #12 November 6, 2023: Talking With A Dam'''
John Weisheit, Co-founder of Living Rivers, speaks about scoping comments prepared for the Bureau of Reclamation Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for Operations at Glen Canyon Dam.

[[File:November_6_2323_Talking_To_A_Dam.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #13 February 8, 2024: Self-Support Rafting'''
Adam Hopkins and James Tansey discuss their January to February, 2024, 14 day long Grand Canyon river trip. Even with 14 days, they hiked a lot. One trick they used was to not bring ice in their coolers.

[[File:2024.2.8 V Wave Hopkins and Tansey.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #14 March 26, 2024: Shelly Martin: I Did It Myself PART 2'''
Shelly Martin recounts her February 2024 Grand Canyon river trip rowing a 16 foot cataraft from Lees Ferry to Pearce Ferry.

[[File:INTRO V Wave and 3.26.2024.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #15 August 1, 2024: 10 and 8 Year-olds Set Record in Grand Canyon'''
Amanda Burnham-Marusich and her husband Macy recount their Grand Canyon kayaking trip with their daughter Azalea (age 10) and son Wylie (age 8). Both children paddled the entire distance themselves, setting a new record as the youngest girl and boy to kayak the entire length of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon.

[[File:Burnham vwave.8.1.2024 final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #16 February 5, 2025: Being Voted Off The Team'''
Sophie Hilaire recounts what happened on her January 2025 Grand Canyon river trip when the Qualified Boat Operator endangered the team. Her group unanimously told him to leave at Bright Angel, and he did.

[[File:Sophie_hilaire_vwave_2_5_2025_final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #17 February 25, 2025: Grand Canyon Solo in a Wooden Dory'''
Chris Thornley is no stranger to solo Grand Canyon river trips. He'd done 7 solos in a rubber raft. In the fall of 2024 he purchased a used wooden dory. In this V Wave, Chris and I talk about his January 2025 Grand canyon solo dory trip.

[[File:Vwave chris thornley 2.25.25 FINAL.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #18 March 7, 2025: Day 1 Grand Canyon Broken Tibia'''
Patty Pinkham recounts her lessons learned when she rafted over the center boulder in Badger Rapid. The resultant boat flip broke her leg on Day 1 of her Grand Canyon river trip.

[[File:2025.3.7 Patty Pinkam VWave Final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #19 March 18, 2025: Tolio Foot Rot Explained By Dr. Tom Myers'''
Dr. Tom Myers discusses how to take care of your feet on Grand Canyon River Trips. Thanks to Christina King for suggesting this topic. You can see a paper Dr. Myers and others wrote about this topic [https://wiki.rrfw.org/images/2/22/Myers-2020-tolio-in-grand-canyon.pdf '''HERE.''']

[[File:2025.3.18 Myers V Wave FINAL.mp3]]

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We at River Runners for Wilderness (RRFW) are working hard to make sure do-it-yourself river runners have a seat at the resource protection and river access table. You can join RRFW (Membership is Free!) by clicking [https://rrfw.org/membership here]. Did you find this all volunteer-built WIKI helpful? You can express your appreciation with a donation to the non-profit River Runners for Wilderness [https://rrfw.org/catalog/donations here]! Thank you! (September 2023)

Click [[Main Page | '''here''']] to return to the '''Main Page'''.

File:Myers-2020-tolio-in-grand-canyon.pdf

2025-03-18T19:34:28Z

TomMartin: Tolio: Foot Rot in Grand Canyon River Runners

== Summary ==
Tolio: Foot Rot in Grand Canyon River Runners

File:2025.3.18 Myers V Wave FINAL.mp3

2025-03-18T19:29:37Z

TomMartin: Dr. Tom Myers discusses Tolio Foot Rot in Grand Canyon.

== Summary ==
Dr. Tom Myers discusses Tolio Foot Rot in Grand Canyon.

The V Wave Podcast

2025-03-07T22:55:11Z

TomMartin: Next V Wave 3.7.25

Welcome to '''The V Wave Podcast!'''

[[File:GEM enters V Wave.jpg|thumb|GEM enters the V Wave. Courtesy Duwain Whitis]]

[[File:AlgarRadio1959.jpg|thumb|Herb Hirst (left) and Jim Algar on the radio to the South Rim, 1959. Photo courtesy The Huntington Library and the Robert Malott family.]]

[[File:Meander Canyon.jpg|thumb|In Meander Canyon headed for Cataract Canyon. Courtesy Tom Martin]]

[[File:USGS at Lava Falls 1923.jpg|thumb|The MARBLE held up by block and tackle at Lava Falls during a 98,500 cfs flood September 19, 1923. Courtesy USGS]]

[[File:Gates of Lodore Ramp 2023.jpg|thumb|Gates of Lodore Ramp on a busy summer day 2023. Courtesy Tom Martin]]

[[File:OMC Lees 1937 Cal Tech ps sm.jpg|thumb|Lees Ferry, 1937. Photo courtesy The Huntington Library.]]

[[File:FirstConcrete1960.jpg|thumb|June 17, 1960, first concrete in the foundation of Glan Canyon Dam. Courtesy National Archives]]

[[File:P1250391 stitch ps sm.jpg|thumb|Storm clouds build at Blacktail Canyon. Courtesy Tom Martin]]

[[File:Day 7 Kwagunt Crash 3 ps.jpg|thumb|Wayne Learn flying toward the Kwagunt beach in 1967 to rescue the pilot and passengers from a ditched Piper Comanche 6. Photo courtesy Louis Hudgin.]]

This podcast is created by a cast of river lovers who understand the river resource comes first.

On the shoulders of a healthy river do we recreate ourselves.

What comes second is river access, a VERY thorny V Wave all in itself. The V Wave discusses these things AND river ecology, recent river trips, river history, river management, and new changes on rivers. Have a topic you'd like to hear more about or help discuss? Get in touch with Tommartin@rrfw.org The V Wave is brought to you by River Runners For Wilderness. Special THANKS to Char and Trev for the idea behind this!

'''Podcast #1 August 21, 2023: The Case of the Steamboat Sting, Dinosaur National Park, 1957-1959.''' Join Tom Martin as he recounts a sting operation conducted on some do-it-yourself river runners at Dinosaur National Monument in 1957.

[[File:August_21_2023_the_steamboat_string_v_wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #2 August 23, 2023: Stocking fish above a dam and poisoning them below.''' John Weisheit and Tom Martin discuss killing smallmouth bass and green sunfish at the Colorado River Slough just below Glen Canyon Dam in Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

[[File:2023.8.23 Weisheit and INTRO V Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #3 August 24, 2023: Recent Grand Canyon River Trip Report.''' Dr. Mathew Arnold and Tom Martin discuss Dr. Arnold's July 2023 18 day Lees to Pearce river trip through the Grand Canyon. They discuss the trip orientation, trip safety, boating on 17-19,000 cfs, and surviving a flip, also known as getting back on the horse after you are bucked off.

[[File:2023.8.24 Arnold and INTRO V Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #4 August 27, 2023: Colorado River Source To Sea In Sections.''' Wayne Belcher and Tom Martin discuss Wayne's journey to go from the Wind River Range to the Gulf of Califocnia on the Colorado River in sections. Wayne is now 7 years into this project and only has 10% of the distance to complete.

[[File:2023.8.27 Belcher and INTRO V Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #5 August 28, 2023: There Is Work To Be Done: Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni.''' Jeff Ingram has been advocating for a unified Greater Grand Canyon for over 60 years. Jeff and host Tom Martin discusses the amazing potential to unify the interpretation of, and protection for, the greater Grand Canyon with the creation of '''Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni National Monument'''.

[[File:2023.8.28 Ingram V Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #6 September 1, 2023: ABC section of the Green River Goes RecDOTGov Part 1''' Murry, UT, plumber, family man, and river runner Aaron Olsen talks about his experiences with the ABC Section of the Green River and his concerns about RecDOTGov taking over campsite reservations.

[[File:2023.8.31 Olsen V Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #7 September 3, 2023: RecDOTGov with Dennis Willis: This is going to get worse Part 2''' Retired BLM Recreation Planner Dennis Willis recounts the history and pitfalls of RecDOTGov.

[[File:2023.9.3 Willis V Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #8 September 7, 2023: BLM Vision Statement with Dennis Willis: Partnering With Commercialization Part 3
Retired BLM Recreation Planner Dennis Willis explores the Bureau of Land Managements latest Vision Statement. The BLM Vision Statement is here:
⁠https://www.blm.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2023-08/Blueprint%20for%2021st%20Century%20Outdoor%20Recreation508.pdf⁠
Written comments can be sent to blm_recreation_feedback@blm.gov

[[File:2023.9.7 Willis and INTRO V Wave Final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #9 September 15, 2023: Shelly Martin: I Did It Myself'''
Shelly Martin recounts purchasing a 16 foot cataraft and rowing it through Grand Canyon from Lees Ferry to Diamond Creek in August, 2023. The cat was new to her and she had never rowed Grand Canyon before.

[[File:2023.9.25 shelly martin did it herself v wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #10 September 21, 2023: Rain Moves Rocks'''
In May of 2023, I received an invitation from the USGS to review a proposal focusing on campsites and debris/flows flood hazard in the Grand Canyon. That lead to a meeting in Flagstaff on September 20, 2023. USGS Hyrologist Paul Grams joins this podcast to review yesterday's meeting and speak about a flood/debris flow/rain on cliffs warning system.

[[File:2023.9.21_Paul_Grams_V_Wave.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #11 October 2, 2023: Low Water Grand Canyon in September 2023: Family, Flips, and Motors V Oars in Hance!'''
River runner Bob Woodward just completed a 21 day Grand Canyon river trip with his wife, children, and grandchild. Bob recounts the difficulties they had with low water, two boats flipping at Horn Creek, arranging a helivac for a hiker, and dealing with a motorized tour boat running into one of their rafts in Hance Rapid.

[[File:2023.10.2 Woodward and Intro V Wave Final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #12 November 6, 2023: Talking With A Dam'''
John Weisheit, Co-founder of Living Rivers, speaks about scoping comments prepared for the Bureau of Reclamation Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for Operations at Glen Canyon Dam.

[[File:November_6_2323_Talking_To_A_Dam.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #13 February 8, 2024: Self-Support Rafting'''
Adam Hopkins and James Tansey discuss their January to February, 2024, 14 day long Grand Canyon river trip. Even with 14 days, they hiked a lot. One trick they used was to not bring ice in their coolers.

[[File:2024.2.8 V Wave Hopkins and Tansey.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #14 March 26, 2024: Shelly Martin: I Did It Myself PART 2'''
Shelly Martin recounts her February 2024 Grand Canyon river trip rowing a 16 foot cataraft from Lees Ferry to Pearce Ferry.

[[File:INTRO V Wave and 3.26.2024.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #15 August 1, 2024: 10 and 8 Year-olds Set Record in Grand Canyon'''
Amanda Burnham-Marusich and her husband Macy recount their Grand Canyon kayaking trip with their daughter Azalea (age 10) and son Wylie (age 8). Both children paddled the entire distance themselves, setting a new record as the youngest girl and boy to kayak the entire length of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon.

[[File:Burnham vwave.8.1.2024 final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #16 February 5, 2025: Being Voted Off The Team'''
Sophie Hilaire recounts what happened on her January 2025 Grand Canyon river trip when the Qualified Boat Operator endangered the team. Her group unanimously told him to leave at Bright Angel, and he did.

[[File:Sophie_hilaire_vwave_2_5_2025_final.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #17 February 25, 2025: Grand Canyon Solo in a Wooden Dory'''
Chris Thornley is no stranger to solo Grand Canyon river trips. He'd done 7 solos in a rubber raft. In the fall of 2024 he purchased a used wooden dory. In this V Wave, Chris and I talk about his January 2025 Grand canyon solo dory trip.

[[File:Vwave chris thornley 2.25.25 FINAL.mp3]]

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'''Podcast #18 March 7, 2025: Day 1 Grand Canyon Broken Tibia'''
Patty Pinkham recounts her lessons learned when she rafted over the center boulder in Badger Rapid. The resultant boat flip broke her leg on Day 1 of her Grand Canyon river trip.

[[File:2025.3.7 Patty Pinkam VWave Final.mp3]]

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We at River Runners for Wilderness (RRFW) are working hard to make sure do-it-yourself river runners have a seat at the resource protection and river access table. You can join RRFW (Membership is Free!) by clicking [https://rrfw.org/membership here]. Did you find this all volunteer-built WIKI helpful? You can express your appreciation with a donation to the non-profit River Runners for Wilderness [https://rrfw.org/catalog/donations here]! Thank you! (September 2023)

Click [[Main Page | '''here''']] to return to the '''Main Page'''.

File:2025.3.7 Patty Pinkam VWave Final.mp3

2025-03-07T22:45:51Z

TomMartin:

The V Wave Podcast

2025-02-25T21:09:52Z

TomMartin: adding another picture

File:Day 7 Kwagunt Crash 3 ps.jpg

2025-02-25T21:06:43Z

TomMartin: In this 1967 picture, helicopter pilot Wayne Learn flies toward a large sandbar on river right below Kwagunt Rapid where a Piper Comanche 6 has ditched hours earlier. There are no injuries. Photo courtesy Louis Hudgin.

== Summary ==
In this 1967 picture, helicopter pilot Wayne Learn flies toward a large sandbar on river right below Kwagunt Rapid where a Piper Comanche 6 has ditched hours earlier. There are no injuries. Photo courtesy Louis Hudgin.

The V Wave Podcast

2025-02-25T20:44:24Z

TomMartin: V Wave #17

File:Vwave chris thornley 2.25.25 FINAL.mp3

2025-02-25T20:34:43Z

TomMartin: Grand Canyon Solo in a Wooden Dory Feb 25 2025 Chris Thornely recounts his solo Grand Canyon river trip in a wooden dory.

== Summary ==
Grand Canyon Solo in a Wooden Dory

Feb 25 2025 Chris Thornely recounts his solo Grand Canyon river trip in a wooden dory.

Rapids

2025-02-24T22:59:43Z

TomMartin: added info about the Rivermaps

[[Image:Scouting_Upset.JPG|600px|right]]

The first thing to remember in Grand Canyon is you have the ability to scout almost every rapid you will run, with few exceptions.

The second thing to remember is everything changes! Water levels change throughout the day, changing available runs in the rapids. Side streams flash, rearranging the rocks in a rapid. When in doubt, stop, get out of your boat, and scout it out!

The photo on the right is of a river runner scouting Upset Rapid. Having a plan for what you expect to do in a rapid is a very good idea.

The Grand Canyon is a pool drop type river. This means it generally has large rapids separated by stretches of flat water. The international whitewater scale rates rapids based on the amount of maneuvering that is required to negotiate the rapid and somewhat on the danger level. A class III rapid requires one maneuver to negotiate it. All the rapids in the Grand Canyon are class III or below with the exception of Hance which is long enough with multiple moves that earns it a class IV rating. Note that there really is little danger more than swimming and getting thrashed since generally a swimmer ends up in the pool below the rapid. But this scale does not capture the unique risks of flipping due to big water so the Grand Canyon uses a 1 - 10 scale.

A common misconception is that it takes a lot of strength to row a raft through the Grand Canyon. In reality even the strongest person is not going to be able to match the strength of the river. Timing and using the river and momentum is much more important. Think about staying on your line through the rapid is more important than strength.

A typical Grand Canyon rapid may involve a scout, then an upstream ferry to bring the raft across the river to where the tongue or route is located. Then it requires a pivot of the raft to face the bow into the rapid. A sideways raft is much more likely to flip and just straightening out will help your odds a lot. Typical rapids on other rivers (especially those with continuous rapids) would then require back rowing to slow the raft to allow time for maneuvering. The rapids in the Grand Canyon are different as doing this in large waves can cause the raft to flip. So entering the rapid you want to be pushing on your oars to get a little more momentum to punch the waves and holes.

For large waves and holes momentum helps but timing is more important. For a kayaker hitting that wave or hole and reaching over it to the downstream water with your paddle not only pulls you through but provides a great deal of stability. So instead of thinking of one last strong stoke before the wave or hole think about timing to get that downstream water as quick as possible. For a raft the sweep of the oars is quite long so it is likely the blades are outside of the wave or hole. But the idea is the same to grab downstream water as soon as possible. Sometimes this may be above the wave or hole to help punch it and sometimes it will be to the side or downstream. This is not so much a rowing stroke as planting the blades like anchors with a slow stroke and using your weight to hold the blades and then your muscles. Basically you are pitting the downstream water against what you want to punch and letting them fight each other instead of trying to fight the river. Although you are in the middle of these forces you can give a bit during the worst part. Leaning on your oars and using your weight also automatically provides some high siding which helps to avoid a flip.

Often to get out of the tail waves and maybe some worse stuff mixed in it is necessary to turn the raft somewhat sideways before rowing. Timing is critical when turning in the middle of a rapid. Rowing an 18 foot heavy gear boat and trying to turn when the raft is in a trough and the bow and stern are buried in waves is futile. But reaching the top of a wave, getting the blades into some water and spinning with the bow and stern completely free of the river is fairly easy.

In kayaks and canoes it is easy to be intimidated by the large waves and lean away from them. This just makes a flip more likely. Just like leaning forward on your oars, in a kayak or canoe it is important to attack the waves and lean forward. This also makes it easier to reach for that downstream water.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here are some videos to show the real things. PLEASE NOTE: Links to videos change often. If you find a broken link, click [mailto:%74%6F%6D%6D%61%72%74%69%6E%40%72%72%66%77%2E%6F%72%67 here] to let someone know. Thanks!

Duwain Whitis has put together a video titled [https://rrfw.org/carnage-lava-falls-2 Carnage at Lava Falls]. See if you can see how you might run that rapid differently, given a chance. Thanks to Duwain for putting this video together.

Here's a fantastic YouTube video from April 2008, showing a flip in [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cddi8uEb-IA Lava Falls Rapid]. Can you see why this river runner flipped? The saying "hit um straight" was not applied here.

Here's another YouTube [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0zoEN2MCQI&feature=related video] from April of 2008, of an teenny weeny boat taking on Hermit. The rapid wins. This video is a good one to show the rapid.

Resources for rapid information are the Facebook Groups '''Rafting Grand Canyon''' and '''Green and Colorado River Rafters Paddlers Sups and Swimmers''' where you can share information with river runners with a wealth of Grand Canyon experience, including discuss rapids. The '''Rafting Grand Canyon''' group is at [https://www.facebook.com/groups/raftgc/]. The '''Green and Colorado River Rafters Paddlers Sups and Swimmers''' group is at [https://www.facebook.com/groups/GCRRaftersPaddlersSupsSwimmers/].

River runner '''Jim Michaud''' has put together a How-To-Row-The-Grand-Canyon-Rapids guide for river runners. You can download the 2025 updated pdf document [https://wiki.rrfw.org/images/1/10/How_To_Row_The_Grand_Canyon_Rapids_2025.pdf here].

River runner '''Marc Hunt''' put together a '''2 hour video on the Grand Canyon rapids. It's worth a watch''' and is [https://youtu.be/xtesXsEaSwA here].

'''Duwain Whitis''' and '''Tom Martin''' have published a number of Rivermap mapbooks. You can see them at [https://vishnutemplepress.com/VTPGuidebooks.html Vishnu Temple Press] and [https://rivermaps.net/ RiverMaps].

Finally, there are a lot of scary rapid videos out there. Most river trips do not have a flip, so you won't do yourself any favors by getting all worked up about this. K?

Ok, so let's look at some specific rapids. Remember, scout it out, and things change!

[[Image:SoapCreekSept62015.jpg|250px|right]]
Speaking of Change, Soap Creek Rapid changed in August of 2015 after some serious monsoon rainstorm activity. You can see a few videos of the rapid taken September 6, 2015 at these Vimeo links:

[https://vimeo.com/138543614 Vimeo link #1]

[https://vimeo.com/138543613 Vimeo link #2]

Additional information about this rapid and the recent change can be found [https://rrfw.org/riverwire/rrfw-riverwire-soap-creek-rapid-changes-grand-canyon here.]

[[Image:Terry_in_House_Rock.JPG|600px|right]]

House Rock Rapid at river mile 17.1 is a rapid worth the scout. The run is a cross river ferry to the right, moving to river right to bypass a large hole on river left. If you scout this rapid on the left, you exit the shore going right. If you scout from the right, you must exit the shore pulling upstream to river left, then turn and start pulling to river right. Given that info, you might want to consider scouting this one on the left.

[[Image:Flip_in_Indian_Dick.JPG |600px|right]]

So, what about that sleeper rapid? How about something simple like Twenty Three Mile (Indian Dick) Rapid. Check out this photo of a 16 ft self-bailer doing the side roll flip in Indian Dick. Note the easy left run. It's possible this flip could have been avoided if the rapid had been scouted.

[[Image:2010_08_stuck_on_boulder_at_56.7_mile.jpg|600px|right]]

Here's a photo of river runners on a boulder near the river right shore at an unnamed riffle at river mile 56.7 just below Kwagunt Rapid. This boat was close enough to shore that a throw-rope thrown from shore allowed a static line to be set to the boat and a shore based Z-drag set up pulled the boat off the boulder. This non-self bailing boat sustained only minor damage (one bent spare oar) and the boats floor had no leaks after it was recovered! The moral of this story is to pay attention at all times.

[[Image:Birds_view_of_75_Mile.jpg|400px|right]]

Here's a bird's eye view of 75 Mile Rapid. To avoid the holes down the middle and on the right, one can go down the left side with a downstream ferry to the left at the top. There are holes all through this rapid, but by looking downstream and identifying hazards ahead of time, you can miss them.

[[File:Left side of Hance March 2012.jpg|600px|right]]

Things change. Slowly and sometimes, quickly. On the right is a photo of Hance Rapid from March, 2012. The left run was between the big "Muffin" (also called the Brain or Hamburger) rock and the left shore. The summer monsoons of 2012 brought a wall of boulders into the left side of the rapid, and this left run is now closed (below).
[[File:Hance_after_Aug_2012_flash.jpg|600px|left]]

Here's a series of five photos taken from shore of a Western River Expeditions motorized raft hitting the big wave in Hermit August 6, 2010. One passenger was forcibly thrown from the raft, while another sustained a compound arm fracture. Bystanders on shore noted the motorized boat was at full speed entering the hole and that there was plenty of room to miss this hole on either side, or go slower. The fifth photo shows feet in the air.
[[File:2010_Western_Rig_in_Hermit_breaks_arm_1.jpg|100|left]]
[[File:2010_Western_Rig_in_Hermit_breaks_arm_2.jpg|100|right]]
[[File:2010_Western_Rig_in_Hermit_breaks_arm_3.jpg|100|left]]
[[File:2010_Western_Rig_in_Hermit_breaks_arm_4.jpg|100|right]]
[[File:2010_Western_Rig_in_Hermit_breaks_arm_5.jpg|100|left]]

[[Image:View_to_Crystal_Rockgarden.jpg|800|right]]

Here's an upstream view of Crystal Rapid at river mile 98.8. Sometimes you will need to think about what's immediately downstream of the rapid you are running. As this photo shows, if you run right in Crystal, try to stay way right. If you go left in Crystal, try to stay way left. If you end up in the middle of the river in Crystal, beware the Rock Garden, clearly seen in this photo. The big boulder in this photo of the Rock Garden is called "Big Red". Go right or left, but don't attempt to go right down the middle.

The same two boat Western River Expeditions motor trip shown at Hermit Rapid above, ran their other motor boat onto the Crystal Rock Garden. The boat had not been there 24 hours pinned on Big Red, when another concessions river trip, Outdoors Unlimited (OU), running a twenty foot long yellow baggage boat, ran into the Western boat stuck in the Crystal Rock Garden. The yellow and black blob is OU's gear boat.(Photo courtesy NPS and M Young)
[[File:2010_08_Western_Rig_in_Crystal.jpg|600px|right]][[File:J-Rig_in_Crystal_Aug_2010.jpg‎|500px|left]]

[[Image:Birds_eye_view_of_Bedrock_Rapid.JPG|600px|right]]

Here's a view of Bedrock Rapid at 131 mile, as seen from about a quarter mile upstream. The flow is low, maybe 7,000cfs. Note the rocks on river right. The run on this day was just left of the right shore rocks, then a pull into the right channel. That run works at higher water levels too. You really don't want to go left at Bedrock.

[[Image:Almost_flipped_at_Bedrock.JPG|600px|right]]

There were three gents in this boat at the start of this Bedrock run. Not making the right cut, the boat rolls steeply in the hole/eddy fence at the top of the left run. One swimmer is quickly flushed out, as is the boat and now two passengers, luckily for them right side up!

[[Image:Upset_Rapid.JPG|600px|right]]

Here is a good left run at Upset Rapid at river mile 150.2. If you try the right run at Upset, stay Right! If you go left, stay left, but don't go into the left run too high and too fast! You might just hit the left wall and flip at the top of the rapid.

[[File:Gem in Lava.jpg|800px|right]]

What about Lava Falls?

Here is a [https://vimeo.com/67886922 video] of a good run through Lava Falls in a replica of a 1957 Grand Canyon Dory, with Hazel Clark fish-eyeing in the front. This is the classic low water run on the right.

[[Image:2010_08_Pearce_Ferry_Rapid.jpg‎|600px|right]]

Here's a photo of Pearce Ferry Rapid from August 17, 2010. This rapid is located at about river mile 280.8. For the second half of 2012 through July 2013, this rapid was runable again. You will encounter this rapid after about 30 miles of fast moving flat water. Scouting is recommended on river left if you do not take out at the Pearce Ferry Ramp just upstream of this rapid. More photos of this rapid are at the River Runners For Wilderness [http://www.rrfw.org/gallery/ photo gallery]. In 2015, running this rapid is not recommended. A hard portage on the right is an option.

For an interesting read of what rafting Grand Canyon in high water is like, you may enjoy reading the [[1983 High Water Trip Report by Chuck Zemach|'''1983 High Water Trip Report by Chuck Zemach''']] page.

Click [[The Trip | '''here''']] to return to '''The Trip''' page.

Did you find this all volunteer-built WIKI helpful? You can express your appreciation with a donation to the non-profit River Runners for Wilderness [https://rrfw.org/catalog/donations here! Thank you!]

Rapids

2025-02-24T22:53:25Z

TomMartin:

[[Image:Scouting_Upset.JPG|600px|right]]

The first thing to remember in Grand Canyon is you have the ability to scout almost every rapid you will run, with few exceptions.

The second thing to remember is everything changes! Water levels change throughout the day, changing available runs in the rapids. Side streams flash, rearranging the rocks in a rapid. When in doubt, stop, get out of your boat, and scout it out!

The photo on the right is of a river runner scouting Upset Rapid. Having a plan for what you expect to do in a rapid is a very good idea.

The Grand Canyon is a pool drop type river. This means it generally has large rapids separated by stretches of flat water. The international whitewater scale rates rapids based on the amount of maneuvering that is required to negotiate the rapid and somewhat on the danger level. A class III rapid requires one maneuver to negotiate it. All the rapids in the Grand Canyon are class III or below with the exception of Hance which is long enough with multiple moves that earns it a class IV rating. Note that there really is little danger more than swimming and getting thrashed since generally a swimmer ends up in the pool below the rapid. But this scale does not capture the unique risks of flipping due to big water so the Grand Canyon uses a 1 - 10 scale.

A common misconception is that it takes a lot of strength to row a raft through the Grand Canyon. In reality even the strongest person is not going to be able to match the strength of the river. Timing and using the river and momentum is much more important. Think about staying on your line through the rapid is more important than strength.

A typical Grand Canyon rapid may involve a scout, then an upstream ferry to bring the raft across the river to where the tongue or route is located. Then it requires a pivot of the raft to face the bow into the rapid. A sideways raft is much more likely to flip and just straightening out will help your odds a lot. Typical rapids on other rivers (especially those with continuous rapids) would then require back rowing to slow the raft to allow time for maneuvering. The rapids in the Grand Canyon are different as doing this in large waves can cause the raft to flip. So entering the rapid you want to be pushing on your oars to get a little more momentum to punch the waves and holes.

For large waves and holes momentum helps but timing is more important. For a kayaker hitting that wave or hole and reaching over it to the downstream water with your paddle not only pulls you through but provides a great deal of stability. So instead of thinking of one last strong stoke before the wave or hole think about timing to get that downstream water as quick as possible. For a raft the sweep of the oars is quite long so it is likely the blades are outside of the wave or hole. But the idea is the same to grab downstream water as soon as possible. Sometimes this may be above the wave or hole to help punch it and sometimes it will be to the side or downstream. This is not so much a rowing stroke as planting the blades like anchors with a slow stroke and using your weight to hold the blades and then your muscles. Basically you are pitting the downstream water against what you want to punch and letting them fight each other instead of trying to fight the river. Although you are in the middle of these forces you can give a bit during the worst part. Leaning on your oars and using your weight also automatically provides some high siding which helps to avoid a flip.

Often to get out of the tail waves and maybe some worse stuff mixed in it is necessary to turn the raft somewhat sideways before rowing. Timing is critical when turning in the middle of a rapid. Rowing an 18 foot heavy gear boat and trying to turn when the raft is in a trough and the bow and stern are buried in waves is futile. But reaching the top of a wave, getting the blades into some water and spinning with the bow and stern completely free of the river is fairly easy.

In kayaks and canoes it is easy to be intimidated by the large waves and lean away from them. This just makes a flip more likely. Just like leaning forward on your oars, in a kayak or canoe it is important to attack the waves and lean forward. This also makes it easier to reach for that downstream water.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here are some videos to show the real things. PLEASE NOTE: Links to videos change often. If you find a broken link, click [mailto:%74%6F%6D%6D%61%72%74%69%6E%40%72%72%66%77%2E%6F%72%67 here] to let someone know. Thanks!

Duwain Whitis has put together a video titled [https://rrfw.org/carnage-lava-falls-2 Carnage at Lava Falls]. See if you can see how you might run that rapid differently, given a chance. Thanks to Duwain for putting this video together.

Here's a fantastic YouTube video from April 2008, showing a flip in [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cddi8uEb-IA Lava Falls Rapid]. Can you see why this river runner flipped? The saying "hit um straight" was not applied here.

Here's another YouTube [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0zoEN2MCQI&feature=related video] from April of 2008, of an teenny weeny boat taking on Hermit. The rapid wins. This video is a good one to show the rapid.

Resources for rapid information are the Facebook Groups '''Rafting Grand Canyon''' and '''Green and Colorado River Rafters Paddlers Sups and Swimmers''' where you can share information with river runners with a wealth of Grand Canyon experience, including discuss rapids. The '''Rafting Grand Canyon''' group is at [https://www.facebook.com/groups/raftgc/]. The '''Green and Colorado River Rafters Paddlers Sups and Swimmers''' group is at [https://www.facebook.com/groups/GCRRaftersPaddlersSupsSwimmers/].

River runner Jim Michaud has put together a How-To-Row-The-Grand-Canyon-Rapids guide for river runners. You can download the 2025 updated pdf document [https://wiki.rrfw.org/images/1/10/How_To_Row_The_Grand_Canyon_Rapids_2025.pdf here].

River runner Marc Hunt put together a '''2 hour video on the Grand Canyon rapids. It's worth a watch''' and is [https://youtu.be/xtesXsEaSwA here].

Finally, there are a lot of scary rapid videos out there. Most river trips do not have a flip, so you won't do yourself any favors by getting all worked up about this. K?

Ok, so let's look at some specific rapids. Remember, scout it out, and things change!

[[Image:SoapCreekSept62015.jpg|250px|right]]
Speaking of Change, Soap Creek Rapid changed in August of 2015 after some serious monsoon rainstorm activity. You can see a few videos of the rapid taken September 6, 2015 at these Vimeo links:

[https://vimeo.com/138543614 Vimeo link #1]

[https://vimeo.com/138543613 Vimeo link #2]

Additional information about this rapid and the recent change can be found [https://rrfw.org/riverwire/rrfw-riverwire-soap-creek-rapid-changes-grand-canyon here.]

[[Image:Terry_in_House_Rock.JPG|600px|right]]

House Rock Rapid at river mile 17.1 is a rapid worth the scout. The run is a cross river ferry to the right, moving to river right to bypass a large hole on river left. If you scout this rapid on the left, you exit the shore going right. If you scout from the right, you must exit the shore pulling upstream to river left, then turn and start pulling to river right. Given that info, you might want to consider scouting this one on the left.

[[Image:Flip_in_Indian_Dick.JPG |600px|right]]

So, what about that sleeper rapid? How about something simple like Twenty Three Mile (Indian Dick) Rapid. Check out this photo of a 16 ft self-bailer doing the side roll flip in Indian Dick. Note the easy left run. It's possible this flip could have been avoided if the rapid had been scouted.

[[Image:2010_08_stuck_on_boulder_at_56.7_mile.jpg|600px|right]]

Here's a photo of river runners on a boulder near the river right shore at an unnamed riffle at river mile 56.7 just below Kwagunt Rapid. This boat was close enough to shore that a throw-rope thrown from shore allowed a static line to be set to the boat and a shore based Z-drag set up pulled the boat off the boulder. This non-self bailing boat sustained only minor damage (one bent spare oar) and the boats floor had no leaks after it was recovered! The moral of this story is to pay attention at all times.

[[Image:Birds_view_of_75_Mile.jpg|400px|right]]

Here's a bird's eye view of 75 Mile Rapid. To avoid the holes down the middle and on the right, one can go down the left side with a downstream ferry to the left at the top. There are holes all through this rapid, but by looking downstream and identifying hazards ahead of time, you can miss them.

[[File:Left side of Hance March 2012.jpg|600px|right]]

Things change. Slowly and sometimes, quickly. On the right is a photo of Hance Rapid from March, 2012. The left run was between the big "Muffin" (also called the Brain or Hamburger) rock and the left shore. The summer monsoons of 2012 brought a wall of boulders into the left side of the rapid, and this left run is now closed (below).
[[File:Hance_after_Aug_2012_flash.jpg|600px|left]]

Here's a series of five photos taken from shore of a Western River Expeditions motorized raft hitting the big wave in Hermit August 6, 2010. One passenger was forcibly thrown from the raft, while another sustained a compound arm fracture. Bystanders on shore noted the motorized boat was at full speed entering the hole and that there was plenty of room to miss this hole on either side, or go slower. The fifth photo shows feet in the air.
[[File:2010_Western_Rig_in_Hermit_breaks_arm_1.jpg|100|left]]
[[File:2010_Western_Rig_in_Hermit_breaks_arm_2.jpg|100|right]]
[[File:2010_Western_Rig_in_Hermit_breaks_arm_3.jpg|100|left]]
[[File:2010_Western_Rig_in_Hermit_breaks_arm_4.jpg|100|right]]
[[File:2010_Western_Rig_in_Hermit_breaks_arm_5.jpg|100|left]]

[[Image:View_to_Crystal_Rockgarden.jpg|800|right]]

Here's an upstream view of Crystal Rapid at river mile 98.8. Sometimes you will need to think about what's immediately downstream of the rapid you are running. As this photo shows, if you run right in Crystal, try to stay way right. If you go left in Crystal, try to stay way left. If you end up in the middle of the river in Crystal, beware the Rock Garden, clearly seen in this photo. The big boulder in this photo of the Rock Garden is called "Big Red". Go right or left, but don't attempt to go right down the middle.

The same two boat Western River Expeditions motor trip shown at Hermit Rapid above, ran their other motor boat onto the Crystal Rock Garden. The boat had not been there 24 hours pinned on Big Red, when another concessions river trip, Outdoors Unlimited (OU), running a twenty foot long yellow baggage boat, ran into the Western boat stuck in the Crystal Rock Garden. The yellow and black blob is OU's gear boat.(Photo courtesy NPS and M Young)
[[File:2010_08_Western_Rig_in_Crystal.jpg|600px|right]][[File:J-Rig_in_Crystal_Aug_2010.jpg‎|500px|left]]

[[Image:Birds_eye_view_of_Bedrock_Rapid.JPG|600px|right]]

Here's a view of Bedrock Rapid at 131 mile, as seen from about a quarter mile upstream. The flow is low, maybe 7,000cfs. Note the rocks on river right. The run on this day was just left of the right shore rocks, then a pull into the right channel. That run works at higher water levels too. You really don't want to go left at Bedrock.

[[Image:Almost_flipped_at_Bedrock.JPG|600px|right]]

There were three gents in this boat at the start of this Bedrock run. Not making the right cut, the boat rolls steeply in the hole/eddy fence at the top of the left run. One swimmer is quickly flushed out, as is the boat and now two passengers, luckily for them right side up!

[[Image:Upset_Rapid.JPG|600px|right]]

Here is a good left run at Upset Rapid at river mile 150.2. If you try the right run at Upset, stay Right! If you go left, stay left, but don't go into the left run too high and too fast! You might just hit the left wall and flip at the top of the rapid.

[[File:Gem in Lava.jpg|800px|right]]

What about Lava Falls?

Here is a [https://vimeo.com/67886922 video] of a good run through Lava Falls in a replica of a 1957 Grand Canyon Dory, with Hazel Clark fish-eyeing in the front. This is the classic low water run on the right.

[[Image:2010_08_Pearce_Ferry_Rapid.jpg‎|600px|right]]

Here's a photo of Pearce Ferry Rapid from August 17, 2010. This rapid is located at about river mile 280.8. For the second half of 2012 through July 2013, this rapid was runable again. You will encounter this rapid after about 30 miles of fast moving flat water. Scouting is recommended on river left if you do not take out at the Pearce Ferry Ramp just upstream of this rapid. More photos of this rapid are at the River Runners For Wilderness [http://www.rrfw.org/gallery/ photo gallery]. In 2015, running this rapid is not recommended. A hard portage on the right is an option.

For an interesting read of what rafting Grand Canyon in high water is like, you may enjoy reading the [[1983 High Water Trip Report by Chuck Zemach|'''1983 High Water Trip Report by Chuck Zemach''']] page.

Click [[The Trip | '''here''']] to return to '''The Trip''' page.

Did you find this all volunteer-built WIKI helpful? You can express your appreciation with a donation to the non-profit River Runners for Wilderness [https://rrfw.org/catalog/donations here! Thank you!]

Rapids

2025-02-24T22:50:17Z

TomMartin: Updated Jims guide and added links to the Rivermaps.

[[Image:Scouting_Upset.JPG|600px|right]]

The first thing to remember in Grand Canyon is you have the ability to scout almost every rapid you will run, with few exceptions.

The second thing to remember is everything changes! Water levels change throughout the day, changing available runs in the rapids. Side streams flash, rearranging the rocks in a rapid. When in doubt, stop, get out of your boat, and scout it out!

The photo on the right is of a river runner scouting Upset Rapid. Having a plan for what you expect to do in a rapid is a very good idea.

The Grand Canyon is a pool drop type river. This means it generally has large rapids separated by stretches of flat water. The international whitewater scale rates rapids based on the amount of maneuvering that is required to negotiate the rapid and somewhat on the danger level. A class III rapid requires one maneuver to negotiate it. All the rapids in the Grand Canyon are class III or below with the exception of Hance which is long enough with multiple moves that earns it a class IV rating. Note that there really is little danger more than swimming and getting thrashed since generally a swimmer ends up in the pool below the rapid. But this scale does not capture the unique risks of flipping due to big water so the Grand Canyon uses a 1 - 10 scale.

A common misconception is that it takes a lot of strength to row a raft through the Grand Canyon. In reality even the strongest person is not going to be able to match the strength of the river. Timing and using the river and momentum is much more important. Think about staying on your line through the rapid is more important than strength.

A typical Grand Canyon rapid may involve a scout, then an upstream ferry to bring the raft across the river to where the tongue or route is located. Then it requires a pivot of the raft to face the bow into the rapid. A sideways raft is much more likely to flip and just straightening out will help your odds a lot. Typical rapids on other rivers (especially those with continuous rapids) would then require back rowing to slow the raft to allow time for maneuvering. The rapids in the Grand Canyon are different as doing this in large waves can cause the raft to flip. So entering the rapid you want to be pushing on your oars to get a little more momentum to punch the waves and holes.

For large waves and holes momentum helps but timing is more important. For a kayaker hitting that wave or hole and reaching over it to the downstream water with your paddle not only pulls you through but provides a great deal of stability. So instead of thinking of one last strong stoke before the wave or hole think about timing to get that downstream water as quick as possible. For a raft the sweep of the oars is quite long so it is likely the blades are outside of the wave or hole. But the idea is the same to grab downstream water as soon as possible. Sometimes this may be above the wave or hole to help punch it and sometimes it will be to the side or downstream. This is not so much a rowing stroke as planting the blades like anchors with a slow stroke and using your weight to hold the blades and then your muscles. Basically you are pitting the downstream water against what you want to punch and letting them fight each other instead of trying to fight the river. Although you are in the middle of these forces you can give a bit during the worst part. Leaning on your oars and using your weight also automatically provides some high siding which helps to avoid a flip.

Often to get out of the tail waves and maybe some worse stuff mixed in it is necessary to turn the raft somewhat sideways before rowing. Timing is critical when turning in the middle of a rapid. Rowing an 18 foot heavy gear boat and trying to turn when the raft is in a trough and the bow and stern are buried in waves is futile. But reaching the top of a wave, getting the blades into some water and spinning with the bow and stern completely free of the river is fairly easy.

In kayaks and canoes it is easy to be intimidated by the large waves and lean away from them. This just makes a flip more likely. Just like leaning forward on your oars, in a kayak or canoe it is important to attack the waves and lean forward. This also makes it easier to reach for that downstream water.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here are some videos to show the real things. PLEASE NOTE: Links to videos change often. If you find a broken link, click [mailto:%74%6F%6D%6D%61%72%74%69%6E%40%72%72%66%77%2E%6F%72%67 here] to let someone know. Thanks!

Duwain Whitis has put together a video titled [https://rrfw.org/carnage-lava-falls-2 Carnage at Lava Falls]. See if you can see how you might run that rapid differently, given a chance. Thanks to Duwain for putting this video together.

Here's a fantastic YouTube video from April 2008, showing a flip in [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cddi8uEb-IA Lava Falls Rapid]. Can you see why this river runner flipped? The saying "hit um straight" was not applied here.

Here's another YouTube [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c0zoEN2MCQI&feature=related video] from April of 2008, of an teenny weeny boat taking on Hermit. The rapid wins. This video is a good one to show the rapid.

Resources for rapid information are the Facebook Groups '''Rafting Grand Canyon''' and '''Green and Colorado River Rafters Paddlers Sups and Swimmers''' where you can share information with river runners with a wealth of Grand Canyon experience, including discuss rapids. The '''Rafting Grand Canyon''' group is at [https://www.facebook.com/groups/raftgc/]. The '''Green and Colorado River Rafters Paddlers Sups and Swimmers''' group is at [https://www.facebook.com/groups/GCRRaftersPaddlersSupsSwimmers/].

River runner Jim Michaud has put together a How-To-Row-The-Grand-Canyon-Rapids guide for river runners. You can download the 2025 updated pdf document [https://rrfw.org/RGCwiki/images/7/70/How_To_Row_The_Grand_Canyon_Rapids_2025.pdf here].

River runner Marc Hunt put together a '''2 hour video on the Grand Canyon rapids. It's worth a watch''' and is [https://youtu.be/xtesXsEaSwA here].

Finally, there are a lot of scary rapid videos out there. Most river trips do not have a flip, so you won't do yourself any favors by getting all worked up about this. K?

Ok, so let's look at some specific rapids. Remember, scout it out, and things change!

[[Image:SoapCreekSept62015.jpg|250px|right]]
Speaking of Change, Soap Creek Rapid changed in August of 2015 after some serious monsoon rainstorm activity. You can see a few videos of the rapid taken September 6, 2015 at these Vimeo links:

[https://vimeo.com/138543614 Vimeo link #1]

[https://vimeo.com/138543613 Vimeo link #2]

Additional information about this rapid and the recent change can be found [https://rrfw.org/riverwire/rrfw-riverwire-soap-creek-rapid-changes-grand-canyon here.]

[[Image:Terry_in_House_Rock.JPG|600px|right]]

House Rock Rapid at river mile 17.1 is a rapid worth the scout. The run is a cross river ferry to the right, moving to river right to bypass a large hole on river left. If you scout this rapid on the left, you exit the shore going right. If you scout from the right, you must exit the shore pulling upstream to river left, then turn and start pulling to river right. Given that info, you might want to consider scouting this one on the left.

[[Image:Flip_in_Indian_Dick.JPG |600px|right]]

So, what about that sleeper rapid? How about something simple like Twenty Three Mile (Indian Dick) Rapid. Check out this photo of a 16 ft self-bailer doing the side roll flip in Indian Dick. Note the easy left run. It's possible this flip could have been avoided if the rapid had been scouted.

[[Image:2010_08_stuck_on_boulder_at_56.7_mile.jpg|600px|right]]

Here's a photo of river runners on a boulder near the river right shore at an unnamed riffle at river mile 56.7 just below Kwagunt Rapid. This boat was close enough to shore that a throw-rope thrown from shore allowed a static line to be set to the boat and a shore based Z-drag set up pulled the boat off the boulder. This non-self bailing boat sustained only minor damage (one bent spare oar) and the boats floor had no leaks after it was recovered! The moral of this story is to pay attention at all times.

[[Image:Birds_view_of_75_Mile.jpg|400px|right]]

Here's a bird's eye view of 75 Mile Rapid. To avoid the holes down the middle and on the right, one can go down the left side with a downstream ferry to the left at the top. There are holes all through this rapid, but by looking downstream and identifying hazards ahead of time, you can miss them.

[[File:Left side of Hance March 2012.jpg|600px|right]]

Things change. Slowly and sometimes, quickly. On the right is a photo of Hance Rapid from March, 2012. The left run was between the big "Muffin" (also called the Brain or Hamburger) rock and the left shore. The summer monsoons of 2012 brought a wall of boulders into the left side of the rapid, and this left run is now closed (below).
[[File:Hance_after_Aug_2012_flash.jpg|600px|left]]

Here's a series of five photos taken from shore of a Western River Expeditions motorized raft hitting the big wave in Hermit August 6, 2010. One passenger was forcibly thrown from the raft, while another sustained a compound arm fracture. Bystanders on shore noted the motorized boat was at full speed entering the hole and that there was plenty of room to miss this hole on either side, or go slower. The fifth photo shows feet in the air.
[[File:2010_Western_Rig_in_Hermit_breaks_arm_1.jpg|100|left]]
[[File:2010_Western_Rig_in_Hermit_breaks_arm_2.jpg|100|right]]
[[File:2010_Western_Rig_in_Hermit_breaks_arm_3.jpg|100|left]]
[[File:2010_Western_Rig_in_Hermit_breaks_arm_4.jpg|100|right]]
[[File:2010_Western_Rig_in_Hermit_breaks_arm_5.jpg|100|left]]

[[Image:View_to_Crystal_Rockgarden.jpg|800|right]]

Here's an upstream view of Crystal Rapid at river mile 98.8. Sometimes you will need to think about what's immediately downstream of the rapid you are running. As this photo shows, if you run right in Crystal, try to stay way right. If you go left in Crystal, try to stay way left. If you end up in the middle of the river in Crystal, beware the Rock Garden, clearly seen in this photo. The big boulder in this photo of the Rock Garden is called "Big Red". Go right or left, but don't attempt to go right down the middle.

The same two boat Western River Expeditions motor trip shown at Hermit Rapid above, ran their other motor boat onto the Crystal Rock Garden. The boat had not been there 24 hours pinned on Big Red, when another concessions river trip, Outdoors Unlimited (OU), running a twenty foot long yellow baggage boat, ran into the Western boat stuck in the Crystal Rock Garden. The yellow and black blob is OU's gear boat.(Photo courtesy NPS and M Young)
[[File:2010_08_Western_Rig_in_Crystal.jpg|600px|right]][[File:J-Rig_in_Crystal_Aug_2010.jpg‎|500px|left]]

[[Image:Birds_eye_view_of_Bedrock_Rapid.JPG|600px|right]]

Here's a view of Bedrock Rapid at 131 mile, as seen from about a quarter mile upstream. The flow is low, maybe 7,000cfs. Note the rocks on river right. The run on this day was just left of the right shore rocks, then a pull into the right channel. That run works at higher water levels too. You really don't want to go left at Bedrock.

[[Image:Almost_flipped_at_Bedrock.JPG|600px|right]]

There were three gents in this boat at the start of this Bedrock run. Not making the right cut, the boat rolls steeply in the hole/eddy fence at the top of the left run. One swimmer is quickly flushed out, as is the boat and now two passengers, luckily for them right side up!

[[Image:Upset_Rapid.JPG|600px|right]]

Here is a good left run at Upset Rapid at river mile 150.2. If you try the right run at Upset, stay Right! If you go left, stay left, but don't go into the left run too high and too fast! You might just hit the left wall and flip at the top of the rapid.

[[File:Gem in Lava.jpg|800px|right]]

What about Lava Falls?

Here is a [https://vimeo.com/67886922 video] of a good run through Lava Falls in a replica of a 1957 Grand Canyon Dory, with Hazel Clark fish-eyeing in the front. This is the classic low water run on the right.

[[Image:2010_08_Pearce_Ferry_Rapid.jpg‎|600px|right]]

Here's a photo of Pearce Ferry Rapid from August 17, 2010. This rapid is located at about river mile 280.8. For the second half of 2012 through July 2013, this rapid was runable again. You will encounter this rapid after about 30 miles of fast moving flat water. Scouting is recommended on river left if you do not take out at the Pearce Ferry Ramp just upstream of this rapid. More photos of this rapid are at the River Runners For Wilderness [http://www.rrfw.org/gallery/ photo gallery]. In 2015, running this rapid is not recommended. A hard portage on the right is an option.

For an interesting read of what rafting Grand Canyon in high water is like, you may enjoy reading the [[1983 High Water Trip Report by Chuck Zemach|'''1983 High Water Trip Report by Chuck Zemach''']] page.

Click [[The Trip | '''here''']] to return to '''The Trip''' page.

Did you find this all volunteer-built WIKI helpful? You can express your appreciation with a donation to the non-profit River Runners for Wilderness [https://rrfw.org/catalog/donations here! Thank you!]

2025-02-06T03:27:35Z

TomMartin: V Wave Podcast #16