Day 6. A jam-packed day. Big rapids in the morning then Shinumo Falls and Elves Chasm in the afternoon.
Crystal RapidI was not looking forward to running Crystal Rapid, but yesterday's sequence of rapids readied me. We pull in at river right around Mile 98 to scout. I take some photos, but there is no way to understand the force of it from photos. I think everyone is somewhat nervous. But I don't worry much because I know our boatmen are worrying. I realize that anything can happen, but I also know that whatever happens, they're prepared for the worst and doing their best. If they were telling me, "Oh, no problem." then I'd be worried.
Our Zoroaster goes first. Chuck enters to the right, keeping away from the gaping hole. There is such a horrible grinding sound that I think that the bottom of the dory has scraped against the rock. Chuck keeps everything under control and then we are through to the Rock Garden. If you mess up in Crystal at the start, your troubles just get worse. But Chuck pulls us through and we wait in the Dory Graveyard for the others. "Dory Graveyard, huh?" Chuck is just spinning tall tales, Shandon suspects, and then he pulls a broken oar out of the driftwood. And then more boat parts.
I don't remember lunch. I don't remember anything much until about Mile 109 where we pull into Shinumo creek. Another group on motor rigs is there and just leaving. There's no beach to land the dories, so we just jump into waist-high water to begin our walk upstream. Unfortunately, I'd forgotten that I put my last roll of film, which I'd changed during lunch, into my pocket. That's why the colors in yesterday's and today's photos are strange.
Shinumo Creek is warm. We take a 5-minute stroll up to the falls. I'm thinking that maybe we died in Crystal and came to heaven. We all take turns standing under the falls, washing the sand out of our hair, and generally squealing like 5-year-olds.
Between miles 113 and 114 SAM takes up the oars. I'm amazed at how SAM understands what Chuck is telling him about the topography of the water. Although most of us non-boaters only notice the water's surface, the river, of course, is three-dimensional. Chuck comprehends this topography, can interpret the waves and rolls and hiccups that indicate current and rock, safety and danger. SAM seems to understand it instinctively, but perhaps it's just that he's learned it sea-kayaking.
We approach a riffle and SAM pauses. "Do you want to take over now?" Chuck doesn't even look up. "You can handle it." AJM and I shoot each other panicked parent looks, but if Chuck isn't worried, we know that we should bite our lips and let SAM have his moment. Chuck talks him through it and SAM is very attentive and controlled. By the second and third time, even I can relax.
We stop at Elves Chasm. Getting up to the falls and the pool is a bit of scramble in places, but it's not far. The water is colder than Shinumo, but still warmer than the river. Chuck climbs up behind the falls with SAM and they jump about 10 feet into a deep pool. Soon Colby, Amy, AJM, and Donna are jumping in. But then Frankie, who is 12 years older than I, makes a leap of faith. Shamed, Nancy and I must follow. We each jump twice, to show our courage wasn't just a fluke. SAM jumps about 300 times, continues jumping as the rest of us walk back to the dories, and might be jumping there still.
I'm completely exhausted by the time we pull in before Mile 119 to camp. I select what I think will be a nice private site on the beach with a secluded dressing room. It's the only campsite on the beach; the others are up in the sand dunes. Two problems quickly reveal themselves. There is no good place for the women to urinate, so they hike past us into the mud beyond the horsetails. The horseshoe players decide to set up right there, so we and the other people seeking a quiet space to meditate on the beauties of the canyon are driven off. My nerves are so jangled that out of desperation, I climb up and find a hidden spot under a tree. It's exactly the kind of hide-away I loved as a child. I'm relatively clean of sand, so I can't lay back and relax. But, I stay there until the dinner bell.
