Hike up Kanab Canyon to Whispering Falls. This turns out to be our longest and most difficult hike of the trip. The trail starts out on a narrow ledge to avoid the muddy delta where the Kanab flows into the Colorado. Then it crosses back and forth across the creek bed for several miles. Sometimes we hop across rocks like lily pads. Other times we walk through shallow water. Sometimes there's sand and sometimes we sink in the mud. When we aren't in the creek, we're scrabbling over truck-sized boulders on the banks. Although the trail has a relatively gentle slope, all the going up and down over boulders is very tiring. In a sense, I feel like I crawled all the way to Whispering Falls since I spent so much time on all fours.
A huge undercut in the rocks forms a nice amphitheater where we sit and rest and snack. Kanab Canyon is narrow and winding. The views are beautiful, but I realize on the hike out, that I spent so much time struggling to find my footing and to keep up with the person in front of me, that I didn't spend much time looking up enjoying the scenery. In fact, as I look at the photos now, I feel if there was one thing I would do differently it would be to spend more time being still and looking.
We do make it to Whispering Falls, or most of us do. We have to wade neck-deep in water to reach the mouth of the pool. It's a beautiful hidden place with one thin waterfall, snaking down the side of the canyon, and another sprinkle coming over our heads. The pool itself goes back away into a cavern.
When we do make it back to the dories, all I can do is quaff a cold Gatorade and lie in the hot sand. Every muscle aches and I never want to move again--unless it's to find some shade. In contrast to my negative feelings about this hike, AJM enjoyed it more than yesterday's hike up Deer Creek. He thought that Whispering Falls was much nicer than Dutton Spring. (Correction: AJM thought that the destination was nicer, but that the hike itself was terrible.) I agree that the hike was beautiful; it was just beyond my capabilities. I would have enjoyed it more had I strolled at my own pace and not bothered keeping up with the others.
As we ready to pull out, we notice that the wind has shifted down canyon. The dories are in a difficult position just above Kanab Rapid. Steve rows the Vishnu out first. He's fighting wind and current and I hunch down to try to help lower our wind resistance (not that I think it mattered much, but to do nothing is to feel helpless). When I sense his rowing style has change, I look up to see that we are right on the rapid, narrowly missing a huge rock and gaping hole on our right. As we get through safely, with heroic effort on Steve's part, he stands up and signals to Amy and Chuck to go the other way. When I think how our boatmen can pull this kind of thing off even after an exhausting day of hiking, I'm amazed and greatful. They are so good.
I'm not sure where our camp is except that it is on river right between Kanab Creek and Upset Rapid. There is a wash, filled with driftwood and we set up our campsite on a point across it that juts into the river. We have a nice place to bathe and wash up just below the tree. And I spread my sleeping back on the rock overhanging the river. There is a riffle next to us which muffles all the camp noises. I can see up and down the canyon without seeing another person. The moon rises and for the first time moonlight scatters on the river. In the morning Venus rises just between the lowest point of the V formed by opposing canyon walls.
This evening, I am tired and out of sorts. My knees and hip joints ache. I soak the former in the river for a long time and take two aspirin and by morning I feel fine.
