Where my river people at??

broto

broto

Active member
I put for the grand canyon on march 2nd and I'm starting to get real stoked. Anyone else row the big ditch before?? Looking forward to 3 weeks of complete disconnection from the outside world and full immersion in the desert. Done a few Cataract canyon and San Juan trips but this will be my first time through the grand. I signed up to be on the oars which is a little terrifying but super exciting.

Taking advice on what to bring, what to do and see, etc. Or just interested in hearing how other people's trips went. Obviously I've done a lot of research already but I'm curious to hear personal anecdotes.

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Pic relevant from San Juan May '21
 
Organization I work with does kayak trips on the Owyhee. I'd say its a cool ditch.

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Starting in a week I'll be living alongside the Payette main so lots of time on that in my future as well.
 
Also, veey envious of your Grand trip, on bucket list but its gonna be a long time before I'll have a shot at it.
 
i love it but i always am just bumming on other people’s trips because i can’t afford a setup. not great at rowing and dgaf really about the rafting itself or rapids, just love being out there and remote and hiking around at camp.

want to get on the grand desperately and also i cringe when people call it the big ditch sorry ben.
 
14400219:r00kie said:
Organization I work with does kayak trips on the Owyhee. I'd say its a cool ditch.

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Starting in a week I'll be living alongside the Payette main so lots of time on that in my future as well.
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Looks rad dude! Didn't think I'd be on a grand trip for a long time either but a friend managed to pull a permit and here we are. You never know.

14400241:gravel said:
i cringe when people call it the big ditch sorry ben.
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haha fuck
 
just got added as an oarsperson on a friend of a friend's permit this summer. psyched for the opportunity to bash through some big water with the besties. I did a 22-day winter Grand trip straddling 2016/17 and would recommend a drysuit for the possibility of swimming cold water. be damn sure you're far enough over if you go right in Crystal. If you can run to Phantom Ranch outpost from the river it's fun to send postcards out by mule. My group had a blast doing nightly readings from Death in Grand Canyon. One group member had a big tarp with a wood stove in it for rainy/snowy days and drying out soaked gear. Happy to post more if you have questions or want to gush about it.

There's an impulse to talk about the Grand once you're included in a trip. Allow others to ask you about it despite how exciting it is to just bring it up all the time. It's an awesome canyon with an exclusive permitting process and a whole lot of lore surrounding it. It's a trip that requires a lot of skills and gear and obviously not one that everyone gets the opportunity to join. The Colorado river demands your respect. Note but don't flaunt your fortune. Psyched for you!
 
14400292:appa said:
just got added as an oarsperson on a friend of a friend's permit this summer. psyched for the opportunity to bash through some big water with the besties. I did a 22-day winter Grand trip straddling 2016/17 and would recommend a drysuit for the possibility of swimming cold water. be damn sure you're far enough over if you go right in Crystal. If you can run to Phantom Ranch outpost from the river it's fun to send postcards out by mule. My group had a blast doing nightly readings from Death in Grand Canyon. One group member had a big tarp with a wood stove in it for rainy/snowy days and drying out soaked gear. Happy to post more if you have questions or want to gush about it.

There's an impulse to talk about the Grand once you're included in a trip. Allow others to ask you about it despite how exciting it is to just bring it up all the time. It's an awesome canyon with an exclusive permitting process and a whole lot of lore surrounding it. It's a trip that requires a lot of skills and gear and obviously not one that everyone gets the opportunity to join. The Colorado river demands your respect. Note but don't flaunt your fortune. Psyched for you!
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As someone who as only spent time on lakes in kayaks, this sounds like an amazing adventure!
 
14400292:appa said:
just got added as an oarsperson on a friend of a friend's permit this summer. psyched for the opportunity to bash through some big water with the besties. I did a 22-day winter Grand trip straddling 2016/17 and would recommend a drysuit for the possibility of swimming cold water. be damn sure you're far enough over if you go right in Crystal. If you can run to Phantom Ranch outpost from the river it's fun to send postcards out by mule. My group had a blast doing nightly readings from Death in Grand Canyon. One group member had a big tarp with a wood stove in it for rainy/snowy days and drying out soaked gear. Happy to post more if you have questions or want to gush about it.

There's an impulse to talk about the Grand once you're included in a trip. Allow others to ask you about it despite how exciting it is to just bring it up all the time. It's an awesome canyon with an exclusive permitting process and a whole lot of lore surrounding it. It's a trip that requires a lot of skills and gear and obviously not one that everyone gets the opportunity to join. The Colorado river demands your respect. Note but don't flaunt your fortune. Psyched for you!
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Thanks for the info. We're definitely renting drysuits. Last paragraph is sound advice - I'm finding it easy to over share about the trip because I'm super excited. Did you guys flip any boats on your last trip?
 
So how does one pack for a Grand trip? Do you have to pack all three weeks worth of food and supplies or are there opportunities to replenish along the way?
 
14400575:r00kie said:
So how does one pack for a Grand trip? Do you have to pack all three weeks worth of food and supplies or are there opportunities to replenish along the way?
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yeah you gotta have big ass boats and bring everything you need from the put in. i think a lot of people will rent boats and coolers and dryboxes from an outfitting company even on self-guided trips because most people don’t own rigs big enough for 3 weeks on the river.
 
14400459:broto said:
Thanks for the info. We're definitely renting drysuits. Last paragraph is sound advice - I'm finding it easy to over share about the trip because I'm super excited. Did you guys flip any boats on your last trip?
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Yeah, in Lava the boat in front of mine flipped just downstream of the ledge hole. I had never seen a boat flip before and I couldn't believe how effortlessly the water just tumped it over. Everyone else had clean runs and this poor dude was just working on flipping his shit over and then was all bashful while we were partying on Tequila Beach. I say the bit about Crystal because my bro and I didn't get far enough right and hit the hole deadnut sideways and both swam. The boat didn't flip and I was able to self-rescue but my bro swam for a long time and it was super scary. That's how I gained most respect for the water.

I know summer is the most popular launch time so even though it may be cold when you go you will have fewer trips to compete with for camps and will probably be able to spend more quality time at special places/side quests.
 
14400575:r00kie said:
So how does one pack for a Grand trip? Do you have to pack all three weeks worth of food and supplies or are there opportunities to replenish along the way?
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Yea, pretty much everything you need for 3 weeks is packed on the boat, and it's all packed out with us. The rafts have a ton of space tho. The only "services" in the grand canyon are at phantom ranch, where you can potentially fill water jugs and empty the groovers (shitters) about halfway thru the trip. We're renting boats and having our food for the trip packed for us by an outfitter. They'll freeze everything solid in double walled coolers

14401054:Toona said:
Are you doing it by yourself or with a group, sounds awesome
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There are up to 16 ppl on a permit and we maxed ours out!
 
14401097:broto said:
Yea, pretty much everything you need for 3 weeks is packed on the boat, and it's all packed out with us. The rafts have a ton of space tho. The only "services" in the grand canyon are at phantom ranch, where you can potentially fill water jugs and empty the groovers (shitters) about halfway thru the trip. We're renting boats and having our food for the trip packed for us by an outfitter. They'll freeze everything solid in double walled coolers

There are up to 16 ppl on a permit and we maxed ours out!
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Gotcha. We pack gear boats for work with everythong for only a week. Typically two rafts for a group of 15ish. Never done 3 weeks though. How much is the outfitter charging for all the gear and food prep?
 
Man that looks like a whole lot of fun! If everything goes to plan, I’ll be on a rafting trip on the Colorado sometime early this summer.

Things to bring:

Water filters. A pump filter is good for the day while you’re on the river. Gravity filters are good for when you’re at camp. Having to go pump every time you need some water gets old really fast. Besides that just bring regular camping/paddling stuff.

Also for future reference if you’re really into long paddle trips into the wilderness, the BWCA in Minnesota is incredible. You can go up into the middle of nowhere (several hours or even days away from any roads or cars), get completely disconnected from everything, and explore an expansive wilderness filled with lakes via canoe. Really good time.
 
ive got a boat on a grand june 24 permit

wife did from phantom down with canx a couple summers ago

read the emerald mile or the doing of the thing

buzz holmstroms biography

struck out again on permit lotto this year

the private to public launch rate is fucked and needs to be changed

my bro did pull a june 10th middle fork one of only 20 privates issued this june

its a holy grail turn the corner and keep on floatin the main salmon draw

been 15 years since my last middle fork stoked to git back on it









 
i pulled a middle fork this year but it's august 20 so we'll see if the water allows. i mean, why not?

just made a video of last march on the main

 
I never got the chance to kayak at the canyon, but even hiking there was absolutely insane, even as a fat 12 or 13 year old
 
14402880:broto said:
Yes sir
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Fuck ya bud. You’re gonna have the time of your life. There’s cool side hikes every day and it’s good to row hard through the flat water to allow yourself time for hiking and also enjoy your time at camp. The confluence, havasu falls and deer creek hikes are do not miss points.

Take care of your skin. Sunscreen, hand cream and super glue for cuts are key items. Bring 2 pairs of sunglasses. I learned the hard way that scouting a potential swim is just as important as scouting for rowing. That’s all I can think of right now.
 
Oh ya another important thing is planning ahead so that you do the big scary rapids in the morning. Last thing in the world you’d want to do is have to deal with a flipped boat an hour before sundown.

On that note, make sure there’s at least one person on the trip who is really dialed with setting up z-drags and that sort of thing.
 
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