During the Summer of 2018, I joined a group of strangers to float 188 miles down the Colorado River along the bottom of the Grand Canyon. This trip turned into one of the best trips of my life.

Over the course of 12 days, these strangers left the digital world behind and embraced the extremes of the real world at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. The river flows a mile beneath the surface of the earth with air temperatures in the triple digits. We lived as a self reliant group having no contact with the outside world. This crucible of shared intense experience transformed strangers to friends. I will describe this journey with 2 separate posts and hope you enjoy this first part - the 90 mile float to Phantom Ranch.

A note about the photography. I normally bring my Leica to capture images. I decided the harsh environment of sand and water was too extreme for my Leica. All images were taken with my iPhone.

Running whitewater is an indespensable element of the floating the Colorado River, so lets begin there.

Running Lava Falls

Lava Falls Rapids is one of the largest and most powerful sections of whitewater in North America. With a drop of 37 feet and a water flow of 18,000 CFS (cubic feet per second), these rapids have the power of 75,000 horses galloping across an open field kicking up a dust cloud seen for miles. This is double the power output of a Triton nuclear submarine.

Lava Falls is about 20 seconds from the top to the bottom. 20 seconds that require hours of preparation. When I raced bicycles I was fond of a the phrase, “the race is not won the day of the race.” The same is true for many things in life, including running Lava Falls. The river flow changes during the course of the day as the Glen Canyon dam moderates water release. The water level can rise and fall many feet over a 24 hour period. We wanted enough water flow to take the left side (only possible above 12,000 CFS). We planned an arrival time before 11:00 AM when the water flow is high. Our preparation began with an early bed time so we could get an early start the next morning.

Rivers are alive. Whitewater currents constantly change. Our team of experienced guides beached our boats to inspect the falls. With the countenance of prudence, they studied every inch of Lava Falls, visualizing current flows and obstacles. It is important to spend the right time scouting. Too short and you are not prepared, too long and the mind gets distracted by fear. Dosing is important. After about 20 minutes our leader yelled, "Time to go!" We boarded our rafts.

Above the whitewater of Lava Falls lies a glassy pool of emerald green water. Floating through this tranquil pool, the roar of the falls grows louder with each passing stroke of the oars. The falls lie below the event horizon, invisible yet impending. There were 5 of us in the raft, four passengers and our riverguide. We have been through enough white water together to become a cohesive team, a family. Lava Falls creates its own wind. We looked up and watched the cyclone of mist swirling above our heads. Everyone in the raft felt the power growing as we slowly inched forward through the calm pool. Our riverguide scanning the water, strong and alert, planned his approach. He stood as bravely as a gladiator, holding oars rather than swords. Looking forward, visualizing the run, his mind focused totally in the present. Hope and fear have no place for the gladiator or the riverguide. They are luxuries of a distracted mind. Distraction can be dangerous in the arena or the river.

Approaching the edge of the emerald pool, our speed picked up and the falls finally came into view. The sound was deafening. A feeling of inevitability filled our souls. We were not in the whitewater yet, but we passed the point of no return. We know its coming.