Grand Canyon dory trip, April 14-May 2, 2004 Kathleen and I spent 19 days traveling 280 miles down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon.  The six 17' wooden boats we rode in are called dories.  We also had three baggage rafts to help carry our supplies and gear.  This particular trip was significant for a couple of reasons:  This year marks the 40th year of operations for Grand Canyon Dories.  It also marks the 35th year for O.A.R.S. - the parent company of Grand Canyon Dories.  To commemorate this occasion we had the honor and privilege of traveling the length of the Grand Canyon with the founder of Grand Canyon Dories, Martin Litton.  Martin is 87 years old, is an acclaimed environmentalist credited with helping to save the Grand Canyon from two proposed dams, and rowed most of the river on this trip - including Lava Falls, the fiercest rapid of them all.  Also joining Martin and us for this celebration was George Wendt, owner of O.A.R.S. Participants on the entire 19 day, 280 mile trip were:  Doug & Kathleen from Seattle; Pal & Fritz from Meadow Vista, CA; Mike & Kathy from Independence, CA; Frank from Moreno Valley, CA; Letty from New Orleans; Cosette & Duane from Independence, MO; and Vernita from Kansas City, MO. Traveling 187 river miles in 16 days (from Lees Ferry to Whitmore Wash) were Devon from Woodland Hills, CA; and Pat & Dennis from Golden, CO. Joining us for the first six days and 87 miles (Lees Ferry to Phantom Ranch) of the adventure were: John & Mary from Oakland, CA; Jim & Melba from Hallettsville, TX; and Harriet from San Francisco. At Phantom Ranch we picked up Hope & Clark from Cleveland; Beth from Denver; Lee from Tacoma, WA and his daughter Chris who lives near and works in Mt. Rainier National Park.  Also joining us at Phantom Ranch was O.A.R.S. owner George Wendt.  They were part of our trip for 10 days and 100 miles before riding a helicopter out at Whitmore Wash. Joining our trip at Whitmore Wash for the final 3 days and 92 miles of the journey was Roger from Methuen, MA; Anne from Concord, MA; Kathleen from Palo Alto, CA; Kathleen's son Paul from Lauderhill, FL; and Bill and his son Kurt from Boston. Also on our trip was Kevin and Kurt, writer and photographer respectively for Outside Magazine.  Their article appears in the June 2005 issue of the magazine. The amazing boatmen on our trip were: the incomparable Martin Litton from Portola Valley, CA; Bronco Bruchak (our Trip Leader) and Rondo Buechler - both from Mesa, CO; Ote Dale, Duffy Dale, Tim Dale & Curtis Newell- all from Flagstaff, AZ; Eric Sjoden from Whitefish, MT; Ryan (Howdy) Howe from Big Sky, MT; John Blaustein (J.B.) from Berkeley, CA; and George Wendt from Angels Camp, CA.  It goes without saying that aside from the natural splendor of the canyon, they make the trip special - through their knowledge of the canyon - it's history, geology, flora and fauna; by their amazing wilderness cooking skills; and most importantly, by their friendship and camaraderie.  They are all amazing people and we were lucky to have them as our guides and companions along the river. Here is what we saw on our adventure: Note:  These are extremely small and low-resolution photos compared to the originals.  If you are interested in obtaining high-quality copies of any of these photos, please contact me to make arrangements to have them emailed or snail-mailed to you. A further note on photographic equipment.  These images were for the most part shot using a Canon D-60 digital SLR camera using primarily a Canon EF L 17-40mm lens.  Other lenses used were a Canon EF 28-135mm IS and a Canon EF 75-300mm IS.  Some photos - particularly those shot from within the boats - were taken with a Canon PowerShot S400 digital camera housed within a waterproof case.  All images have been resized and in many cases retouched using Adobe PhotoShop. Click on an image to see the full-size view.  Use your browser's 'back' button to return to this page. Martin Litton makes final preparations aboard the Sequoia prior to departure from Lees Ferry. Kathleen is ready for her second Grand Canyon Dory trip in as many years. Once underway we pass the Vermillion Cliffs on the right as we begin our descent into the Grand Canyon. Getting ready to pass under Navajo Bridge. The old (top) and new (bottom) spans of Navajo Bridge. The old bridge is for pedestrians sightseeing. A condor soars near the bridge. Note the tags on the wings. Looking back upstream at 10 Mile Rock, which appropriately is 10 miles downstream from the launch at Lees Ferry. The boats pull into the beach for our first night's camp at Hot Na Na Wash. 'Nuff said. Dry bags (or 'white bags'). A portion of our mighty fleet. Sandstone at Hot Na Na Wash. Checking out the first 'real' rapid of the Grand Canyon, House Rock Rapid. Martin scouts House Rock Rapid. Kathleen, Harriet and Devon look over the rapid at the scout. Bronco and the Yampa prepares to run House Rock Rapid. On board with Bronco is Pal, Fritz, Kevin and Vernita. The Yampa negotiates House Rock Rapid. Eric and the Virgin in a trough in House Rock Rapid. In addition to her boatman, the Virgin today carries Pat, Dennis, Duane and Cosette. John Blaustein (J.B.) negotiates his raft through House Rock Rapid. John is the author of The Hidden Canyon, a photography book that has defined a Grand Canyon river trip for over 25 years. The stern of the Dark Canyon, Ote Dale's dory. Slime covers a pool in a grotto in North Canyon. Frank, Doug and Bronco enjoy the shade of North Canyon. A big horn sheep looks over our lunch stop at North Canyon. Approaching Indian Dick Rapid (also known as Native American Richard). See if you can spot the topographical feature that lends the spot it's name. Devon and Letty enjoy the fruits of Ote's labor as she rows the Dark Canyon through the Marble Canyon section of the Grand Canyon. Our camp for the second night at Cave Springs. I've found the cave - now where are the springs? Looking across the Colorado River from camp at Cave Springs. J.B., photographer and boatman. Relaxing at Cave Springs camp. Duane, intrepid river runner and one of Martin's first customers in 1971. Duane also has the distinction of having been on the trip Edward Abbey chronicles in John Blaustein's book The Hidden Canyon. Martin Litton, boatman, founder of Grand Canyon Dories, environmentalist, and story-teller. Not necessarily in that order. Frank, Mary & John enjoy making new friends along the river. Ote Dale, boatman, artist, mother and all-around cool woman (not necesarily in that order). Pal. Eric (boatman of the Virgin) blows the conch to call us to dinner. The view from camp. Martin at the oars of the Sequoia. Stanton's Cave. Prehistoric floods deposited driftwood in the cave, even though it lies hundreds of feet above the current river level. Sedimentary rock formations near South Canyon. The Virgin and the Shoshone float down past South Canyon. Vasey's Paradise. Vasey's Paradise is nourished by a large spring that flows from the side of the canyon wall. Looking back upriver towards Vasey's Paradise. Harriet and Letty enjoy Eric's boatman skills aboard the Virgin. Approaching Redwall Cavern, formed when the pre-dam river carved away at the limestone during flooding episodes. Our fleet beached at Redwall Cavern. Looking out towards the river from the back of Redwall Cavern. Another view from inside Redwall Cavern. More of the interior of Redwall Cavern. Duane attempts to get a word in edgewise with Rondo aboard the Shoshone. Also onboard are Cosette and Vernita. Fritz and Pal enjoy riding Duffy's dory, the Paria. Duffy's mom is Ote, making our trip a family affair. Martin rows the Sequoia through Marble Canyon. The Marble Canyon section of the Grand Canyon. The Bridge of Sighs. Design on the back of the Virgin. Martin shares the story of how he helped to stop the construction of the Marble Canyon Dam in the mid 1960's. A pile of tailings from test holes bored by the Bureau of Reclamation can be seen in the upper right corner of the photo. More from Martin's discussion of the proposed Marble Canyon Dam. Bronco listens to Martin's talk. Martin Litton. Marble Canyon. Ancient bridge used by Anasazi to travel between the river and the rim. Looking upriver from above our camp at Eminence Break, river mile 44. Prickly Pear cactus in bloom. Looking down upon our camp at Eminence Break. The view downriver from Eminence Break camp at first light. Dawn from camp at Eminence Break. Floating downstream towards Saddle Canyon. Martin rows the Sequoia between Eminence Break and Saddle Canyon. Marble Canyon. Toad in grotto at Saddle Canyon. Saddle Canyon. John gets an assist up to the grotto in Saddle Canyon. The grotto of Saddle Canyon. Enjoying the cool quiet of the Saddle Canyon grotto. Visible is Mike, Rondo, Kathleen, Tim, Eric, Ote, Curtis (red hat), Duffy and Bronco. Below the Saddle Canyon grotto. Heading downriver at approximately mile 50. Doug rows the Virgin between Saddle Canyon and Nankoweap. Hanging out at the graineries at Nankoweap. This is one of the truly special places within the Grand Canyon. Nankoweap Wall. Kathleen and Doug enjoy the afternoon at Nankoweap. Maybe this will be our Christmas card this year... Duffy rows Kathleen, Doug and Frank (Little Yellow Riding Hood) downstream from Nankoweap towards the Little Colorado River. Beamer's cabin along the Little Colorado River. The Little Colorado River. Due to high concentrations of calcium carbonate in the water, the stream takes on a light-blue tint. Fishery biologists explain their work to our group. The Little Colorado River. The Little Colorado River. The confluence of the Little Colorado and the Colorado Rivers. Salt leaches through the layers of Tapeats Sandstone just below the confluence of the Little Colorado and the Colorado Rivers. Rondo rows Kathy, Devon and Mike in the Shoshone. Beautiful rock formations of the Grand Canyon Supergroup viewed from a hike along Lava Canyon. More exquisite rock formations along Lava Canyon. Ote explains the geology of the Lava Canyon area. The North Rim of the Grand Canyon serves as Letty's backdrop. Igneous rocks, (dark colors) and sedimentary rocks (lighter colors) contrast with cottonwood trees along Lava Canyon. Comanche Point (center formation). Desert View tower as viewed from camp just above Lava-Chuar Rapid. The view upstream from Lava-Chuar camp. Frank waits for the conch to signal that dinner is ready. Comanche Point and Desert View from Lava Chuar camp. Evening light on the Pallisades of the Desert and the Shoshone. There are plenty of strange birds in camp most mornings. Today is no exception. This morning we awoke to a wild turkey (unfortunately not the kind you can drink) scratching through our kitchen and looking for scraps. Zuni Point on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Bronco rows Kathleen in the Yampa near river mile 71. Sedimentary rock formations along 'Furnace Flats', an area of the canyon that can get extremely hot during the heart of summer. Hance Rapid, the first of the major rapids we'll face on our journey. The tailings from John Hance's asbestos mine can be seen in the upper left corner of the photo. Camp just above Grapevine Rapid, river mile 81.5. Harriet, Martin and Kathleen relax after a day on the river. Devon shows of her "My First Backpack", a gift from Martin who is essentially her Godfather. Letty and Kathleen aboard the Virgin with Eric rowing through the Upper Granite Gorge. A Grand Canyon Expeditions 'baloney boat'. Unfortunately, motorized craft are allowed in the Grand Canyon. Approaching the Kaibab Suspension Bridge at Phantom Ranch. Enjoying lunch at Phantom Ranch. Pictured is Pat, Kathleen, Mary, Jim and Letty. Sitting in the background is Melba and John. Mary, Melba, Jim and John will leave the trip here at Phantom Ranch while the rest of us continue down the canyon.