Grand Canyon Whitewater Rafting Photos
November 30, 2008.Many thanks to Pamela Newberry for these incredible images from her recent O.A.R.S. Grand Canyon Dories trip! We’d all love to hear about your experience hiking out of the Canyon from Phantom Ranch on the Bright Angel Trail. Was it the most difficult hike of your life? Was it relatively easy but l-o-n-g? Did you have enough water and snacks? Could you refill your water bottles on the trail? What was your hiking guide like? What was your experience like staying at Phantom Ranch? Inquiring minds want to know…
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Gosh, Tracy, thanks for posting my photos. If anyone wants to see wade through all of them, they are here:
and there was plenty to eat in the sack lunch that was provided. The guide was a very pleasant and helpful young woman named Lena. She met us the afternoon we arrived at Phantom Ranch and explained everything to us…even woke us up at 0500 to get ready and have breakfast before we left at 0600. Phantom Ranch was fine…a hot shower and flush toilets made it seem like a 5 star hotel, although the food was no where as good as what we had experienced during the prior week. Hope this is the kind of info you were looking for. If you have any more specific questions, I would be pleased to answer them.
-- Pamhttp://flickr.com/photos/lastwyf/sets/72157608374268512/
As for the hike out, well yes, yes, yes, yes, very nice, fine. I am not an experienced hiker, so yes it was the most difficult of my life, in the sense of being very long. The side hikes we took while on the river were certainly more physically challenging, but the hike out was a test of endurance. The first half was actually quite easy, but then the trail got steeper, the air got thinner and I got more tired. The last 2 (of 10) miles kicked my butt! I was really glad that I had invested in the trekking poles; I think they made it much easier. I had spent some time “training” for this on the treadmill, but never actually did six hours in one stretch. I was happy that most of the trail was in the shade and the temperature was relatively cool. I can’t imagine doing this in the summer, although even at the end of October there were 2 places to stop for water and restrooms (not groovers
Hello Pam — wonderful pictures. Two friends an I are going on the O.A.R.S. entire canyon rafting trip next spring so no serious hiking either in or out of the canyon. Most of us take a daily walk of a couple of miles but curious if you think more serious training is needed to really enjoy the side hikes, or will we be OK with ordinary fitness for 65 year old people. Thank you for taking the time to post the photos – gives a very good idea of the trip for us. Should be a major life experience. One friend, a type A New Yorker, is has never even been camping! He is actually easy, though, and is an enthusiastic outfitter….
-- Bruce ManningPam, thanks so much for sharing your photos and for giving us the skinny on the hike out on the Bright Angel Trail!
Bruce, if you don’t mind me fielding your question about the hiking (and, Pam, if you don’t mind me jumping in here) … I love the outdoors, but I’m not an avid hiker, and I am modestly athletic. I do hike, but I prefer to experience the great outdoors with less effort on my knees… rafting, biking (I enjoy the coasting downhill parts the most), swimming, napping under the sun … I found that the daily hikes on our canyon trip varied from a 5 minute stroll to an interesting site – to nearly all-day affairs with close to 2000 feet gain in elevation – and everything in between. We were given choices every day – we could hike or not hike. We could go on a short, relatively flat stroll or we could go bonsai and scramble up canyons and forge through streams. We had multiple hikes going on on any given day. OARS typically has 1 guide per every 4 guests (we had 8 guides and 13 guests after Phantom Ranch) which allows for a lot of options. We had folks of every type of physical (and mental) condition on our trip, from previous hikers with knee injuries to avid gazelle-like hikers who practically leapt across the trails. The guides always informed us in detail what the hikes would be like, and we made our own decisions about what we felt up to that day. I hope you will report back to us after your trip – I’d love to know your impressions … and how your “type A New Yorker” buddy does out of his element. Cheers! -tracy
-- BRC