I spent eight days on the Colorado River recently in Grand Canyon. It was a relatively short trip but the experience was massive. It will take me a while to process it and all of the 4,800 photographs I took. I’ve decided it’s best to break it down into topics. This week’s topic…boats.

Lee’s Ferry (for more on the Ferry see my January 3rd post) is the point at which all Grand Canyon river rafting adventures begin. As you stand at the boat launch and gaze out at the Colorado River you have two choices; you can go upstream or float downstream. Downstream requires a permit from the park service, upstream does not.

Where is this information going? BOATS! If you’re on the river you need to be on some sort of flotation device. I love boats and this blog post is designed to share some images I’ve taken of just that…boats on the Colorado. Some are from a recent raft trip I had the good fortune of floating on and a couple are from a “backhaul” trip I did a few years back where you can be taken to the dam with your own boats and then float down. Enjoy.

These first three images are from the backhaul trip. It was my first experience seeing paddle boards on this river. They were fully loaded and had been camping. The thing that would hold me back from such an adventure is the fact that if you take a dive the water is a chilly 46 degrees coming out of the bottom of the dam.

Here is a collection of our own vessels taken on that trip. We had a couple of canoes, sea kayaks, regular kayaks and an inflatable kayak or two. People have been known to paddle upstream. They eddy hop, paddle from eddy to eddy to reach their destination. It’s hard but doable.

This area of the river, upstream from Lee’s Ferry,  is famous and popular with the fly fishermen. It’s quite common to see motorboats heading upstream to fish. Companies also do a “daily” where they take passengers on large inflatable motor rigs down the 25 mile stretch of Glenn Canyon from the Dam to Lee’s Ferry. Those are the boats we load up and pay to haul our boats back up to the dam for a two-day float. We stay at the campgrounds along the river.

Here we are at the ferry on the morning of our launch. To my delight, an OARS Grand Canyon Dories trip was loading up and preparing to launch as well. I love these boats. They are my favorite on the river. They are made of wood and each one is a work of art. I drifted away from my group and couldn’t help myself. I had to shoot a few at the boat ramp.

My favorite picture is the one at the top of this post. Late in the trip we floated past several lined up on a beach.  I was able to catch just the right angle of their pointed bows with their names painted on the sides.

They launched before we did so when we passed them I was able to capture them silently floating in the canyon while we motored past in our big, 36-foot inflatable S-Rig.

There are two ways to get a permit. You can go as a private boater or with a company. There are also two ways to get DOWN the river, motor or rowing. I’ve had the pleasure of rowing my own boat down this river twice. It is a feat I am very proud of because it wasn’t easy. I have great respect for boatmen and women who can safely and skillfully guide their passengers through these sometimes treacherous waters.

This boat has a long story attached to it. If you’re interested go to The Ross Wheeler. 

Kayaking is another popular way to experience this river but rest assured, the water is not always this smooth.

I like this image because it shows you the scale of Grand Canyon. The boats in the distance are two large motor rigs heading to camp in late afternoon. They look tiny.

This is the boat we traveled on, a 36-foot S-rig. No idea what the S stands for.

 

Here’s another type of boat, a Snout Rig, that looks small in the distance. This is a private party riding on a medium sized motorboat to get them down river.

  Shade is a premium while on the river, especially at camp. These boats had the right idea. Temperatures are many degrees cooler the closer to the water you get. One does not want to hang out on the hot sand in the sun until shade adorns the camp. Trust me on this one.

A lot of folks like to bring “duckies” on Canyon trips to float on the calmer sections of water. They tend to get loaded and tied down for the big rapids.

Here’s another boat seen on the river occasionally. It’s a bit of a catamaran; two pontoons connected with a deck for rowing and gear.

I’m going to end where I started, with my beloved dories. I’ve never ridden in one but I  think they are such pretty boats. If you want a great dory story read The Emerald Mile by Kevin Fedarko, it’s amazing.

All of these images were taken with my Lumix Gx-8, 14-150mm lens. I stored it in a small dry bag for the rapids and that seemed to work pretty well, except for the fact that it was hard to get in and out. I have to find a better system for ease of access.

Don’t be afraid to take your gear on epic trips, that’s why you have it. Just do the research and be sure it’s safe from weather and thieves.

Happy Shooting!!