The river’s powerful current submerged the front of the raft, along with passengers in the “thrill” seats. The guide attempted to steer the raft to the right, but it continued to float straight, and the rig bumped up against the rock. When he was finally in deep enough water, close to the behemoth Bedrock, he revved the craft’s 30-horsepower motor to make a hard right. With a total of 133 Grand Canyon trips under his belt, the guide knew Bedrock well. Some passengers sat at the front of the raft, straddling rubber pontoons on what Western calls “thrill” seating.” Others sat in the middle, atop cushioned gear boxes called the “princess pad.” (Photo: National Park Service/Ron Chappele Photography)Īs the boat entered the rapid, the passengers cinched their PFDs and held on to the raft’s safety ropes, bracing for another rowdy ride. However, the approach was extra shallow on this trip, so he would have to stay in the left channel until they were closer to the rock than usual. But the approach on the right side of the river is too shallow for big J-Rigs, so the guide would drift in on the left and motor right as soon as the water was deep enough-the standard way to approach this route. It was imperative to go to the right side of the giant rock because the channel to the left was dangerously narrow and filled with powerful currents. (His name has been withheld by request of the National Park Service, to protect his privacy.) He explained to his 15 passengers the hazards of Bedrock and the strategy for the run. The first raft to approach the rapid was piloted by a highly experienced guide who had led 60 Western trips. Grand Canyon guides call it “Dreadrock” because of the prevalence of accidents there. the party approached the top of Bedrock rapid, a perilous stretch of whitewater where the river is divided by a hulking island of Vishnu schist, the Earth’s oldest exposed rock. After several hours on the river, the group stopped for lunch at a small beach called Randy’s Rock.Īround 1:30 P.M. They had also hiked to the thundering waters of Deer Creek Falls and the fern-decked paradise of Elves Chasm. By this point in the journey, the group had safely negotiated the three notorious Class V rapids: Hance, Hermit, and Crystal. Then everyone climbed aboard the two fully loaded J-Rigs-motorized, 37-foot long, 10,000-pound boats-and the crafts headed downriver in a gentle rain.Ĭompared to smaller human-powered oar boats that carry four or five passengers, the J-Rigs are more stable in rapids but also harder to navigate in shallow waters and around unanticipated obstacles. The fifth day of the eight-day trip started as usual, with coffee and breakfast in camp. On September 10, 2022, a Grand Canyon rafting trip led by Western River Expeditions was running like clockwork-exactly what the four guides wanted for their 31 passengers, many of whom had never been below the rim before or experienced the thrill of big rapids.
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