At least, according to some of my notes, this is Olo Canyon, about river mile 145.5. After awhile, these hundreds, thousands of beautifully carved pour overs sort of crowd together.
If I had to make some contrasts, I'd say that being on top of the Grand Canyon is like viewing a large, panoramic photograph or Bierstadt painting, and one that you see for a few minutes and then move on to a slightly different view. It's there and then it isn't, because you're back to your car, a lodge or heading back home.
However, rafting the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon is more like this continuous 200+ mile trip through a sculpture garden. You're there and you're not leaving for several days. The sculptures have been carved by water and sand, and there are signs of the continuing sculpting process, with large & small boulders strewn about. And, around every corner, there's a different sculpture, a different view, some at water level, some thousands of feet above you. And, some of the sculpting is from mineral accretion, with beautiful layers of travertine in many places...
OK, back to reality and working up yesterday's wedding... ;)
Nice photo, Tim! Yes, I can confirm that is the opening to Olo Canyon. I was fortunate to have been able to climb up into it in 1983 and again in 1988. An outfitter had placed a rope that hung from the left of the opening with loops tied into it every 1.5 feet or so that extended to the river's sandy shoreline, which allowed anyone with the strength necessary to climb the approximate 20 foot cliff below the opening and attain the first chamber. A short rocky climb of another 12-15 feet took you into a large amphitheater that extended about 75 yards into the canyon at which point there was another pour over style vertical travertine waterfall of about 15 feet. This 2nd one was also scaled by us after one member, an Outward Bound rock climbing instructor who happened to be on our private trip, climbed it and dropped a rope for the rest of us. The next quarter mile was like a slot canyon with a small stream embedded in the bedrock of the slot. A chockstone blocked any further exploration. Sometime in the mid to late 90's, someone, probably the park service, removed the rope, possibly fearing a catastrophic break in the deteriorating rope. Now the only way in is via a climb up a slope to the far right of the canyon opening, then some dicy walking along broken terraced rock, that puts you into the canyon at the level of the big amphitheater.
A small aside to this, there is a deep pool just inside of the pour-over shown in your photo. When I was coming out in 1988, I decided to jump into the pool feet first from the next level up, about a 10 foot jump from the spot I chose. The impact with the water tore my glasses off my head despite the Croakies strap and having both hands holding them against my head. They floated down and out of sight as I flailed through the water trying to grab them. They are still there at the bottom of the pool, about 10 feet down. I had a backup pair of glasses for the rest of the trip.
I really like the sense of scale in this composition, and the mixture of reds. Great story to go along with the image too, very nice work!.
Posted by Kalin Wilson on May 27, 2008 at 10:56 AM
Love the color. The perspective with the person on the sand is nice too. I'm jealous, I'd love to raft the Grand Canyon sometime. Thanks for the story and for sharing the shot!
As another contrast to your point about standing on the rim versus rafting the canyon. If you've never hiked from the rim to the river, especially from the North Rim, its a much different experience than a few days on the rim too.
Discussion
8 repliesIf I had to make some contrasts, I'd say that being on top of the Grand Canyon is like viewing a large, panoramic photograph or Bierstadt painting, and one that you see for a few minutes and then move on to a slightly different view. It's there and then it isn't, because you're back to your car, a lodge or heading back home.
However, rafting the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon is more like this continuous 200+ mile trip through a sculpture garden. You're there and you're not leaving for several days. The sculptures have been carved by water and sand, and there are signs of the continuing sculpting process, with large & small boulders strewn about. And, around every corner, there's a different sculpture, a different view, some at water level, some thousands of feet above you. And, some of the sculpting is from mineral accretion, with beautiful layers of travertine in many places...
OK, back to reality and working up yesterday's wedding... ;)
Tim!
A small aside to this, there is a deep pool just inside of the pour-over shown in your photo. When I was coming out in 1988, I decided to jump into the pool feet first from the next level up, about a 10 foot jump from the spot I chose. The impact with the water tore my glasses off my head despite the Croakies strap and having both hands holding them against my head. They floated down and out of sight as I flailed through the water trying to grab them. They are still there at the bottom of the pool, about 10 feet down. I had a backup pair of glasses for the rest of the trip.
Tim!
As another contrast to your point about standing on the rim versus rafting the canyon. If you've never hiked from the rim to the river, especially from the North Rim, its a much different experience than a few days on the rim too.