A Day in the Life of a Winter Grand Canyon of the Colorado Trip

A Typical Day:

You know what you’re going to do tomorrow, sort of… First you’ll wake up. Crawl out of your warm cocoon of a bed/nest. Get dressed in the first of multiple costumes for the day. This attire will undoubtedly include a warm hat, extra layers, and at minimum one article of down clothing. Rowan took this to extremes on our trip with a down jacket, pants, and slippers! Create a delicious, filling, and hot breakfast. These meals usually contain either bacon, sausage, or chorizo! On the truly magical mornings, all three of these delightful breakfast meats can be combined. This combination feels like winning the lottery while having a heart attack! There will certainly be Baileys on the coffee table and no one will even blink when you add a glug or two to your coffee.

water colors colliding, Little and Big Colorado

side-hikes

A lackadaisical launch hour is the norm, say noonish, and usually coincides with the sun hitting the beach. Sometimes it starts snowing and you just blow it off for a day or two. Direct sunlight is precious on winter trips, and groups always seem to desire to spend as many of the sunlit hours as possible on the water to combat the chilly winter temps.

critters both large and small

above Deer Creek

Mileage on the water can be less than ten a day. Sometimes getting on the water is just an excuse to change camp locations. Other days you push for thirty-plus miles, tackling countless rapids.

Rowan trying to be a chameleon and match her dry suit to the Little Colorado

Social Norms:

Interactions with other groups can be odd, because it seems like every trip on the river has a significantly different goal. Some groups are actually on scientific work details. Other parties are exactly that… massive parties. Still others are on soul-searching missions. Interactions between these different groups are usually welcoming and ecstatic, with people more than happy to lend a hand in any way possible. On our last trip, we were forced to acquire a couple of items from other groups. At mile 150, Upset Rapid created both an exciting line and an excessively damp bread-box for Mike Crook. Thankfully, a very heavily-stocked science trip was so kind as to ration out some bread. However, there were some things we searched for during the trip that no one sold come up with: Kool-Aid for a hair dyeing experiment, and the top for a percolator. It seems like those little glass percolator tops break at least once a trip. If you’re ever in need of an emergency cap replacement, we’ve discovered that the cap off of a handle of Evan Williams whisky will suffice. Better yet the top to an Absolute Vodka bottle will actually match the chrome exterior of the percolator.

Deer Creek

Other groups get used like we use Google back in the techno world: settling arguments over irrelevant statistics, gaining an edge for the funniest sand Pictionary word, or obscure facts that someone in the group ought to know but can’t come up with. It’s interesting how we have become overly reliant on technology to tell us what is correct. Sometimes unresolved theories can turn into comical debates. Other times the banter becomes so fueled that it sparks your first interaction with a new group. “What’s the Italian word for thank you?!” “Prego!” It only took communicating with three different groups for us to get this answer.

Red Wall Cavern

Camp Life:

When pulling into camp, make sure it’s a suitable location. Things to consider: Is it large enough for a horseshoes arena? Is there wind protection for the kitchen? Is there morning sun, or any sun at all? Is there rain protection? Plenty of camps have overhanging walls that make for epic escapes if the weather turns for the worse. Are there flat tent sites? Is there enough room to sprawl out? Are there options for side hikes? There are plenty of perks and downfalls to every location, and camp selection is often the most contested portion of a Grand Canyon trip.

overhanging rock wall for rain protection

rafts trying to dry out as water levels fall

Once a camp location is agreed upon, tie down the boats! This sounds simple but can go epically wrong. Remember, there can be massive flow variations throughout the day and the trip. https://rrfw.org/RaftingGrandCanyon/Tide_Tables Sand stakes work great but will pull loose if your 2,000-pound raft starts jerking on the line in the middle of the night. On the other hand, you don’t want to pull the rafts up too high as they may be left high-and-dry if water levels drop in the morning. I prefer the buddy system: you tie your boat off to a tree or a sand-stake, and I’ll do the same. Then we tie our boats together. Note: Some camps don’t have good tie-up locations. Ledges Camp is the one that comes to my mind. It is a good idea to bring some rock climbing hardware just in case.

evening sunsets

kitchen location

Unloading the kitchen can be hard on the body. A pack for everything kitchen will be excessively heavy and can easily weigh north of one hundred and fifty pounds. The dry-boxes in which the kitchen usually resides are cumbersome beasts. They almost always require two people to maneuver out of the raft and up the mountain of sand to the designated kitchen location. This action, even when done with a competent partner, can be awkward or dangerous and include more than a few curse words.

it's not all whitewater

Once you’ve dialed in all of the amenities of camp, get the fire started. Then pick out the ultimate groover location. It’s a curtesy to have some privacy for your bathroom location, but not at the expense of having an epic view. The last group tasks are to set up the hand wash station and can crush location, aka the “snake pit.”

groover with a view

Personal camp:

I try to make this one of the easiest and least time-consuming parts of the trip. I like a basic, 6x8 tarp on the ground with a thick Paco Pad smack in the middle. The tarp allows a bit of a buffer between the sand and the bed. On top of the Paco Pad, I put my Watershed bag which contains my headlamp, sleeping bag and pillow. That bag stays closed until bedtime, which helps keep sand out of my personal gear.

Nankoweap Granaries

Now it’s time to produce an elaborate dinner! We’re not roughing it out here. Add a healthy dollop of solar-powered music, cocktail hour and hors d'oeuvres, and a constant stream of humorous and misguided conversation, exacerbated by a lack of screen time. These communal meals are a highlight on any trip.

Matkatamiba canyon

Time spent floating on the water during a winter twenty-eight day Grand Canyon of the Colorado trip is limited to maybe two hours a day. That is only one-twelfth of the entire trip. Find joy in the rest of it! Camp should be elaborate, and your company should be gregarious. I found my cheeks sore from laughter on a daily basis.

Rowan Stuart

Avery Potter

Chris Baer

Mike Crook

Brad Mcmillan

Twenty-eight days go by in a blur in the Grand Canyon of the Colorado, and I can’t wait to get back to the “real world” that exists there.

 Anyone got a trip coming up I could get on?

Losing to a twelve year old is pretty rewarding!

Holden Bradford and Chris Baer making their way through the Pine Creek Hydraulic

Smack in the middle of Colorado, surrounded by numerous 14,000 foot peaks, lies the Arkansas River. This year Colorado was gifted with a pile of moisture and sustained high water. As the season continued and water levels returned to reasonable flows, it was time once again for the yearly Race to Prom event. This is a boater cross style event where all of the crafts start simultaneously and race through both the Pine Creek and Numbers sections of the Arkansas River, culminating in a prom themed party with live music.

   

Race to Prom! 2015 from Chris Baer on Vimeo.

Horizon line playing for the crowd

This year I was ecstatic when Holden Bradford (12 years old) agreed to paddle with me. We hopped in a two person kayak and charged through the race course!

Embrey Exposures collecting tons of great prom photos

The results of this event are always a bit informal, as rubbing is racing, and there are no official starters or timers. That being said,  Surgio Vidal Bogdanovic took the win for the second time, and Holden Bradford arrived at the finish only milliseconds ahead of me to earn second place.

not always clean lines

Make sure to follow the athlete page as not to miss next year’s event!

Adventure by Chris Baer

How to pack for a winter Grand Canyon trip.

another Grand Canyon sunset

Two people, two sixteen foot rafts, eight oars, two frames, three dry boxes, two coolers, groover, fire pan, beer, and ten pounds of bacon is a lot to put in a fifteen year old mini van. The rig looked reminiscent of the Beverly Hillbilly’s with a mass of gear marginally attached to the roof rack. We were ready for the 550 mile tour to Arizona. The biennial Grand Canyon of the Colorado trip was about to begin.

prehistoric birds?

sunset at Redwall Cavern

Spending twenty-eight days without cell service, or for that matter any outside communication, allows for great introspection on the aspects of life I truly value. It reinstills the priorities I cherish; a good meal, terrific companionship, and awesome scenery are much more valuable than a large pay check. By completing this trip every two years it allows me to keep perspective.

Avery, taking in a side hike

little boats in a big canyon

260 miles with 10 pounds of bacon! Grand Canyon Of The Colorado 2015 from Chris Baer on Vimeo.

Instead of planning a sixteen person party, we trimmed the adventure down to just two people, Avery Potter and myself. Trip logistics were wildly different with only two people and the meal plan was unique. We decided to have a handful of meals planned out and then mix and match the large majority of the meals. Shuttle was completed with the help of Gordon, the solo rafter that launched the day before us. Our pace would be ultra variable with long mornings and the possibility for quick rigging available.

Madeline, nope Avery

classic shot with above average light

Over the years, I have compiled what I believe is an all-inclusive list… that gets added to on a regular basis. Some of this list is for a winter Grand trip, some is for a six month stint guiding and playing in New Zealand, and yet other portions are for your next weekend outing.

unique feathers

breakfast on the boat

 

Kitchen:

Ladle
Tongs
Spatula
Scissors
Can Opener
Measuring cups
Strainer
Towels
Papper towels
Dish soap
Hot pad
Sharp knife
Fork
Spoon, not the plastic sporks that break
Bowl
Plate
Cocktail cup!
Pots, pans, and handles
Griddle
Stove, and maintenance kit
Extra fuel
Cutting board
Coffee press
Koozie, for keeping your hands warm on the cold days
Water bottle
Table
Wine screw
Lighters
Pepper grinder and enough pepper
Spices
Emergen C
Coffee
Hot chocolate
Gatorade
Sesame seeds
Jerky
Irish cream, breakfast necessity 
Tea
Gear Bag, for beer

hiking deeper into the canyon

tiny boats

Hygiene:

Towel
Toothpaste
Toothbrush
Bar soap in container
Razor and shaving cream
Nail clippers
Sunscreen
Chapstick
Condoms
Anti inflammatory pills, Alive, Aspirin, Tylenol
Wet wipes, the instant shower
Lotion, it’s dry in the desert
Bug spray
Toilet paper, seen TP traded late in trips for valuable commodities
Arnica
Pepto-Bismol, ultra important on the international trips

Little Colorado adding some color

First Aid:

Triangle bandage
Ace wrap
Tape
Neoprene
Lighter
Head lamp, hiked out of a canyon without one once, and I will never go creeking without one again
Gauze
Suture kit
Food
Water tablets, for cleaning water on an accidental overnighter
Duct tape
SteriPen

hula hooping with the Alaskan Pirates

Camp:

Passport
Solar charger
Waterproof cases
Headphones
Speakers, impromptu dance parties are awesome
Super glue
Computer and case
Cameras, and extras batteries
Sunglasses and croakies
Water purifier
Phone and charger
Sudoku, or some other mindless non-battery operated game you can do on a 20 hour bus ride
Long pants
Socks!
Flip flops
T-shirts
Dress shirt and pants, it’s always nice to be able to go to a nice restaurant, or for shaking the local governing official's hand
Warm pants and jacket
Rain gear
12 volt octopus
Dental floss sewing kit, this is mandatory on almost any trip
Sleeping pad
Pigs, SUEY! Wild how this game gets so rowdy
Backgammon
Fireworks
Power inverter, changes 12 volt DC “car power” to 120 volt AC household power
Playing cards
Aqua-seal
303
Belt
Tarp
Bivy
Stakes
Cord
Duck tape
Axe
Water container
Cooler
Mud boots
Hats
Camp chair
Multi tool
Head lamp
Batteries
Sleeping bag
Tent
Pillow
Book
Magazine for groover
Pen
Sharpie
Mittens
Gloves
Bandana
Zip ties
External hard drive with lots of extra memory
Sharpening stone
Pocket knife
Foreign currency
Foreign power adapter
Mesh beer bag
Big bag to minimize check bags

gear bag or beer bag?

Boating:

Shorts
Shoes that last
Socks
Layers
Drysuit
Dry top
Pfd
Helmet
Pogies
Cam straps
Boat bag, for concealing your “wave ski” as it passes through the airport
Skirt
Paddles 
Paddle bag, for concealing your “skis” as they pass through the airport
Hat
Aqua seal
Extra gaskets
Bike tube patch kit, works in a pinch to repair blown gaskets
303
Med kit
Pin kit, pulleys, carabiners, webbing
Rappel rope
Climbing harness, carabiner, ATC
Elbow pads
Watershed Futa bags
Sponge
Bitch-a-thane, it’s help limp more cracked boats off of creeks then I could have ever imagined
SteriPen

Redwall sunset

Don't forget to:

Leave a new voicemail
Call credit and debit card companies, let them know you're traveling internationally
Lock up your vehicles
Find out foreign currency exchange rate
Don't bring pocket knife on the plane
Get a second debit card, hide it deep in your bags
Some place to carry cell phone sim card from the states

 Mix, match and enjoy.

another beautiful evening

adventure by Chris Baer

Why do we take chances? Revisiting the beast, YULE CREEK!

Looking down at Ball and Wall Check

Thirty days of commercial rafting in a row and Casey Tango gave me a phone call, “Yule’s in.” This was the perfect excuse for a much needed day off.

From the Arkansas River drainage it’s a haul to get to the Crystal River and its tributary, Yule Creek. It’s located west of Aspen, tucked behind the Maroon Bells mountain range, and nestled into the quintessential Colorado mountain town of Marble.

Yule Creek is rowdy! The first section of whitewater is class five and would be considered some of the best whitewater in the region if it weren’t immediately upstream of the horrendous gradient-loss that the creek cascades into, just before meeting the Crystal River near the Beaver Pond in Marble.

Yule!!!! from Chris Baer on Vimeo.

The last pitch of the creek is stunning. While scouting from a few hundred feet above it looks irresponsible, and once down in the sheer walled canyon the size of the drops becomes apparent. Everything is HUGE!

Setting safety on the bottom four drops is a misconception. With only two of us the best safety was to have another boater in their boat at the bottom of each of the towering features. Roping in one at a time wasn’t really an option so we decided that we would launch five seconds apart and go with the “we both won’t get hurt” approach. We sat in our kayaks and performed our last second rituals before plummeting: readjusting back bands, rolling my head back and forth stretching my shoulders and neck, checking the spray skirt is seated properly two or five times, dipping my hands in the icy snow melt to get the slightest skin oils off them.

The last second conversation was quick and concise, “Cool, you good?”

“Yea, have fun!”

A nod of heads, then Tango seal launched into the creek.

I was five seconds behind him, no matter what was about to happen we would both be a couple hundred feet below in a matter of seconds.

Lining up for the first big drop, Ball Check, a thirty-foot waterfall, I cleared my head, took a deep breath and waited for the horizon line, a quick flick of the wrist and I was airborne, kind of. The drop is more of a super steep slide then totally vertical waterfall. With slightly disconnected water spraying everywhere half a second passed, then the impact of the pool below, “ughhhhh.” The impact was firm but acceptable, allowing me to have a tiny bit of control. A couple strokes and I was eddied out in the hanging pool above Wall Check, the immense slide that banks off the left wall a third of the way down. The ferry out of the hanging pool was terrifying while trying to line up the six-inch wide line and being tossed around by the boil of the thirty-footer behind me. The last stroke was made and the boat teetered off the edge onto the slippery slope. Speed was a joke, faster, faster, faster, bounce over a ridge and then faster yet as the wall was hurdling in. WHAM! Huge impact, instinctive paddle bracing, and a blur of water and rocks. I was backwards, at least in the correct location, but backwards. Squaring up the boat for the bottom pitch and laterals, I actually started to smirk. Yeah it wasn’t the best line, but I had just been allowed to do another ridiculous stunt.

Skipping into the pool I looked over at Tango, he was right side up but looked stunned. He said, “I got rocked, I hit my head against the wall.” He was mildly concussed. As we went down to the next horizon line to scout Oriental Massage and Happy Ending I continued to check on Tango. Stubborn would be a gentle way to refer to him, he’s a BOSS! Yes he hit his head, and no he wasn’t ok. But yes he was going to paddle the bottom two drops. No more questions.

Once again we sorted out our five-second interval and Tango headed off the next horizon line.

Quintessential Colorado

I’m sure no one has ever used the word “control” while talking about paddling Oriental Massage. This is one of those line-up-the-rooster-tail-and-hold-on type of drops. I slipped over the brink and picked up speed nearing terminal velocity, hit something in the rooster tail, and my head snapped forward from the violent collision. There was spray everywhere and absolutely no orientation. Again the involuntary nervous system kicked in and miraculously I was right side up and careening down the massive slide in some form of mild “control”. Slamming into the pool below my boat skipped and planed out in a violent wheelie. I shouted at Tango that I was going direct into Happy Ending with a Wahoo!  And disappeared into the spray of the last waterfall. At the bottom of the massive gradient I spun around just in time to see Tango launch off the concluding drop, Happy Ending.

Both of our boats looked horrible. The bows were crushed in, but we were ok. Once again we challenged the steepest piece of runnable whitewater in Colorado.

Why do we do this? Pride? Challenge? Are we trying to understand where the line is? FUN?

Yeah, it’s fun. Yes I’m nervous at the top of these monsters but once I’m in the action the fear goes away. There’s no time for fear, there is only time for reactions, and that makes me smile.

adventure by Chris Baer

2013 Race Season In Colorado

Crushing dreams, or offering a kayak hug? 8 Ball Kayak Race!

Vail Mountain Games

are always a heated event, a ton of world class paddlers converge on Colorado to start a competition circuit. The Mountain Games holds events ranging from rock climbing, mountain biking, fly fishing, dog jumping, and a few fun kayak events, including two distinctly different races. The first is the "Steep Creek Race" held on Homestake Creek just outside of Red Cliff CO. The course is rather short, less then a half mile, but is full of offset ledges and manky mandatory lines.

Trying to control my panting in the Steep Creek Race

Bryan Kirk charging through the last drop and into a 2nd place finish

8 Ball Race

was unintentionally created for me. As many people know I can't take kayak racing too seriously, partially because I'm just not good at it. I can take the 8 Ball race seriously, it is the most haphazard, fastest person usually doesn't win, pure chaos event I have gotten to participate in. The 8 Ball race pits 4-8 kayakers boater cross style down an easy class 2 stretch, the catch is the 8 Balls, me and a hand full of other kayakers robed in black waiting in the eddies to charge out and drastically change the outcome of the race. I like to think about it as the American Gladiator version of mass start kayaking. Take no prisoners and do not allow any heat to finish without some serious destruction. Needless to say this is a crowd favorite and the banks are lined deep with spectators cheering for every bone crush impact.

  CO Race Season 2013 from Chris Baer on Vimeo.

Welcome to the Coliseum of Carnage, 8 Ball destruction derby!

Pine Creek Race to Prom

is anther impromptu event that I have taken the reins on over the years. For lack of any planning the race is held as a mass start. Any craft is acceptable, no judges, no timers, no prizes, pure laughing and bragging rights, all to be celebrated in a Prom theme party to follow the race. This year I was stood up by my 11 year old  paddling partner and made the last minute change to share a two person kayak with long time friend and original raft guide instructor Tom Zimmer. It only took a couple seconds on water to realize that Tom and I were going to dominate. Passing boat after boat through Pine Creek rapid proper we cruised out to the front of the pack and had a couple supper fun candid conversations while blasting through the numbers section and arriving at the finish line in first place. 

Dave Fusilli charging down Homestake Creek

another adventure by Chris Baer