Day 6 - Sept 18 Conquistador Aisle to Racetrack Camp mile 122-133.5
What a GREAT place to wake up
Mile 122.6 (roughly) we see an ancient river channel exposure on river right (above the lower Tapeats)
It extends for a while
Mile 122.7 Forster Rapid (debris fan on left from Forster Canyon)
Mile 124.8 we see Fossil Canyon on river left
Mile 126.5 I missed getting a good photo of Randy's Rock (here is a link to a better photo online).
Below is a looking back crop of Randy's Rock taken at 08:27 from about mile 127.
Mile 125.6 08:33 Middle Granite Gorge rises out of the water
08:34 Yes, that is coal black granite
Mile 128 08:37 we see Steamboat Mount over Arrowhead Terrace
(actually a little earlier with zoom lens for perspective at that point - can someone ID the actual river mile)
Also around Mile 128 we observe a great Amphibolite exposure below the Tapeats
Mile 130.5 Bedrock Rapid is named for this large schist island in the middle of the river
Rob runs Bedrock Rapid at 08:58
Mile 133.5 we park at Racetrack Camp to get lunch and do Thunder River hike (which gets a separate report - lots of geology)
End of Part 1 - Day 6 to be continued
Everything is from camp at Mile 133.5 here so I post times photos were taken (local GC time) this is out-and-back hike and I selected images both ways as lighting changed - some items were better going up canyon and some returning
11:15 We cross the creek and start hike up creek right to steep climb thru a break with some scrambling over Bass Limestone and diabase debris
11:29 looking across we see barrel cactus on top of cliffs of bass limestone - we are glad we are late in the season as this would be hot in summer
11:34 at top of climb from creek we take a route to a river overlook to see Tapeats Rapid - on our agenda first thing tomorrow morning
11:40 as we turn and hike up creek a few hundred yards (climbing gradually up canyon) we see how the creek cut into the diabase sill (black intrusion between layers of the bass limestone which is baked white at the contact point)
11:44 looking back at the hike up creek we are on top of a ledge in the mauve with the black diabase visible in the gorge below
11:46 we soon reach a riparian oasis and several of us take a quick ride in this nice stretch of the creek, cooling off and getting wet for the hike ahead.
11:50 We cross the creek in this area
12:02 and make our way up creek left
We climb briskly and soon reach a broad valley at 12:20 where we see Hakatai Shale
12:21 looking down valley we see how much we have climbed thru the Bass Limestone
12:23 We look more closely at a Hakatai Cliff with interesting boundary with Shinumo Quartzite and sandstone above note the erosion cut into the Hakatai with creek debris in it and .
12:29 in another five minutes we look back down valley but quickly proceed up to this view
12:54 we see the Tapeats Cliffs above
End of Part 2 - Day 6 to be continued
As we continue on the Thunder River hike at mile 133 I post times photos were taken (local GC time). This is out-and-back hike and I selected images both ways as lighting changed - some items were better going up canyon and some returning
We break near the start of side canyon before the steep climb up to Thunder River and Gail/Gloria look at ripples in some of the large blocks
13:11 did I mention steep climb - up thru blocks of Shinumo Quartzite with riparian creek on right and desert on left as we climb
13:17 we climb more gradually thru the Bright Angel Shale
13:18 looking back at how much we have come up - nice Bright Angel exposure at mid right
13:25 Thunder River springs out of the Mauv at the Bright Angel Shale boundary - water flows thru Mauv but BA shale is impermeable so it can go no place but out
13:25 I could not resist including one arty image
And one of me at the falls
14:20 looking back across Tapeats Canyon and down the trail we see just how much we had come up
On our way back, with different lighting, I selected some more images
15:00 blocks we climb down thru - these have a nice texture and provide a home for lichen
Did I mention taking care around the cactus growing up thru the blocks
15:32 nice marblecake bedding
With very nice colour layering
15:34 great exposure of Hakatai Shale about a mile down the creek from TR trail
15:54 Looking upcanyon towards Tapeats with Redwall above it
15:57 great amphitheatre in Redwall
16:59 bighorn on OUR trail
End of Part 3 - Day 6 done with Thunder River
What a GREAT place to wake up
Mile 122.6 (roughly) we see an ancient river channel exposure on river right (above the lower Tapeats)
It extends for a while
Mile 122.7 Forster Rapid (debris fan on left from Forster Canyon)
Mile 124.8 we see Fossil Canyon on river left
Mile 126.5 I missed getting a good photo of Randy's Rock (here is a link to a better photo online).
Below is a looking back crop of Randy's Rock taken at 08:27 from about mile 127.
Mile 125.6 08:33 Middle Granite Gorge rises out of the water
08:34 Yes, that is coal black granite
Mile 128 08:37 we see Steamboat Mount over Arrowhead Terrace
(actually a little earlier with zoom lens for perspective at that point - can someone ID the actual river mile)
Also around Mile 128 we observe a great Amphibolite exposure below the Tapeats
Mile 130.5 Bedrock Rapid is named for this large schist island in the middle of the river
Rob runs Bedrock Rapid at 08:58
Mile 133.5 we park at Racetrack Camp to get lunch and do Thunder River hike (which gets a separate report - lots of geology)
End of Part 1 - Day 6 to be continued
Everything is from camp at Mile 133.5 here so I post times photos were taken (local GC time) this is out-and-back hike and I selected images both ways as lighting changed - some items were better going up canyon and some returning
11:15 We cross the creek and start hike up creek right to steep climb thru a break with some scrambling over Bass Limestone and diabase debris
11:29 looking across we see barrel cactus on top of cliffs of bass limestone - we are glad we are late in the season as this would be hot in summer
11:34 at top of climb from creek we take a route to a river overlook to see Tapeats Rapid - on our agenda first thing tomorrow morning
11:40 as we turn and hike up creek a few hundred yards (climbing gradually up canyon) we see how the creek cut into the diabase sill (black intrusion between layers of the bass limestone which is baked white at the contact point)
11:44 looking back at the hike up creek we are on top of a ledge in the mauve with the black diabase visible in the gorge below
11:46 we soon reach a riparian oasis and several of us take a quick ride in this nice stretch of the creek, cooling off and getting wet for the hike ahead.
11:50 We cross the creek in this area
12:02 and make our way up creek left
We climb briskly and soon reach a broad valley at 12:20 where we see Hakatai Shale
12:21 looking down valley we see how much we have climbed thru the Bass Limestone
12:23 We look more closely at a Hakatai Cliff with interesting boundary with Shinumo Quartzite and sandstone above note the erosion cut into the Hakatai with creek debris in it and .
12:29 in another five minutes we look back down valley but quickly proceed up to this view
12:54 we see the Tapeats Cliffs above
End of Part 2 - Day 6 to be continued
As we continue on the Thunder River hike at mile 133 I post times photos were taken (local GC time). This is out-and-back hike and I selected images both ways as lighting changed - some items were better going up canyon and some returning
We break near the start of side canyon before the steep climb up to Thunder River and Gail/Gloria look at ripples in some of the large blocks
13:11 did I mention steep climb - up thru blocks of Shinumo Quartzite with riparian creek on right and desert on left as we climb
13:17 we climb more gradually thru the Bright Angel Shale
13:18 looking back at how much we have come up - nice Bright Angel exposure at mid right
13:25 Thunder River springs out of the Mauv at the Bright Angel Shale boundary - water flows thru Mauv but BA shale is impermeable so it can go no place but out
13:25 I could not resist including one arty image
And one of me at the falls
14:20 looking back across Tapeats Canyon and down the trail we see just how much we had come up
On our way back, with different lighting, I selected some more images
15:00 blocks we climb down thru - these have a nice texture and provide a home for lichen
Did I mention taking care around the cactus growing up thru the blocks
15:32 nice marblecake bedding
With very nice colour layering
15:34 great exposure of Hakatai Shale about a mile down the creek from TR trail
15:54 Looking upcanyon towards Tapeats with Redwall above it
15:57 great amphitheatre in Redwall
16:59 bighorn on OUR trail
End of Part 3 - Day 6 done with Thunder River
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