Bill Merrow's Blog: January 2011

Sept 2009 Geology River Trip - Day 10 Sept 22 from Spencer Canyon RM246 to Lake Mead (and back to Flag)

Day 10 from Spencer Canyon to Lake Mead (past mile 277 to around 300) and back to Flag

06:38 Last Breakfast in the Canyon for 2009 river trip

0638LastBreakfastInCanyon_gc9i_001249.jpg

06:43 Sunrise

0643LastSunrise2009GCtrip_IMG_1935.jpg

07:18After our final “Load the Boat” we head on downriver

0718StartingDOwnRiverGreatScenery_gc9i_001250.jpg

07:28 Reflecting on our last day AM Reflection

0728WeReeflectOnFinalAMReflection_gc9i_001261.jpg

08:46 Heron poses on sandbar

0846HeronPosesOnSandbar_gc9t_001685.jpg

Lots of chopper traffic today – quite noisy

08:51
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08:52
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08:54 chopper hangout
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09:27 another chopper spot
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09:40 BA Shale
0940BAShale_gc9t_001703.jpg

09:46 Lake Mead deposits appear – note how eroded they are by lowered river channel – lake extended hundreds of yards to either side of current lower channel

0946LakeMeadDepositsDrodedBelowLimestoneCliffs_gc9t_001704.jpg

09:47 Side Canyon along one of many faults we cross today
0947SideCanyonAlongOneOfVariousFaultsWePass_gc9t_001705.jpg

09:48 BA Shale below Dolomite - detail
0948BAShaleExposureDetailBelowDolomite_gc9t_001706.jpg

09:51 Sky Bridge becomes visible up side canyon
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11:03 Rounding last bend in canyon we see . . .
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11:20 we run out of canyon past Grand Wash cliffs

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12:02 Jetboat is just ahead – a couple final shots on the raft – 1

1202Group1AlmostDone_IMG_2045.jpg

12:02 number 2

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Number 3

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Number 4 we bid farewell to our guides

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12:12 In jetboat

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12:13 casting off from Canyoneers raft

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12:16 highly tilted strata typical of Iceberg Canyon – mostly Cambrian (rising up to Permian Toroweap and Kaibab)

1216HighlyTiltedStrataTypicalOfIcebergCanyon_gc9t_001811.jpg

12:20 looks like jetboat is headed straight towards a collision

1220JetboatMeetsCambrianStrata_gc9t_001816.jpg

12:29 panorama of tilted strata

1229PanoTiltedCambrianStrata_gc9t_001870.jpg

12:32 detail of iceberg canyon strata – note the bathtub ring where Lake Mead has dropped

1232DetailTiltedSTrataNoteBathTubRing_gc9t_001887.jpg

12:32 soon we run out of canyon and see Lake Mead open up ahead

1232LastPartCanyonLakeMeadAhead_gc9t_001888.jpg

12:38 there is just one last rapid; one big splash (and a big bang!)

1238OneBigSplashBigBangInLastRapid_gc9t_001904.jpg

12:40 ending a great trip

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12:45 ramp reconstruction – lake lowered such that old ramp had to be extended; so we bypass and . . .

1245RampReconstructions_gc9t_001920.jpg

12:47 head to temporary takeout

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End Day 10

Subject: Sept 2009 Geology River Trip - Day 8 Sept 20 from National Canyon mile 166.5 to Pumpkin Spring mile 213

Day 8 from National Canyon to Pumpkin Spring camp at mile 213
166 National Canyon camp start
168 Fern Glen Canyon - nice climb past chockstone to fall
175 Red Slide
178 Vulcan Anvil
179 Lava Falls
213 Pumpkin Spring camp

06:48 Sunrise at National Canyon Camp
0648SunriseNationCamp_gc9sa_007266.jpg

07:30 we eat breakfast, load the boat and head on down the river by 07:47

08:06 ahead above our put in for Fern Glen is a deposit of Surprise Canyon formation (atop Redwall)

here is a detail showing the deposit as a lens in a channel atop redwall - similar to how Temple Butte deposits typically form atop Muav

08:12 we stop at Fern Glen Canyon for a quick hike up to Fern Glen Grotto

08:17 Canyon ahead

08:21 Fern Glen closes in

08:24 pool at end of easy part of hike with large chock stone

08:31 Mike Mayer climbs and tells me it is easy - here Mike photo from top as I pocket my d10 before going into the pool

08:33 Bill starts up (thanks Mike Mayer/Drew who said it was "easy" and to Mark Combs who took this photo)

08:34 Bill near top of chimney and at top

(Mark Combs photo)

08:34 view from top of chock stone just climbed

08:35 Bill taking photos at top (Mark Combs photo)

08:35 grotto above chock stone - we hike up this

08:40 we spot Monkey Flowers amid ferns (yes, that is my butt dirty from chimney moves to get up to this level)

08:40 we encounter another blockage and bypass by climbing Muav ledges on left

08:41 but very soon we see a water fall ending the hike for us

08:44 but Drew and Brandon continue

even this much was a nice climb, but Drew goes further

Drew showing he can climb anything!

soon we run out of time as we have miles to go today we head back . . .
08:43 more Monkey Flowers on our way back

08:44 this is a great little canyon!

08:57 Mike Mayer climbing down with Bill at top

08:58 Bill Climbing down

09:00 Bill after Fern Glen climb

while we were continuing past the chockstone, the rest of the crew had a guess whose feet photo shoot - some of these shots are copied below

09:30 we reboard the boat and head on down river – great early AM reflection
0930GreatReflectionsAsWeProceedDownriver_gc9i1_004511.jpg

09:31 Seep at bottom of pouroff – great scenery

0931SeepBelowPouroff_gc9i1_004515.jpg

10:04 Passing another group of bighorn sheep
1004PassAnotherGroupOfBighorn_gc9i_000398.jpg

10:04 Survey rig (on rock; centered near bottom) – one of more than a dozen we saw today
1004SurveyRig1ofdozenswepassed_gc9i1_004552.jpg

10:05 View down river
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10:10 Red Slide rm175 is a large scale rotational landslide in the Supai - cap stones protected towers of rubble left when erosion removed material around them

10:44 rm178 Obligatory photo of Vulcan Anvil
1044VulcanAnvil_gc9i1_004616.jpg

10:46 BA Shale exposure
1046BAShale_gc9i1_004629.jpg

10:49 Classic canyon exposures before lava dominates the scene
1049ClassicCanyonExposuresBeforeMilesOfLava_gc9i_000525.jpg

10:49 Looking ahead massive lava flows dominate
1049LookingAheadTowardsMassiveLavaFlow_gc9i_000526.jpg

10:56 Great morning reflection poses for us
1056MorningReflectionPosesForUs_gc9i1_004645.jpg

10:58 looking ahead at lava from volcanic vent on rim above
1058LookinAheadMassiveLavaFlowIntoCanyonFromRimAbove_gc9i1_004649.jpg

10:58 looking up steep canyon side as we move downriver
1058LookingUpTowardsLavaNearTopSteepCanyonSide_gc9i1_004648.jpg

10:59 Dike detail - see it above river cobbles and then continue to cut thru old river deposits predating the flow
1059DikeAboveRiverCbblesErodedOut_gc9i1_004663.jpg

10:59 Hikers on lava trail (a hiker fell and died the same week we came thru here)
1059LavaTrailSomeoneFellAndDiedWithinADay_gc9i1_004658.jpg

11:07 We stop and group inspects Lava Fals before we run it
1107GroupHikedToLavaInspectsIt_gc9i1_004668.jpg

11:10 looking across lava we see side canyon that is the source of debris flows forming this rapid – see how previous flows have scoured the channel
1111AcrossFromLavaDebrisFlowSourcefRapid_gc9i1_004681.jpg

11:12 Lava Falls in person – someone is heard muttering “not afraid of no stinkin rapid” . . .
1112LavaFalls_gc9i1_004683.jpg

11:14 Columnar jointing in basalt flow visible from our perch above Lava
1114ColumnarJontingAboveLavaFalls_gc9i1_004687.jpg

11:14 Drew, Wayne and Jim Corken scout Lava
1114WayneJimCorkenDrewScoutLava_gc9i1_004691.jpg

We easily pass Lava and continue downriver

13:53 Unconformity we passed – we could have reached out from raft and touched it
1353UnconformityBesideBoatCouldTouch_gc9i_000762.jpg

14:03 One of todays Herons
1403OneOfTodaysHerons_gc9i1_004842.jpg

14:08 Lava flows filled river channel for more than 80 miles – later the river eroded down thru the flow creating todays channel with lava ledges on both sides
1408Lavaflow80MilesOldLevelErodeThru_gc9i1_004850adj.jpg

14:08 Looking up at lava flow
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14:09 Old river channel deposits under lava flow
1409OldRiverChanUnderLavaflow_gc9i1_004851.jpg

15:20 Hot day so we stopped for a break and got wet
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15:21 Everyone got wet, else they got “help” getting wet
1521EveryoneGotWetElseTheyWereHelped_gc9i_000820.jpg

15:24 It was a hot day; but it also was a beautiful day . . .
1524HotButBeautifulDay_gc9i_000821.jpg

15:53 Enjoying the view and a little splash of water
1553EnjoyingViewAndSplash_gc9i1_004909.jpg

15:53 Looking back at slide debris
1553LookingBackSlideDebris_gc9i_000865.jpg

We proceed downriver to Pumpkin Springs and camp there – this is a great camp site – one of a number of special ones on this trip

17:28 Groover at Pumpkin
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