The Narrows, CO - What is Wrong Here?

The Narrows, CO - What is Wrong Here?

Rafters sometimes get to touch the mountains! Look carefully at this picture! What is wrong here? This was taken our first morning on the river when our group of two rafts (we met our gear raft at lunch) was traveling with another group (mostly giggly girls from a private camp). One GGR (giggly girl raft) went first through a rather tight opening in the river past a huge granite boulder called House Rock (as in as big as a house). For some reason GGR just stopped moving and slid sideways blocking the channel. Whoosh! Our raft lost its hold on a rock, got caught up in the current of the river, and slammed into them. That should have just shoved GGR forward but instead we ended up jammed right against House Rock with GGR! To cure this chaos our guides, whom we had just met less than two hours earlier, asked EVERYONE from our raft to move into GGR while they bumped and wiggled and squished and jiggled and shimmied and plied and lifted and pulled and pried and pleaded and finally unhooked the two rafts. We then rode down through the teeny channel and finally got back into our own raft and AWAY FROM THE GGR! Read the full story here.
silversummit
on Jan 23, 2009 11:13 pm
Image Type(s): Water
Image ID: 482948

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lcarreau

lcarreau - Jan 24, 2009 5:03 pm - Voted 10/10

Everybody seated in

this raft looks very calm. I would of had a
petrified look of terror on my face.

Is there a limit to the amount of rafters
passing House Rock, or is it "the earliest
raft arrives there first?"

silversummit

silversummit - Jan 24, 2009 6:19 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: Everybody seated in

Normally everyone waits and takes their turn but my raft lost its hold on the rock we were using to keep us "waiting" behind GGR. So combined with GGR's unexpected jamming we ended up shoved together.

Our experienced guides said that in their many combined years along that stretch it hadn't happened before.

I was a bit apprehensive since we had 2x as many people in one raft as normal and we all could have ended up 'swimmin' all the way down to Buena Vista but it was kinda funny especially if you look at the kid's face on the far right. He's right up against a rock and he's not watching the guides unjam the rafts.

Larry, we'd go on a smooth stretch with Class II and III rapids and you'd do fine rafting with me!
Kathy

lcarreau

lcarreau - Jan 24, 2009 7:03 pm - Voted 10/10

Re: Everybody seated in

Yeah, I noticed that regarding the kid on the
far right! He looks like he's looking UP at
something ... perhaps a butterfly?

I just checked the USGS flow rates for
Arizona's Verde River. It's currently flowing
at 1,690 cubic feet per second.

I'm growing weary of looking at red rocks,
so I think I'll journey down to the Verde
River for a peek.

I really love your pictures. It seems like
each one of them tells a story.

silversummit

silversummit - Jan 24, 2009 8:10 pm - Hasn't voted

Re: Everybody seated in

Thanks Larry! I've taken your example this time. And let's not get into that butterfly thread ;)
K.

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