September '97 Newsletter

We've been in Peru for the past month so most of this newsletter was prepared in August for mailing in October. Normally our September newsletter would be filled with trip supplements and information about next year's trips. We've been so busy this summer generating pleasant memories, that's another way of saying having lots of fun, that we've written a lot of trip reports that should go into this newsletter before they become ancient history. To keep this newsletter only a couple of weeks late, we decided to omit all 1998 trip supplements and only include short trip descriptions. If you have detailed questions about something we show planned for next year, please contact us. The New Zealand trip, which has been discussed in previous newsletters, is full. However, we may consider expanding the trip if four or more people join the waitlist by the end of November.

We realize the material we have included on Peru is sketchy and many of you might be interested in more detail. We thoroughly enjoyed the trip, found travel there problem free, and are planning a dayhikes and hotels trip within the next few years if enough of you are interested. We may expand the two trip Peru reports in the December newsletter if there is space available.

'97 Trip Reports:

Dolores River Raft (6/4-6/10):

Everyone arrived the previous afternoon and after rigging the rafts, we were able to complete a vehicle shuttle that ran into the early morning hours of launch day. Ted generously agreed to accompany the shuttle drivers to the Gateway take-out and after dropping their cars, drove them back to the Bradfield launch ramp. To keep an eye on all of our gear on the launch ramp, Susan slept on the boat and was almost frozen by the time Bob returned. Between the heavy dew and clear skies, it was by far our coldest night of the trip but this negative was balanced by the magnificent views of a brilliant milky way and occasional shooting stars.

Our trip was boat rich, with three oared rafts, one paddle raft and two sit-on-tops for 13 people. Jim Hartman brought a one-piece, plastic framed paddle cat similar to Wanda's pack-cat. We put in with the water level about 2500 cfs but it was clearly dropping every day and the season was not expected to be a long one. Some commercial guides at the put-in told us that their company ran trips at 800 cfs but it seemed to us that exposed rocks would make for a lot of hard work below 1500 cfs. After the trip we returned to the Bradfield launch site to pick up our remaining vehicles and found the water had dropped below 1500 cfs. The river was much narrower with lots of rocks showing. As it was, we were paying attention all of the way downstream to keep from parking on sleepers. The boatmen didn't have a lot of opportunities to take pictures or apply sunscreen on this trip. If it didn't happen off of the raft, it didn't happen.

Jim Hartman had a close encounter when Susan momentarily parked on a rock and he got sucked underneath her boat mid-stream. With Wanda's assistance, he was able to get to shore and get back on his craft. The third day out both Wanda and Jim let other people try their sit-on-tops. Susan and crew performed an exciting rescue of Bob's boat when it parked on a mid-stream sleeper. To the amazement of a group camped just below, her team handed off their tethered throw line which was immediately clipped to Bob's boat. There was brief consternation on Bob's boat while Jim Hartman hunted for something to clip the 'biner to, but he found something on the frame just in time. Susan thought for a second or two that she might pick him up as a water skier. The river hydraulics associated with Susan's boat becoming a huge sea anchor quickly jerked the Avon free.

Snaggletooth, the Dolores' biggest, baddest rapid got our attention but was relatively easy at the flows we experienced. After watching one guy who had been on the Dolores a lot make a perfect run in a 14.5' raft, Susan and Bob decided they could copy his run, even with much bigger rafts. When we pulled in below the rapid to spot for the rest of the group we encountered a group of New Mexico Boy Scouts who had lost a full canoe lining Little Snaggletooth. When last seen, their canoe made a great run at Snaggletooth and liberated itself downstream. We kept our eyes open but never saw it later. The river had so many small side channels, it easily disappeared. We imagine that group will be doing some Dolores River hiking later this season.

The Dolores scenery was quite impressive. We were repeatedly treated to views of the back side of the snow covered Manti La Sal. The red and white sandstone slickrock was somewhat reminiscent of the terrain along the Yampa River which also starts in Colorado. The lack of eddies additionally reminded us of the Yampa and made it tough to pick out campsites. As often as not, we were slightly past a camp before we realized it, made a desperation landing a couple of hundred feet downstream, and then had to pull the boats back to camp. Wild rose was thick along the banks but then so was the poison ivy. Tamarisk was sparse to non-existent along the upper section but got thicker in the slow-moving, brushy Bedrock to Gateway section. The section from Bradfield to Gateway is about 140 river miles. The slower sections kept us so busy that we didn't get to do much hiking. We'd like to go back another time, run only the 40 mile upper section, and hike more. At our Coyote Wash Camp, most of the group hiked up the canyon a ways and one person found a petroglyph under a high ledge upstream.

The Bedrock Store was a popular stop for ice cream even though it wasn't a particularly hot trip. While waiting for the sugar junkies to return, some of the crew chatted with a local rancher who was searching for a Sierra Club group who were on the river studying and supposedly removing Tamarisk and Knapweed. Both he and another rancher we met later were surprisingly friendly. Near Gateway, Rancher Mark allowed us to camp on his land even though it had been accidentally burned out a few years prior by some private boaters who buried their coals rather than quenching them with water. Mark was impressed with our fire pan and our promise to extinguish the charcoal fire as soon as the steaks were done. We were relieved since it was pretty late, we were unpacked, a rainstorm seemed imminent, and we'd already had substantial difficulty finding a suitable campsite that evening.

The weather was great for the most part, although the last two mornings it rained while we were cooking and packing up. When it was Dave and Jim Hartman's turn for cook team, they entertained us with an impromptu version of "It Ain't Necessarily So" from Porgy & Bess. Dave sings with a group that tours internationally. We're hoping to sometime have him and Kay on a trip together. Susan and the cook team made pineapple upside down cake that night and successfully flipped it onto the cutting board. It was our best one ever and could easily have made it into Sunset magazine if we'd had table cloths and a little fancier surroundings.

Since he has season tickets for the Utah Jazz home games, Dick made the greatest sacrifice to come along on this trip. He missed the first two home games but held his 6/11 ticket hoping there would be a game to attend. He got his wish when the Jazz won two games in a row at home, but unfortunately the Jazz didn't win the game he attended. We watched that one in Salt Lake City with Paul, Nicole, Rusty, Jean, and Rich. SLC'ers were really "jazzed" with posters, t-shirts etc. all over town. It was a big event even though they eventually lost the title to Chicago.

Participants: Jim Amos, Alice Bruning, Mary Bruning, Ted Bruning, Dan Courtney, Jim Cummer, Charlotte Ekback, Dick Elwyn, Susan Groth, Jim Hartman, Dave Kehs, Bob Marley, Wanda Mattarocci.

Main Salmon River Raft (6/15-6/21):

On the way north to Idaho, we stopped to visit friends and borrow an oar frame for the Achilles tomato from the Salt Lake City rafting cooperative. It was a good thing we did, as with a couple of last minute cancellations, we wouldn't have had enough paddlers for a paddle raft. Eventually ten of us boated in three oared rafts and two kayaks. We shopped our non-perishable food items in Salt Lake and the perishable food two days later in Pocatello. The Main Salmon was in high flood as were most of the Idaho rivers. A heavy snow load and a wet spring pumped the Main up to 11' on the gauge (about 50,000 cfs) at Corn Creek on the day we arrived. By the day we launched, it had dropped to 8.9' (about 35,000 cfs) and it continued to drop as we went on downstream, sometimes as much as a foot over night. We were told that side stream inflows usually doubled the flow by the time it reached Whitebird so we were expecting 70,000+ cfs by the time we reached Riggins. While we were camped at Corn Creek, several commercial guides came over and warned us about which rapids to watch out for. The low water biggies were pretty much washed out but some that were not much of anything at normal flows, were supposed to be huge at high water. We considered Whiplash, Elkhorn, and Chittam to be the biggest.

Our Canadian kayakers found us at Corn Creek and were thrilled to run the North Fork section from Spring Creek to Corn Creek while the rest of the group was air taxied over from Grangeville and shuttled out to the put-in. They deemed this section pretty kicky but enjoyable. We spent the first night at Corn Creek enjoying an 80 degree afternoon, followed by mostly 70 degree days on the river. We experienced intermittent rain storms along the way but no totally foul, cold days. Luckily many of these rain storms took place for an hour or so during the night. The morning we left Corn Creek, Brian turned out to be our best wildlife spotter when he noticed thirty elk grazing on the hill across the river. We later saw several groups of bighorn and some deer. Different varieties of butterflies congregated around us everywhere. We also saw several fast moving snakes but no rattlers.

On our first day, within five miles of the put-in, after less than an hour on the river, Susan flipped her 16' raft at Legend Creek Rapid. This came as a surprise to everyone since she'd been rowing for close to 10 years, with many big water trips under her belt, and had never flipped before. This rapid is insignificant at low flows but an error in judgment while boating flood flows quickly led to an upside down raft. Our kayakers were instrumental in fishing out her two passengers. Susan came up thirty feet downstream from her boat and swam immediately to Bob's leading raft. Bob grabbed her and the boat while Cree grabbed one of her passengers. Unfortunately, Judy had to swim quite a ways before the kayakers were able to pull her over. Fortunately, no one was hurt and nothing was lost. We bent one of the oar pins all to heck when we double z-dragged the raft over. Some of the personal gear was wet after being upside down for half an hour or so. All in all it was a cheap lesson and we were relieved that everyone was okay. We cheated all the big rapids for the rest of the day so that Susan and her crew had time to calm their nerves and rebuild confidence.

Our plan to stop and soak in Barth Hot Springs was thwarted when we couldn't find the developed tubs. Everything looked different and the pull-out isn't that easy to find at normal water levels. There was some discussion with another group that the springs might be under water but it was more likely that both of us simply searched in the wrong places. We stopped in the right area at two different spots and found hot water running into the river but couldn't locate the tubs we've stopped at in past years. Many of the good beach camps were submerged and two of our camps were less than ideal for the boats. A lapping wave beach with ugly, abrasive rocks caused a several square inch wear spot through one layer of Susan's double-layer, wrapped floor. Although it never leaked air, we'll have to patch it this fall when the temperatures are more suitable for working with glue.

The commercial guides repeatedly warned us about scouting Whiplash Rapid. They were concerned that we would blow by the last possible scout and be forced to run it, so they recommended pulling over at the Jim Moore Place and taking a high hike on the pack trail above the rapid. It supposedly had unavoidable huge waves and holes on the right with a possible cheat run through the rocks on the left if the flow was high enough. We stopped at the pack bridge, wandered through the Jim Moore Place and realized that we would have a long, poison ivy laden hike to get a view of the rapid from there. We nervously continued downstream, stopping for lunch on river left. While the cook team prepared it, the two Bobs and the kayakers stomped through the brush and poison ivy to try for a view of the rapid. Cree returned with three wasp stings, no one got a view of the rapid, but Bob M. got far enough down-river to locate yet another scouting beach which was closer to the head of the rapid. Away we went for the third scouting place.

This time we were actually able to get a good view of the rapid although some of us would rather not have seen it. It was as ugly as reported, with two large flipper lateral waves and a hole on the right and a huge boil, rocky eddy entry area on the left. Laurel took one look at that downstream Niagara-like whirlpool and decided to portage her kayak. Brad ran his kayak down the left side and both he and Laurel spotted from below while we ran the big boats. With Brian as his bailer and possible swimming companion, Bob. M. ran first with Susan and Cree on shore with throw lines. Once he successfully ran the left side, Susan ran while he and Cree spotted. She dropped through a fierce looking reversal at the top which was actually quite benign. Her run allowed her to reach the left shore and pick up Judy who had walked around the rapid. Cree came last and had a fine run. Mark later said that it was a good thing that he wasn't sitting on his little green cushion or he might have sucked it right up while running Whiplash.

Mackay Bar was just starting their season when we stopped in. We had lunch on their deck and contributed to their economy by purchasing t-shirts, ice cream bars, and beer. While lounging around we talked to our first jet boaters who had come up for a joy ride from the Polly Bemis Ranch. They told us that a few weeks earlier Shepp Ranch sunk a jet boat against the wall at Chittam Rapid. While Chittam was pretty huge, we had no mishaps there.

The wildflowers along the river were in full bloom. Judy brought a flower book but unfortunately many of the ones we saw weren't listed. Most of the berries were not quite ripe but we did pick some small cherries at our last camp and a few of us got to taste thimbleberries and gooseberries while hiking that last day. Few private groups were running the river, we saw only one between launch and take-out. Even the commercial traffic was sparse. Another private group who had done the whole Middle Fork through Main Salmon float on flood flows pulled in just as we were taking out. With the high water it was easy for them to make miles quickly and they had covered close to 200 miles in only 8 days.

We considered the trip a tremendous success. With the smaller group, everyone had to spend a little more time on cook team than usual but it led to a cohesive, over-fed group. It was a delight to have Bob Cree join us on the river again after an 11 year sabbatical. Our Canadian kayakers were hot paddlers and extremely helpful with all aspects of the trip. Our vehicles were at the take-out as promised by River Rat Express. We piled in the gear and headed for Riggins where Mark treated us all to lunch at the boater's bar. The Riggins bridge was expected to re-open at 3:00 PM that day so we parted company, leaving Laurel and Brad to ferry Mark and Brian to Grangeville while we dropped the rest of the folks in Boise and Salt Lake City. After leaving Riggins around 2:00 PM, we dropped off the borrowed frame and oars at Paul's about midnight, took turns driving through the wee hours, watched the sunrise over Lake Powell the following morning, and arrived home around 10:30 AM. It took a couple of days to clean and dry everything but all the gear is now stored away for another year. So ends another boating season!

Participants: Laurel Archer, Molly Betterton, Bob Cree, Isabel Eggers, Susan Groth, Judy Henderson, Mark Jennings, Brian Jennings, Brad Koop, Bob Marley.

Lake Powell Houseboat (7/20-7/26):

Sixty miles out of town, headed for our Lake Powell trip with a full load, our trusty old truck bought the bullet when the transmission blew. We were unaware that it had been leaking out its precious life fluids until a horrendous racket began and we were forced to pull over to the side of the road. Luckily, we were able to limp back to town where we began an immediate search for a rental vehicle. Our friends at Hertz Penske again saved the day. Even though it was noon on Saturday, they were still open and had one truck left on their lot. Leaving town the second time, 5-6 hours later than expected, we still reached Muley Point Overlook just before dusk. Since the rental truck was grossly under filled, we'd thrown in our mountain bikes which allowed us to ride along mesa top roads to check out views of the Goosenecks of the San Juan River. It rained lightly on the Navajo Reservation between Kayenta and Mexican Hat that night but only a few sprinkles hit us. We rose bright and early the next morning and took in a few more views before heading for Hall's Crossing.

By late afternoon, everyone in the group showed up at the campground. Mike and Denise came down from Oregon a day early to play on the Lake with their boat. Unfortunately, it had a problem and they had to be towed in for repairs. Hoping to have it fixed by Tuesday, they arranged for a power boat rental for the in between days. A late afternoon wind came up just as we started to prepare dinner that night, forcing us to cook some of the meal in the back of the rental truck and the rest in Trudy and Gary's new camper, lovingly nicknamed, the Piglet. The Piglet kitchen also made doing dishes much easier as we had difficulty with the wind blowing everything off the table.

Early the next morning, we packed up quickly and headed for the marina hoping to be first in line for our houseboat pick-up. By the time the check out was completed, the rest of the group had most of the gear piled on our front deck waiting to be stowed. This well organized start was possible because eight of us had spent a week together van touring in Yellowstone and the Tetons a few years back. Our refrigerator worked well for the first time in all our houseboating experience. Apparently, the refrigerators were recently upgraded, unfortunately the stoves were not. Baking in our oven was a challenge. Since it never got very hot, we found it easier to bake in a Dutch Oven using charcoal. Since our last trip, a new 12 person maximum limit has been instituted by ARAMARK (the Lake Powell concessionaire) to prevent groups from overloading their houseboats. We've seen up to 30 people on a single party boat during past trips and were glad to see this limitation in effect. Our boat never seemed very crowded as many of our 12 slept out on the roof deck or on the beautiful slickrock beaches. ARAMARK gave Susan a Lake Powell "Captain" hat for Bob but it wouldn't fit his big head so she traded it for a "Captain" t-shirt.

Our first camp was in Moqui Canyon next to a several hundred foot sand bank. We had been warned that it would be a crowded spot during the day since it was a favorite hang-out of the youngsters. The warning didn't prepare us for the entertaining antics we witnessed all day and into the early evening. We now know where savvy Lake Powell visitors take their kids to burn off excess energy. Young and old alike trudged up the 80 degree dune to run or tumble down. A favorite stance, we named the Yogic Leap, involved digging in the heels while throwing the other foot far forward and high in the air. This silliness was not confined to humans. Many of their dogs enthusiastically accompanied them but not usually for as many trips. On our second morning, six of us took a hike up the sand hill, finding our way through the sandstone cliffs to take in breath-taking views. Our run down the dune was applauded by the lazy, late-rising coffee swillers on our houseboat.

We stayed close to Hall's Crossing our first night to enable Mike to check on his boat the following day. Unfortunately, the part had not yet come in but our trip to the marina allowed us to pick up extra ice and a few items that the houseboat was lacking from our vehicles. From our second camp at Water Pocket Fold, Mike made another run into Hall's Crossing to check on the status of his boat while the rest of us hiked up 2500' of slickrock for great views of the Henrys and Navajo Mountain. The repair shop bungled Mike's order, obtaining the wrong replacement part. Since the week was now half over and we were going further down Lake, he elected to not have them reorder the part. We used the rental boat instead.

Over the course of the week, we had numerous engine problems with the houseboat which was a first for us. Though the people at ARAMARK were responsive to our problems, the engines were not repairable by the mechanic that visited us out on the Lake so we limped around. The engines started easily but would not run properly after we reduced power if they had been running for awhile. This was particularly exciting when we pulled into the crowded marina at Dangling Rope, as we knew we might stall both engines when we tried to slow down. It's tough to dock a 50' houseboat at cruising speed or without power. We eventually moored it without damaging anything or anyone. We gassed up both boats at the marina, pumped our toilet holding tank, and hit the store for souvenirs and a mail box. The Dangling Rope store's generous servings of ice cream continue to be a trip highlight. Outboard motor mix was running slightly over $2.00 a gallon at both marinas and hadn't gone up much since our last trip several years ago.

The skies were overcast for the first half of our trip which reduced the mid-day heat. Our second night out, we had a spectacular electrical storm that went on for several hours. People sleeping on the top deck kept having to cover and uncover. The second half of the week, skies cleared making for great star-gazing. One night, we were treated to a meteor shower. It got a little hotter when the weather finally cleared but it was never unbearable. Though there were hiking opportunities from each camp, we seemed to hike less on this trip than we have on previous fall trips. Swimming and idyllic floating were the preferred replacement activities with Denise's four air mattresses being much appreciated. Almost everyone brought a treat of some sort, from smoked Salmon, to top shelf tequila, to pickled peppers, to Belizean Coconut Rum. We were a thoroughly spoiled group.

The afternoon entertainment consisted of raucous five handed hearts games. Len, who supposedly didn't know how to play, was revealed as a hustler who won most of the games. Denise was sure that she should be awarded a prize for consistently having the highest scores. Many evenings, we ended up on the top deck dancing to the ghetto blaster and discussing computers, politics, yoga, or whatever else came to mind. Mike and Denise taught Susan a couple of Yoga poses to help with back stretching and improve her breathing. She practiced the "Breath of Fire" in preparation for the Machu Picchu backpack.

The week passed much too quickly and before we knew it we were maneuvering back into the Hall's Crossing harbor. After checking in the houseboat and seeing everyone off, we helped Mike and Denise retrieve their boat from the repair shop. The two of us then headed for Grand Gulch Plateau to scout out campsites for an Anasazi basecamp trip we are planning for the Cedar Mesa area next summer. The big truck wasn't appropriate for some of the roads, so we biked around before returning to Muley Point to camp and again enjoy the spectacular views.

Participants: Susan Groth, Joe Johnson, Bob Marley, Lou Martin, Wanda Mattarocci, Denise and Mike Mills, Gary and Trudy Patterson, Len and UnSun Roughgarden, Mike Scholey.

Canyon de Chelly Backpack (8/10-8/16):

We met at the visitor center and after a round of introductions and a minimum of fargling we were off to place the hikers and packs at the trailhead and the cars at Tex's grandmother's house for safe-keeping. Tex introduced himself, identifying Red Running into Water as his mother's clan and Coyote Pass as his father's clan. Since Navajo society is matriarchal, the mother's clan is the more important of the two but all relatives are identified and important, as we learned during the week. Tex's wife, Henrietta, helped us with our shuttle and dropped the drivers off at the Pine Creek Trailhead, returning our last vehicle to Grandma's hogan.

Pine Creek Trail was a relatively easy route into the canyon although it didn't appear to be getting a lot of traffic. We hiked to the bottom and spread out a late lunch under the trees. It was overcast with light showers and some wind during our first lunch. Tex showed us some rock art upstream and then we continued downstream in a light mist to our first night's camp near Mummy Cave. During the night, the moonlight seemed focused on Mummy Cave Ruin, a surrealistic and somewhat eerie view that we all enjoyed. It was one of the colder nights since we were at a higher elevation at the beginning and end of the trip. For a few of us, it was a welcome relief from the super heated Phoenix weather. We got a little spoiled on this trip as we had the use of picnic tables and restrooms at many of our campsites.

The overcast continued into the second day making canyon bottom hiking much cooler than expected. We hiked 6-8 miles to a camp at Antelope House Ruin, passing Massacre Cave and several panels of rock art along the way. Canyon de Chelly's rock art has more pictographs than petroglyphs. The Anasazi art is mixed in with more modern Navajo charcoal art which is also interesting. Ben Tanner, the resident concessionaire at Antelope House, who was related to Tex through the Coyote Pass Clan, was very hospitable. Though plentiful, the water supply at Antelope was not particularly appealing or clean. Ben allowed us to use the ice melt from his coolers to supplement the boiled water used in meals. In return, we helped him lug some of the heavy stuff around when he packed up for the night. Most of our group slept in a huge alcove where Ben stores his farming equipment. As we were leaving the next morning, the jewelry sellers started arriving, along with some of the early bird tourists.

We passed many private vehicles with Navajo guides and quite a number of "Shake & Bakes", the large tourist trucks from Thunderbird Lodge, on our way down canyon to White House Ruin. We also stopped at the Spanish Invasion Panel, a panel of historical Navajo rock art near the Standing Cow site. Tex was excellent at locating these panels and explaining the significance of each site and its art. We were all impressed with his knowledge and story telling ability. During the week, he shared a lot of information which gave us insight into the Navajo culture and their belief system. After a brief stop at White House Ruin, we continued on to Spring Canyon where we stayed for two nights on Tex's Grandma's land under the massive cottonwood trees. These trees were a blessing as the sky was clear and it was getting hotter with each passing day.

In the back of this canyon, there was a sweet water spring. It was about a 20 minute walk but well worth the trip. Near the spring ,we encountered a female goat stranded on a ledge. Try as we might, we couldn't find any way to rescue her that didn't involve climbing gear and lots of rope. The other five goats in her group hung around near the bottom for several days but we doubt that she got off the ledge successfully. Many of us took our water bags and carried water up on the rocks to bathe away from the spring. Bob tried to get initiated into Tex's tribe as a blood brother by deeply puncturing his right temple on a branch while getting water. He was "red running into water" himself for a few minutes until we got the bleeding stopped. Other than a few blisters, his was our only accident. Tex's cousin and some of his family appeared that evening and weeded in the cornfield for an hour or so. Several members of our group joined Tex in weeding for short periods of time during our two afternoons at Spring Canyon. Behind Grandma's hogan, we discovered an excellent pictograph panel which became the subject of many photographs. Everyone enjoyed raiding her apple tree on frequent trips to the spring.

After spending one evening at Spring Canyon, we hiked out the Spring Canyon Trail to the rim. This hand and toe route with one ancient log ladder gave some of our group a few bad moments but most of it was fairly easy. It's a route that Tex's mom and her siblings climbed out daily as children to meet the school bus. At the top, we met Tex's family. They brought out our freeze-dried food for the last three days, which saved us carrying the extra weight. While Tex and his wife took a drive into town (we suspect for mutton sandwiches), his mother, son, and younger brothers joined us for a cross country hike on the rim to Sliding Rock Ruin Overlook. We had lunch there and Susan found a silver Storyteller's bracelet that she couldn't live without. There were a number of Navajo's selling jewelry at the overlook and one of them happened to have land adjoining Tex's grandma's property in the bottom of the canyon. The bracelet depicts White House Ruin, Spider Rock, his family's hogan, an old fashioned hauling wagon and cottonwood trees. To get back to Spring Canyon, we went down the Sand Hill Trail, a well constructed sheep trail, that is visible from this overlook. Our second evening at Spring was again a warm one and the first hearts game began while we prepared dinner. Jim quietly kicked some hearts butt.

The hike from Spring Canyon to Upper Monument Canyon was a long one. We took it in stages with frequent water and shade stops. Along the way, we crossed the property shown on Susan's bracelet and viewed a huge arch simply named "The Window". A few of our group couldn't resist climbing up into the arch. Before we reached Spider Rock, Tex led us to a wonderful showering spring that was tucked away against a sandstone wall. By that time, we were running low on water and were delighted to find this jewel in the desert. One of our rest stops took place below another great pictograph panel near Spider Rock. Spider Rock wasn't crowded but a large group of tourists involved in some sort of metaphysical class were camped at the mouth of Monument Canyon. From our camp in upper Monument, we found a nice Hopi pictograph panel while searching for a spring that was shown on the map. It turned out that there was a fine spring in the small side canyon near our camp. Above it was a large, little-visited, three-tiered cliff dwelling featuring huge turkey pictographs and massive log ladders still in place. We kept a respectful distance from the site but had great views of it with our field glasses.

On our last full day, we worked our way down Monument Canyon, dropping our packs to take an exploratory dayhike up an abandoned trail in Horse Track Canyon. We carried the group lunch up and ate it at the top. We set up our last night's camp near the mouth of Monument on some land owned by another Coyote Pass clan relative and lazed around under the trees to let the worst of the afternoon heat pass. Another hearts game developed while we waited for it to cool off and Jim was again victorious. Most of our group joined a late afternoon hike around Spider Rock and the adjoining mesa. Tex showed us the spot where cattle and horses disappear into this mesa after they die. He couldn't tell us the story of Spider Woman as telling that story in the summer could bring an early and harsh winter.

Our last day, we had an early breakfast and headed up the Bat Canyon Trail to get through the steep ascent while it was still shady. About half way up, we passed the metaphysical group struggling up with their daypacks. After a short break on top, we beelined cross country to Tex's Grandma's to pick up our vehicles, which she had diligently watched for the entire week. After returning to the campground for a bean salad lunch, we said our good-byes and headed our different directions. We arrived in sweltering Phoenix around 5:00 PM, emptied the truck, and began the usual post trip clean up.

We thought the trip was an unusual and extremely worthwhile adventure. Tex's traditional upbringing and good sense of humor meant a lot to our group. We are considering organizing a basecamp-dayhiking trip into Canyon de Chelly in a few years if there is sufficient interest. Contact us if you find the idea appealing.

Participants: Paul Buonara, Tex Carroll (our guide), Susan Groth, Susan Lassiter, Bob Marley, Doug Marx, Scott McCollough, Ken McGinty, Jim Squire.

Machu Picchu, Peru #1 (9/9-9/17):

After a hectic day of flying on Continental Airlines we arrived with some trepidation in Lima, Peru at approximately 11:00 PM. Our personal safety concerns were heightened when we found a waiting horde of Peruvians at the terminal exit and were faced with the prospect of dragging our luggage through them to the domestic terminal. Our concerns were for naught, once we learned to say "no gracias" meaningfully we were able to reach the AeroPeru ticket counter. The terminal turned out to be quite safe with several types of police and a large maintenance staff keeping us company until our flight the next morning at 6:00 AM. Fortunately, the Continental Airline stewardess had given us a care package of pretzels and bottled water so we could survive our first 12 hours in Peru.

Arriving in Cuzco, we found it to be a charming Spanish colonial city. Every building except the Cathedrals was roofed in mission tile which when viewed from the surrounding hills made the city seem to be uniformly red. Our first few days were spent finding things we needed for our two backpacks and learning where the various sights of interest were located. Having read horror stories about theft, we immediately went to the supposed worst places, the central market and train station area, with no problems. Becoming more confident, we took the public bus to Ollantaytambo via Urubamba the next day. Our goal was to meet Wendy Weeks and tour her hostal. The short ride from Urubamba was done in a Collectivo, 15 people in a mini van, again with no problems. Up until this time we had no idea what we were going to burn in our stoves, kerosene had not worked and white gas wasn't available. Then we met an American who was leading bike tours, who swore by regular automobile gas. He'd used it for months in an MSR stove. We bought some and it worked!!

Our entire group arrived in Cuzco with no customs problems and with all of the group and personal gear. Unfortunately two of them also arrived ill, one even spending a night in the local hospital on an IV of sugar and Dramamine. The group spent the next four days touring Cuzco and Sacred Valley. Highlights were the walking tour of the city, the Tambomachay to Sacsayhuaman to Cuzco hike, the ruins of Pisac, and the living Inca town of Ollantaytambo. After a beautiful evening at the Hostal Albergue in Ollantaytambo, several of us saunaed. In the morning we were taken by bus fifteen very slow kilometers to the absolute end of the Urubamba Valley road at Km 82. All that was there was a train station, porters and guides setting up a trip, a few locals, and a bridge to the Inca Trail. We reached a good campsite around 2:00 PM and since the trail was so busy, we decided to camp and prepare ourselves for the next morning's climb to 14,000'. The weather continued to be warm and dry. Some clouds obscured the highest peaks but we are able to see 20,000' Veronica for a few minutes at sunset.

The next morning we climbed "Dead Woman's Pass". Susan was seriously ill but not wanting to be the next dead woman, she gutted out the 5000'+ climb and 2000' descent. A rain which continued for much of the next two days began a couple of thousand feet below the summit. The pass was cold with blowing rain, sleet, and ice crystals. The next couple of campsites, Pacamayo and Puyupatamarca, were very wet at night and the hiking during those two days was mostly in fog. The fire that temporarily closed Machu Picchu suggested we were experiencing the dry season. However, El Niño caused an almost instantaneous switch to torrential rains. While the Inca Trail and ruin sites along the way were spectacular, we certainly weren't getting the deep valley and mountain views we expected.

Our last trail day dawned clear. After walking 2-3 miles to the Intipunku (Inca Sun Gate) we were rewarded with great views of Machu Picchu. Charred areas on the hillsides showed where the fire had lapped the outlying edges of the site just a week prior. We toured the site all morning and then bused to Aguas Calientes around noon to get train tickets to Cuzco. After a long wait punctuated with frequent cervezas and shopping forays, we obtained Inka class tickets on the tourist train. We arrived in Cuzco around 8:30 PM. Our silent line of 12 passed on foot through the market throngs on the way back to hotel through this supposedly dangerous area. While the weather had not always cooperated, everyone seemed to have a great time on the trip. There were many surprises but that's what adventure travel is all about.

Participants: Ron Dilks, David Graham-Squire, Michael Graham-Squire, Susan Groth, Jim Laskowski, Susan Lassiter, Bob Marley, Carl Muller, Susan Muller, Gary Patterson, Anne Seebold-Dilks, Jim Squire.

Machu Picchu, Peru #2 (9/23-10/1):

With several days in the Cuzco area between trips, we continued our explorations. One evening we went to the Indian Folk Dances at the Central Qusqo Theater on Sol Ave. near our hotel. This one and a half hour show featured good music and regional folk dancing. The orchestra consisted of guitars, Peruvian stringed instruments, flutes, a violin, and occasionally drums. Some pieces were done Inca style with only drums and flutes. Another day we arranged a vehicle and driver to take us south of Cuzco to Pikillacta, Tipón, and the "Sistine Chapel of the Americas". Pikillacta is a huge pre-Inca Huari site from about 1000 AD. Situated high above valley floor, Tipón is thought to be an Inca experimental agricultural site with small spring-fed terraces, few dwellings, and what may have been a guard tower. During this tour we were also able to stop at a mud quarry where people were forming the red clay roof tiles which were so popular in Cuzco.

When our second group arrived, we experienced our first theft. Someone with access to our hotel room selectively removed two $100 travelers checks from us. Whoever did it was obviously on the staff and was hoping we wouldn't notice. They took just the first one from each of two stacks which started with zero. The problem was obvious to us because we were spending the checks in sequence and keeping track. When we announced the problem to the group, Barbara and Peter announced they were also missing a $50 travelers check beginning in zero. We immediately reported all missing checks to American Express. The hotel fired two people and we had no further theft problems.

Again everyone turned up with all of their gear. The next few days we did many of the same things the first group had done. Since we were more knowledgeable about the area, we actually toured the Koricancha this time and saw excellently preserved Inca walls, the Sun Temple, and the Moon Temple. On a colder and more ominously cloudy Tambomachay to Cuzco hike, we were able to find and explore the Qenco ruin site in addition to what we had seen on the first trip. While in Pisac, Susan tried the non-alcoholic Chiche morada made from purple corn, pineapple, and spices. Meanwhile, the rest of the group's purchasing of hiking sticks in the market had many of locals chuckling. This group had considerably less backpacking experience than the first and everyone was a little nervous about the upcoming backpack. After dinner at Victor Victoria's, everyone packed frantically to be as light as possible on the trail.

The backpack weather was similar to that of the first trip. While it was wetter earlier, even raining when we got off the train, it never got as soggy and it cleared more quickly. Not only was it clear on the Machu Picchu day but we were able to see the big peaks like Salcantay the day prior. One of our group wasn't well on the Dead Woman's Pass day so Wilfredo, a 12 year old local village porter, carried her pack to the top of the pass for 40 soles. Bob also found the ladies who sell chocolate bars and refrescos 3/4 of the way up the grade and rapidly blew 20 soles on re-energizing treats. Somewhere along the way, in a light-hearted mood, Brian began to call Susan "Mother Turista". Perceiving her to be the Patron Saint of Fallen Hikers, he felt the new name appropriate.

While taking some photos, we eavesdropped on an English speaking guide for a few minutes. One of his more classic statements that we especially enjoyed was, "I have to tell you. The Inca, they were not Cath-o-lic." It was hard to suppress our internal laughter. The train trip back to town went somewhat more smoothly because we had tickets on the higher speed auto wagon. With only a day left, we dried our tent, did our laundry, and went into the packing mode. Our event organizer, Reynaldo short-circuited the long check-in line at the Cuzco airport on the last day, changed half of our tickets to the earlier flight, got us a block of seats together, and checked all of our baggage through. When we arrived at our flight gate who should be entertaining departures but the same band who plagued us at every meal in Cuzco!

Participants: Andrew Gilchrist, Susan Groth, Ann & Ken Hipp, Barbara Kraft, Bob Marley, Brian Plunkett, Jan Schneider, Jackie & Rob Shellworth, Bruce Sieve, Jon Trahan, Peter Winkler.

General Trip Information:

We must receive your trip deposit and a completed Q/AR form, for you to be considered for inclusion on one of our trips. If you plan to join one of our trips and you haven't done this yet, get it done now. If a trip is popular enough to require a waitlist, we will use five criteria to determine who is on it. Initial preference will be given to those who have a current mailing application on file, have paid any required trip deposit, and have promptly returned the necessary Q/AR. If this isn't sufficient, we then compare trip deposit dates and lastly Q/AR postmark dates.

We continue to send information to our travel friends using e-mail. If you want to be the first to know what's going on, send us your e-mail address. We'll also continue to communicate unique travel opportunities by 'special mailings' to those who travel with us frequently and who have a mailing application on file.

Best of luck in your 1997 adventures, whatever they are, and wherever they may be. We hope you can join one of our trips so we can spend some time traveling with you next year.