11/11/15 - Soap Creek (11.4) - North Canyon (20.7)
Today we rafted from Soap Creek to North Canyon a distance of a little less more than nine river miles. This trip was actually a moderately terrifying day for me. I rafted the first half of the Grand Canyon in December of 2012 and I distinctly remember the second day on the river, because it was the day that we came to House Rapid.
House Rapid is the first rather large rapid. On the left side of the river there is this massive wave train that makes you realize you are no longer on Kansas. The last time I was here, our buddy Ben was in the duckie and he had gone far river right to avoid the wave train and skirt by the side of the rapid.
Before we got to House Rapid, we stopped for lunch and a hike at Tanner Wash. One of the most incredible parts about the entire trip is that there are all of these washes and side canyons that cannot be accessed from above. When you pull up your boats and go for a hike you know that you won't see anyone else. It was sunny, so we pulled down our dry suits and hiked around to enjoy the beautiful weather.
After Tanner Wash we got back in the boats and headed towards House Rapid.
I wanted to take the duckie to experience the river in a different way. When you are in a raft you are several feet above the river and a bit removed from it. When you are in a duckie you are completely surrounded by the water. There is no escaping it, you experience everything, intensely.
There was one problem. I had been having dreams that I would die at House Rapid. I wrote this in my journal: 'I have been having premonitions that I would die on this trip at House Rapid. I wanted to take the duckie to confront it. Last trip it was the first big rapid where I began to realize and understand white water.'
I didn't tell anyone else that I was having these premonitions about House Rapid, I just wanted to go for it.
