After a lunch….oh the joy on Jenny’s face when Rich shared his salami….we headed down a slot. One that had been scoured clean and very beautiful the year before. Rich lamented the lose of beauty from the deposits of gravel from a recent flood. The rest of us thought it was quite nice, not having the past view of it to compare. The canyon got the name “Buried Treasure” in honor of what it was and now is.
In mid afternoon, 3 of us fun hogs decided another mini slot was called for. It earned the name Window or Window Guy due to a window like feature and Guy Smith who was on the exploration a year or so before. Back at camp, we packed up and headed up the main canyon, out the side and steeply up difficult terrain, to the top of the Supai. Rich miraculous found water and Jenny found a way to access it from a deep hole, just as night descended. It was Jenny and my 11th camp spot in the Grand Canyon in March.
The next AM, the Polaris magically appeared over a hill and we started the long drive back to civilization. I would make it home after16 hours of driving. Thanks to all our partners for being such good sports, while I whined my way through these challenging places.
Ram
Very old sauntered can
Up and out
Selfie
High Fashion
Slideshow
Impossible to find the RSS link
Rich Rudow
LOL!
The things you’ll do to see the good stuff
Rich Rudow
Josh, it’s become an essential tool to get to the rim wayyyyy out west. I just wish the cup holders would fit a gatoraide bottle!
I can’t believe Ram didn’t post the photo of him riding in that thing. He looked like a WWI trench warfare veteran with the dust mask, googles, AND the trademark brain bucket
Ram
OK
Josh Case
Looks like the Shivwitzer did some Shivwitzing!
Mountaineer
Great pics! Moving away from the standard butt shots next to the rope.
Standard canyoneering attire there, swim suit over the pants.
Rich Rudow
Hi Kuenn, it’s definitely a mining artifact. There is (was) a copper mine in a no-name drainage near the Esplanade level in this area. Last time I visited the mine I noticed radiation warning signs had been posted. They must have been mining a Breccia Pipe formation. But this is a perfect example of why extraction around Grand Canyon is a VERY BAD idea.
When the mine closed in the 1950’s the miners just left all of the trash. Probably just tossed the corporate entity into bankruptcy and walked away. Flash floods took some mine tailings, that wheel, and other stuff down into a big tributary of Grand Canyon. We chose to not drink the water in one drainage because of the possible impact from the mining operation. We found chunks of copper throughout that ( drop dead gorgeous) slot. Of course, the next home for this stuff is the Colorado River in Grand Canyon. Frankly, it’s probably already be there. I doubt anyone has checked the radiation levels from the mine, down the immediate tributary, then down the main tributary into the Colorado River. Distance is only about 9 to 10 miles. People assume that the Superfund would clean this up if industry failed …. RIGHT? Nope! It’s kind of hidden away and nobody is whining about it. But 50 years of flash floods have been at work slowly moving the extracted copper and uranium into the Colorado River. Drink up Vegas!
Kuenn
Thanks, Rich. All these TRs, pics and tales from the deep are quite impressive and motivational…gotta get there some day!
The more things change, the more they remain the same.
Kuenn
Curious about the wheel picture. Mining artifact? Was it in the deep part of the canyon…ideas how it got there?
Ram
Mining artifact yes. These miners were everywhere. Airstrips, primitive roads, you name it. Rich likely has some stories
ratagonia
Are those Sportiva tights???
Ram
How in the world would I know? Cost 4 bucks at a thrift store
ratagonia
Did you buy them? Did you WEAR them?
T
Ram
You talkin Jenny’s yellow hummingbird tights or….?
ratagonia
Yes, Sportiva had some of roughly the same color. Among the best tights ever. Closer examination shows that Jenny’s yellow hummingbird tights are not the coveted Sportiva tights.
Tom