I have a 12-31 launch date which goes against the 2009 ticket. I would not mind if 3-4 others participate. The plan is 14 days to South Cove. Winter river gear is the plan.
I launched 12-31 in 2008 but 14 days is quick to south cove with such short days and lower water! we took 20 days with zero layover but definitely did some hikes but no big ones. bring a really warm hat/coat/sleeping bag/drysuit/girl/propane heater.
14 days is what we did to diamond, we had medium water (16k) and did one layover. You will have to haul ass to get out that fast, might want to extend it 2-3 days. The days are short and its cold so getting up early is a must, we woke up pre-sunrise every morning and ate in the dark every night. A very cool place to be in the winter with so few people around.
-Tom
50 cal. ammo can sand box set up is nice. I have never ran the Grand in the winter but have had a few Deso. and Cat. trips in late Oct. and early Nov. The 50 cal. sand box is easy to make.Just take a 50 cal. ammo. box fill it with sand about two inches from the top add two or three cups of gasoline and let gas soak in than light with match. Sounds dangerous but it is not. We use one, in our duck blinds for heat and very simple cooking. On the river for lunch stops when it is cold out, it offers simple heat to take the chill off the hands and face. When you are done with it, let it cool and put the lid back on( the lids come completly off) and refill with more gas when you feel it is safe. Do not use them in a tent or closed space, strictly an outdoor piece of equipment. My friend would light his on his boat on the flat parts of the river for heat ( like a car heater) only a boat heater. I think he was just boared. You can just tough-it-out too. But they are fun to mess with. Thermos's are nice to have also on winter rafting trips. Play with it first at home, out side, before takeing it on the river, to get the hang of it.(not talking about the thermos)
50 cal. ammo can sand box set up is nice. I have never ran the Grand in the winter but have had a few Deso. and Cat. trips in late Oct. and early Nov. The 50 cal. sand box is easy to make.Just take a 50 cal. ammo. box fill it with sand about two inches from the top add two or three cups of gasoline and let gas soak in than light with match. Sounds dangerous but it is not. We use one, in our duck blinds for heat and very simple cooking. On the river for lunch stops when it is cold out, it offers simple heat to take the chill off the hands and face. When you are done with it, let it cool and put the lid back on( the lids come completly off) and refill with more gas when you feel it is safe. Do not use them in a tent or closed space, strictly an outdoor piece of equipment. My friend would light his on his boat on the flat parts of the river for heat ( like a car heater) only a boat heater. I think he was just boared. You can just tough-it-out too. But they are fun to mess with. Thermos's are nice to have also on winter rafting trips. Play with it first at home, out side, before takeing it on the river, to get the hang of it.(not talking about the thermos)
14 days to south cove that time of year would be brutal and then some. Realize that the sun comes up at about 7:30-8, hits the bottom of the canyon about 10:30-11, leaves the canyon about 1 and sunset happens at 5:15. That leaves you only 8 hours of day light, 4 where you don't need gloves on and only 2+ of direct sun (if it's clear skies). You're either gonna need to go back-country style light or leave the rafts altogether for fast kayaks. Anything else is setting up for a serious suffer-fest to make the miles to South Cove. That being said, I absolutely recommend that you go and I'd like to hear a TR when you get back. 15 day to Diamond was rough on us - 20 would have been much better and that's without the South Cove upstream wind float.
Joe
I appreciate all the concerns and advice. I don't know everything but do know how to self-sufficient plan the GC. Sunshine? Get plenty of that all summer here in the Phx area. In the north/south areas of the canyon, maybe a couple hours a day. In the east/west sections, none at all and the river flows that-a-way mostly so we will not be working on our suntans. Storms? Could be truly brutal, or not. I boat all winter, every winter, whats the issue there as long as everyone is prepared for the conditions? Length of trip? Plans changed to 17 days. Planning a Pierce Ferry take-out if the new ramp is complete. Thats at RM281, a 16.5 daily (14 days was 20 miles daily) average. Flows should be 11,500 to 16,000. 4 mph is the norm at those flows. In the boat 4-6 hours daily is not my idea of hard work. Did Lees/ Diamond in 8 days last year in similar flow and was in the boat 7-8 hours and 30-32 miles daily for comparison. The sand box heater is a good idea but the propane appliances work as well and offer more complete control. You know someone who actually built an open fire on his raft??? That may provide a way to short-stop your bloodline PDQ. As for boat weight concerns, I have found a fully loaded raft handles and travels well in the rapids, eddies and flat waters of the mighty CO, why would I want to travel light, other than the sportier ride lighter offers? At present, a South Cove take-out (if Pierce Ferry is unavailable) only deals with a 3 mile lake row to mile 297, thats no big deal if a storm does not hit then. All in all, the winter in GC offers far more opportunity than a summer trip does. We will camp near to the hikes and sights we want to do as there is little competition for campsites. The canyon scenery is quite a bit more spectacular in the more subdued winter light. Very little ice conservation effort is needed to keep the Jack cold...just open the ice chest lid at night to re-freeze the ice. No scorps or snakes or bugs to deal with. The trout fishing is great. No noisy boat engines to deal with...and more.
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