Old Version 1983 High Water grand canyon part 2 of 2 100,000 cfs

100,000 cfs on Colorado River through Grand Canyon, 1983, where Glen Canyon Damn nearly burst. See Redwall Cavern flooded, people rowing under Deer Creek falls, and 38 foot motor boats flipping! Hold on to your hats! (Updated version here on KZbin at: • Grand Canyon High Wate... )

[@battlegalaxy3246]

I was on one of the baloney boats (Georgie’s Royal River Rats) that flipped that summer. I was 14 years old. The fatality was a woman on our trip. Very sad. Strength of the current and thrashing of the rapids tore the clothes off her lower body. Life jacket kept her body afloat and she was recovered. Greatest nature adventure of my life, despite the tragic component. Rags Ragland, I’ve always remembered you and became a firefighter myself 6 years later.

[@martinginsburg7222]

Classic. Been blessed with 7 kayak trips down this magic from 12 to 40K. Please, please, bless us again! and again, and again!

[@cabanford]

"Burp" (We flipped a 1.2 ton raft in Crystal 2021 😋😬)

[@dreadmon135]

Thanks for posting. Me and my father and brother were on the boats that flipped on Georgie's Tours. The boats from Georgie's are shown in this. We were on the 39 ft baloney boat. We were picked out of the canyon by park service helicopters. I was 17 at the time.

[@Jeffe01]

Any photos? Georgie always claimed she'd never had a boat flip... we old-timer guides knew better... ;-)

[@battlegalaxy3246]

@@Jeffe01 Her floatilla of tied-together rubber rafts buckled as we entered lava falls. Leading raft tucked under middle raft of the three tied together. That’s where the lady who died on our trip was seated, and she drowned, presumably by being trapped under the submerged and overturned raft. I was 14 and on that trip with my younger brother (who was seated near her and also went under, but surfaced ok) and my parents. We had her body on the beach with us overnight, until we helicoptered out the next morning.

[@Jeffe01]

@@battlegalaxy3246 Georgie was a mercurial mix... she did lots of great stuff and some of my best friends worked for her and loved her. My experiences were mixed, but yep, she denied "killing" anybody or anybody dying on any of her trips till she passed herself. Sad. Sorry for your trauma.

[@gerriewoo9753]

I was there with a group of 14. June 24 - July 1, 1983. Really fun, scary & adventurous. We were with WILDERNESS RIVER ADVENTURES.

[@Jeffe01]

+Gerrie Woo Have any good photos or video I can add to the show? Know anyone who might? ;-)

[@erictrenbeath9680]

Awesome! Just finished reading the Emerald Mile. I've rowed the Grand a few times but was a Cataract boatman back in the 90's and saw 50-70k many times in an 18' oar rig. It hit close to 70k this year and I can honestly say I'm not sorry I missed it!

[@Jeffe01]

Nothing on earth bigger than Cat at high water. I heard I was the first to row an 18 footer down there in ‘78. Nothing bigger than Crystal hole T 70k in ‘83, but it changed forever when it hit 100k and now ain’t the same. Some balls rowing Cat at high water amigo. The most awesome place on earth for sure.

[@erictrenbeath9680]

Thanks! I didn't know any better and they just kept sending me back down week after week! So awesome you were there back in the day!

[@rsberryalta]

Thanks a lot for a great video, brings back lots of memories. I rowed an 18 footer through in 1984, also a higher water year, flow around 50k as I recall. Flipped in Crystal, just a fraction smaller than the 75K level show in your film. Later I always thought of it as the rapid from another planet. Bedrock completely washed out, thank goodness. Eddies at the bottom of each rapid would nearly suck your under. Sadly, we had a fatality at Crystal, Boatman Tom Pillsbury.

[@dongordon8377]

I was on a trip with mokie Mac in early July 1983 here, and we had no idea it was a record high water and that the dam nearly burst. but the boatmen looked pretty nervous. what a trip.

[@margaretbartlett1311]

Jeffe, it took me a long time to find this but I am so glad I did! My first river trips as a commercial guide were in 1983 with Mark Sleight River Expeditions, and your footage brought it all back to me. I am glad we worked together too. Thanks.

[@Jeffe01]

Margaret Bartlett glad you enjoyed it gal. I saw you as a co-signatory in a letter to the editor re the sexual harassment case in Grand Canyon and remembered your story. Good onya.

[@Jeffe01]

Maybe when I was in my 20s or 30s. The power of that kind of water is unimaginable... kind of like a strong woman: irresistible but dangerous!

[@bjrunson]

whoa...they rafted that...what a ride, what a wild ride...just beyond imagining

[@thefactualist312]

Great pix, videos and music. Must have been one superb moment in life to witness. In 1986 my wife and I were married by a Navaho and then ran the the canyon in 18' raft with crew at normal flow. Will always cherish that trip with Jim and Debbie. Funniest part of the trip is our names are Jim and Debi.

[@JohnT673]

Jeffe, Still awesome after all these years!

[@williambennett7033]

Scares the shit out of me just seeing the pics wow

[@riverguy17]

who would not like this? I love it. Makes me want to run it at 100k.

[@Michael65429]

Yeah right, until you see it up close and personal then you'll be crying for mommie...

[@robgrey6183]

Just took out at Pierce 6 days back. I'd heard about this from friends who were there back in the day. Hard to imagine.

[@carlgranfors166]

I ran lava at the same time and level. In a Udisco. It was huge but seemed like a clean left run. Outstanding video of the rapid. Totally unimaginable, in retrospect. Thanks!

[@Jeffe01]

Every guide I showed this to on the 20th anniversary GTS said to me “what the f... were we thinking?” Glad we didn’t swim.

[@carlgranfors166]

@@Jeffe01 I had a great run but suffered a little nonetheless Jeffe. We forgot to pull in the drop back filled with every beer you could think of. We lost it. All of a sudden after lava, boats were weaving back and forth and scooping up our beers. After lava party was on me. 🤠 I may have asked you this before, but when were you down there in 83, was it July? I was on a private with the Resnick family as permit holders, first weeks I thought. Brian Dierker got a great shot of me scooting right at Crystal. I think I posted or sent you that before. PS we got a heli message too that said, camp high, river rising! Cheers!

[@Jeffe01]

Carl Granfors I cant recall every date I was on the water that year, but I did a lot of trips so possibly. Loved the Resnicks. Lucky you. If you still have that photo plz re send. Usually all the best shots are in the vid.

[@Gyntster]

I'll bet that Havasu at 6:16 did very well at those flows, well, as well as could be expected given the unimaginable conditions at 100K cfs.

[@kewlkoast]

Cool.. I was on a private permit of mostly Minnesota paddlers that year. I remember the whole river shut down at phantom ranch while rescues were underway with the big rafts flipping.. we were camped with all the groups end of that day at bass camp. crazy scenecwith helicopters evacuating any commercial trip customers who wanted out. 62,500 cfs at put in 128,000 cfs 2 weeks later at take out

[@dagmar4809]

Hey John, I was there with you. Think of it often. Doug T.

[@johnamren6092]

@@dagmar4809 Hi Doug,, Good to hear from you 👍🏻 what’s new? Where are you located these days? I’m in the process of moving to Costa Rica

[@dagmar4809]

@@johnamren6092 I'm retired, live outside of Ely with my wife. Have a 26 year old daughter who lives in Sitka, Alaska. Just returned from a two-month trip to Alaska with our camper-trailer. I assume you're in Duluth, when are you moving to Costa Rica? I followed your Lake Superior trip blog a few years ago: it was great!

[@KK51500]

I want to go!! Great video!!

[@NewWaveRafting]

Good work!

[@donlum9128]

Work Dinosaur National Monument 1983 WILD WILD WEST WATER, Yampa & Green were rock'n.

[@staudtj1]

I was there in 1976 with Sanderson...life changing experience for sure! Must have been a b___h trying to find camping spots with that kind of flow rate. Really wonderful job on this vid!

[@Jeffe01]

2 local Flagstaff friends; Gwenn Waring and Don Keller

[@frenchydelrio]

Thanks for putting this together. I was rowing the trip with Bruce Helin. Frenchy

[@BillWakefield]

Thanks, Frenchy. What a great way to clean the camping beaches... Brings back fond memories of my [unguided] 3 week excursion in 1999. The water was at 'normal' levels that spring, however.

[@Jeffe01]

Hey, Frenchy... yeah, fun stuff! Working on the next iteration, hope to have it up on a competing site where I can leave the original music by summer. Starts with a V. There's already a better version there now. Cheers broheem.

[@frenchydelrio]

Jeffe Aronson this is a great tie-in with the book Emerald Mile - gives that great story some visuals.

[@Jeffe01]

Cheers… by the way, there's an updated copy of this vid on another video site that starts with a v… and another due in spring.

[@lorienelozano3639]

Wow that must of been some scary rafting

[@Jeffe01]

Thanks Scott. Latest version of the vid is on the next-biggest competing vid site, in case you're keen. Glen Canyon dam ran a steady 45k for '84 and '85 to drop Lake Foul... a huge level for Crystal for sure! Yeah, I was on the water just upstream and heard about Tom's death from the rangers. Very sad indeed. Sorry for your loss.

[@myronbuck2436]

Hey Jeffe...'84 was my first run, I thought I remember it being 65K.

[@Jeffe01]

@@myronbuck2436 Hey amigo... yep it did go up to that as I recall, but they never went below 45k for 84 & 85. They were trying to lower Lake Foul. I remember thinking to myself: "Self... don't forget this. Everyone else will, including yourself unless you stick the memory in there real good."

[@myronbuck2436]

@@Jeffe01 Your videos are a great memory of the olden days. I hope you're well, and still getting wet

[@Wyoutside]

Insane!

[@Jeffe01]

Check the updated version on the competing video website.

[@richhughes2225]

Nice video. Thanks. I'd like to have seen some dories in there.

[@Gyntster]

At 6:46, is that one of the rarest of boats...a White Havasu!? I am quite sure that there were only one or two of these ever made of Hypalon. All of the original Havasu rafts made of vinyl impregnated nylon were sort of white, but the bright white ones made of hypalon were exceedingly rare.

[@michaelbrown-qy7be]

Love this! Thabks for posting! What is the final song in the video?

[@Jeffe01]

You mean Steam Powered Aeroplane by John Hartford?

[@Jeffe01]

Minute 2:45 in this vid, to respond to the last poster's removed post (don't know why) is Bass, mile 109.

[@chadlroberts]

Who sings the Silver Dagger song in the video (second song)? Would luv to find out.

[@eredluin72]

Yes, love the video, great to compare the pics I have from my trip there 2 years ago with the ones on the video. But I can't find this version of the Silver Dagger :)

[@Jeffe01]

You won't find this version as it is sung by a friend. Sorry. Record it off your computer if poss.

[@danielmarzec6439]

Great video! Amazing trip! What I want to know is... what is that song at the end of the video that begins with the 100k Lava run?

[@Jeffe01]

You mean John Hartford's Steam Powered Aeroplane?

[@douglasazo]

How amazing would it be to say that you had swam Lava at 100k cf?

[@dougross7163]

what crap who is dumb enough to do it on purpose?

[@creationquest1866]

Which rapid/hole is shown at 1:30?

[@Jeffe01]

+Stephen Boggan Crystal Hole at 75,000 cfs for the 2 weeks or so it lasted in 1983 before getting washed out a bit.

[@creationquest1866]

Thanks Jeffe

[@MrFg1980]

Not much for camping at 100k :(

[@Jeffe01]

Actually, you wouldn't believe the good camp spots. Just wayyyyy above where you'd expect. It got up there and deposited sand high most springs for a couple million years...

[@steambabe1]

Awesome footage of Lava. I want to go to there!

[@Michael65429]

At that level, no you don't!