THROUGH COLORADO CANYONS. 



DR. J. E. MILLER. 



Becoming tired of office work earlier -in 

 the season than usual, a friend and I re- 

 solved to make a trip down the canyons of 

 the Colorado. 



From Glenwood Springs, on Grand 

 river, to the Cascade canyon, is fully 300 

 miles. To cruise that distance in such a 

 boat as we could build was no small under- 

 taking. The craft we constructed was 17 

 feet long, flat bottomed, with a watertight 

 compartment in each end. To protect us 

 from the sun it had an awning extending 

 from stem to stern. We carried plenty 

 of pitch, white lead and other materials 

 to repair possible damage. 



We were so often warned of the dan- 

 gers ahead that it was a relief to be at 

 last fairly on our way. The first rough 

 water was only a mile below the starting 

 point. A few people had gathered there 

 to see us take our first plunge. We were 

 a little nervous as we approached the cat- 

 aract, not knowing how staunch our. boat 

 would prove under her heavy load. How- 

 ever, she rode the swells like a duck, and 

 we went our way with lighter hearts. 



The first day, when nearing a fall, we 

 landed and sized it up. That soon grew 

 tiresome, so, unless there was an unusual 

 roar ahead, we stayed in the boat and took 

 things as they came. If that course did 

 not contribute to our safety, it at least 

 furnished plenty of excitement. 



We ran late on the evening of the sec- 

 ond day, hoping to reach a point from 

 which we could telegraph to the anxious 

 ones at home i Rounding a point we heard 

 the loud snarl of angry water ahead. By 

 standing on a thwart we could see the river 

 rushing under a shelving rock on one side 

 and dropping over a ledge on the other. 

 Both looked ugly enough, but we decided 

 to take the fall. So sitting well back and 

 getting all possible speed on the boat, we 

 let her go. She took the jump bravely, 

 but stuck her nose so far under that the 

 rollers easily completed her discomfiture, 

 and she settled to the water's edge. We 

 had taken the precaution of attaching long 

 ropes to each end of the boat, and by means 

 of them succeeded in pulling her ashore. 

 We camped where we landed, building a 

 big fire to dry our effects. On opening 

 the watertight compartments we found 

 all as dry as a bone. To guard against 

 another ducking we nailed rubber cloth 

 across the forward part of the boat. 



The third day we went over exceedingly 

 rough water in a box canyon, and a little 

 farther on we encountered the worst rapid, 

 that far, on the trip. The river dropped 25 



feet in Y^ mile. The channel was so narrow 

 that in places the boat could hardly pass. 

 The rapid is a succession of curves and is 

 everywhere studded with boulders. As 

 we had been warned not to run that rapid 

 we went ashore and took a look at it. First, 

 there was a rough stretch of about 50 

 yards, then 100 yards of smooth water, 

 and then the terror. 



Not seeing any other way to get by, we 

 decided to run it, all standing. A huge 

 boulder rose 20 feet above the water in 

 the center of the channel at the first rapid. 

 That we grazed, and barely missed run- 

 ning down its twin a little below. On we 

 rushed, wave after wave dashing over us. 

 It seemed but a moment until it was over 

 and we were drifting on smooth water. 



Just below the rapids we passed a man 

 fishing. 



"Did yer come tru de falls?" he called. 



"Yes," we said ; "from Glenwood." 



"Yer can't drown fools anyhow," he re- 

 plied as we sped by. 



Next we passed through the fruit belt of 

 Grand valley. If any tiller of that soil 

 arraigns us for the theft of plums and 

 peaches we shall have to plead guilty. 



At Little Creek valley, 15 miles above 

 Moab, we saw picturesque rocks, where it 

 required no great stretch of the imagination 

 to behold beautiful castles, spires and 

 domes, and gigantic figures of men and 

 animals. Farther down the river was a red 

 sandstone spire, hundreds of feet high. 

 On its top was balanced a perfect sphere 

 of sandstone. The grandeur of those can- 

 yons is indescribable. 



Moab is a quaint Mormon town in a 

 beautiful valley. There are the ruins of 

 a structure built by the cliff dwellers. We 

 spent a day looking for relics, with little 

 success. 



After a week's stay at Moab we con- 

 tinued our journey. We left our boat at 

 the first cataract and walked down as far 

 as we could in one day, slept on the sand 

 that night, and returned to the boat the 

 following day. We took a few pictures 

 and then began the return, on" which 

 we saw the grandest scenic effect of the 

 trip. We were caught in a severe rain. 

 During and after the storm countless 

 waterfalls poured down the sides of the 

 canyon; not little trickling streams, but 

 mad rushes of water, all taking color from 

 the rocks over which they passed. 



Of hunting we had none; there is no 

 game in the canyon. The scenic wonders 

 of the river alone make the trip worth 

 taking. 



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