Road Trip - Day 9 - Canyon de Chelly National Park
8.45 a.m. 63 degrees. Cold and windy.
We were lucky to get out of the canyon in one piece. All in all, it was quite a day. It started normally enough though. As we were not driving anywhere today, we took our time having breakfast. We reported to the Gift Shop at Tunderbird Lodge just before 9. As the weather looked a little unpredictable we were in long pants and sweatshirts and had our raincoats with us. There was a bit of confusion as to whre we should wait. We were on the all day trip but there was not only a private tour going out but also a half day tour.
At 9.10 all those on the day long tour were collected and taken to our 4×4 truck. There were 16 of us on the trip and George was our Navajo guide. The truck was large and uncovered. The seats were padded but it was all a bit basic.
There is a road round the south rim and the north rim but the only cars allowed onto the canyon floor are tour jeeps or private SUVs as long as they have a Navajo guide with them. The valley floor with just sand with no proper roads at all.
Just inside the canyon George stopped the truck, climbed out of the cab and told us of the history of Canyon de Chelly. The first inhabitants of the canyon were probably the Anasazi Indians from 300 - 1300 and the first structures in the cliffs were probably built by them. Nobody knows why the Anasazi Indians left the canyon, it might have been due to illness or prolonged drought. The Hopi Indians were the next residents, though they only lived here in the summer. Some Hopi still come every year to plant crops. The Navajo Indians moved into the canyon about 1700 and they live here all year round.
He went on to say that there are three main canyons but many smaller ones. They were carved out by streams from the Chuska mountains to the east and by wind and rain. The streams are tiny now and just run off from the mountains. Within the canyon thee are two main dangers - flash floods and quick sands. Apparently quick sands do not stay in one place but move around so you never know when you are going to run into one. George said there were many vehicles buried in the sand.
We stopped at some ruins to take photos. They were some way up the sheer rock face. When the National Park took over the canyon, the Navajo wanted the ruins to be protected so all trails, foot and toe holds to all ruins in the park were erased and fenced off.
Our next stop was the junction where two of the canyons joined. George told us that he heard on the radio that it was raining up at Spider Rock. As it was at the highest elevation and the furthest distance away he decided to go there first instead of the Mummy Caves. We felt a few spots of rain so George handed out rain ponchos. I took one but Tom didn’t. We passed the White House Ruins. This is the only place where you can walk into the canyon. There are signs and fences around stopping people venturing into the canyon proper without a guide. We drove straight past. It began to rain heavily and I was pleased of the poncho.
The stream we crossed by junction was tiny but further up it was getting bigger. The run off from the rain on the mountains further up were now coming down. Each time we re-crossed the stream it was getting higher and faster and several times George had to use all his gears to go down and up the steep slopes on either side and the rain came down even heavier. It was a bit scary but we had worse to come.
When we were only two crossings from Spider Rock George decided to turn back. The water level was rising and debris was beginning to be brought downstream. And still it poured. Tom pinched a bit of my poncho to cover his pants but that caused rivers of water to flow onto the seat any my jeans became soaked. We couldn’t taken photos because of the rain which was a shame because suddenly all around us were waterfalls of rain coming off he rocks.
Every time we came to a river crossing - for that is what the stream had become - we held our breath and clung on. Then disaster struck - George could not get the truck up one particularly steep slope. He reversed back into the river and tried again. He tried and tried but no way could be get up that slope because it was all churned up and he could not get a decent grip with the tires. George scrambled out of the cab, squelched through the thick mud (and he had new boots on!) and attached a winch to a tree. But still he could not get up the slope.
A few people on board began to panic, demanding they be allowed to climb out but George told everybody to sit down. The river was getting higher and faster and there we were stuck in the middle of it. We’d all heard so many tales of flash floods and walls of water sweeping down and turning over vehicles and washing people away, it’s no wonder we were frightened. George kept tying to get us up and out of the water but to no avail. Tom asked if help was on the way and George said yes, in about 10 minutes someone would arrive. I noticed the lady behind me was silently praying. The water was very close to coming in at the back but at least it had stopped raining. Lots of debris was coming down river and bashing into the truck.
After about 20 minutes help did arrive. It was another truck from Thunderbird Lodge and slowly we were winched out. A loud cheer went up. We had been stuck in the river for nearly an hour. I was shaking with cold and everybody was wet through plus some people were desperate for the restroom.
We made our way back to the White House Ruins site where we stopped. Four of our party could not stand anymore and opted to go back on a half day jeep tour which was also stopped. Thank goodness there was a restroom there but it was one of the worst I have ever been to. The smell was loathsome. There were two stalls and neither had doors and the toilet was just a seat over a big hole. There were No facilities even to wash hands either. Ugh. But when you have to go you have to go.
A couple of tables had been set out and some of the local Navajo were selling jewelry. We bough a couple of necklaces because we liked them. I took a photo of the jewelry and asked the young boy in charge if it was OK. He didn’t mind me taking photos of his wares but he did not want me to take a photo of him.
Back to the jeep and lunch was being served. Beef sandwiches, bag of chips, a cookie and an orange. George asked everyone if they wanted to carry on or whether we wanted to go back. As the sun was now shining, the remaining 12 of us said we wanted to carry one - even though we were soaked. We are never likely to come here again so let’s see as much as we can.
So off we went, back to the junction and up the another canyon. There is so much more water around. Where before it was a little stream, now half the canyon floor is covered in water.
It started to rain again but we weren’t too worried about it. On this leg of the journey we passed a small house on the canyon floor with a fence around it and trees in the garden. George said a Hopi family came in the spring and planted crops. They stay there sometimes but live up on the rim. Everyday they trek down from the rim by their own private trail.
The rain became heavier and each time we crossed the river it seemed to be flowing faster. The stream this side of the canyon is wider and shallower and the sides are not too steep. Even so George turned back before we reached the Mummy Cave because he said the water was looking ugly. He also said we were the only group left in the canyon. The the time we arrived back at the junction nearly the whole of the canyon floor was under water. George pointed out all the people at the lookouts up on the rim watching us.
We were pleased to get back to the hotel and get out of our wet clothes and have a bath. My pack was saturated and evertying inside was wet, including my notebook. It will never be the same again.
In the evening we again had a mediocre meal at the Holiday Inn restaurant.
October 01 2007 08:50 pm | Further Afield
Jay River on 02 Oct 2007 at 3:28 am #
Canyon De Chelly is a great destination.
Here is a film clip laced with history from Canyon De Chelly:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKJJnBsWbNs
It’s from a dvd on Edward S. Curtis, which bears on other Indian lands as well.
More info:
ES Curtis Film Clip
The Indian Picture Opera
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Tom and Margaret on 02 Oct 2007 at 6:03 am #
Thanks Jay.
The clip is interesting. The canyon is a magical place all right. I wish the rain hadn’t been quite so heavy as we would liked to have seen the Mummy Caves and Spider Rock. Oh well next time.
Tom