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Show Record 1525 to that point. The first Powell expedition was in 1869. Between Gunnison Crossing to the mouth of the San Rafael there are no rapids - just swift water with riffles. They did not amount to much as compared with the rapids we had gone through farther up 1526 the river. We call " riffles" where the water was simply swift and shallow and where your boat was apt to ground at low water. The rapids are lively descents from five to fifteen feet in thirty or forty yards - sometimes longer - and required care and caution. We left Green River, Utah, or Gunnison Crossing some time in July. 1527 As I remember it, we had no very serious trouble with grounding between Gunnison Crossing and the mouth of the San Rafael. In that stretch we met no boats or people except the Hamblins. Be-low the San Rafael you come to Labyrinth and then Stillwater Canyon, both of which are comparatively free from rocks. We had trouble with grounding on sand bars in Stillwater Canyon, but not in Labyrinth. I mean not in Stillwater Canyon. The river was narrow there and we went on without much trouble. Some times we waded for considerable distances, lifting the boats along to ease them up when we got stuck on sand bars. Major Powell was the only member of our party who had been on his first 1528 expedition. It was a sort of medium stage of water and we had sand bar trouble in Labyrinth Canyon, but through Stillwater the river was narrow and we had no trouble from grounding. We met no other boats or persons between San Rafael and the cataracts. We had some heavy rain storms that caused the river to vary slightly. Just below the San Rafael there were heavy rain storms 1529 and the cascades falling into the river were numerous. These cascades did not have very much effect, but continuous rains will raise the river. I do not remember any difficulty or any change or rearrangement of sand bars as a result of these rains. As you turn into Cataract Canyon and run down about four miles, you come upon a very bad rapid, which must be ten or fifteen feet in 201 |
