real gems of the inner canyon. The stream has cut a wavy canyon down through the Shinwno to the harder metamorphic rocks below and then it plunges over that lip 100 feet to the river. The water is clear and cool. The river finally quit rising - thanks to the great gods of the river up at Glen Canyon - about one foot below where it would have wiped out our campsite. That evening it warmed up as the clouds came to get us; it was 84 an hour after sunset. But it cleared later without bothering to rain on us.

[DPS: Based upon Vitz’s info, we chose to divide Vitz’s hardest day (the 4th) into two parts with an intermediate camp at Fishtail Creek (dry). This variation was a very smart move for two reasons: We had the extra time and our fourth day proved to be very warm. During our fifth day, we most likely carried-out the most remote FIRST ASCENT the DPS ever made (which certainly qualifies it for the LIST! --- don’t you think, Andy?) that of Peak 3130 about 1300 feet above the Colorado River. Some very rough terrain was traversed in route—even Harvey Hickman (a rock climber type) called for a rope. The drop to Deer Creek was spectacular but easy. We had lunch in the region of the Deer Creek narrows and spent the afternoon exploring this magnificient feature and the canyon above. The grotto at the base of the 100 foot Deer Creek falls with its associated diminutive rainbow and surrounding ferns provided the backdrop for the most magnificient cocktail lounge --- or so It seemed to Barbara Reber and the rest of us after the third MacLeod Special.

Day Five: When we got up we noticed that the river had dropped a full ten feet to its level of the day before. Had we been one day later we would not have been able to camp at Kanab. This was an easy day of three miles upriver to Tapeats Creek. Before leaving we explored Deer Creek above the falls - an enchanting canyon of purple quartzite until it opens into a wide hidden valley. After leaving this beautiful place - which incidentally is not in either park or the monument - the route again climbs oway from the river, but the difficulties encountered were minor as compared to the previous day's. Tapeats was reached early and the day was spent exploring the lower narrows and washing dirty bode. In spring it would be dangerous at best to try to go up the creek as it is both cold and strong. The river was so low that there were acres of rainbow colored rocks exposed to view - polished and sculpted by a great artist.

Day Six: The route ascends a talus slope on the west side of the creek to a series of ledges which are followed upstream above the narrows. The creek has to be crossed twice before arriving at the junction with Thunder River. Camp was established here and we continued up Tapeats Creek through the narrows, up to our hips in water. We are now in the park and so we encounter picnic tables and other assorted garbage - but still no people. We thought that perhaps for six days we had had the whole western end of the North Rim to ourselves.


[DPS: Just as we arrived at Tapeats Creek, we saw the first human type of the trip (excluding ourselves of course):a helicopter pilot at very close range - as if he was looking for us. Tapeats Creek was acting as if it was still springtime with four times the volume flow rate Abe Seimans remembers from another trip at about the same time of year. As we were having lunch, Bill Sanders provided entertainment by crossing the torrent with a belay from Eric Schumacher, and more importantly recrossing the same with only once being swept off his feet. Since the rest of us were not convinced by the demonstration, we were faced with the alternative of proceeding up the Creek on the wrong side in full view of the fine NPS trail on the other side (east). Since we only had to belay once on the west side sheep trail that we followed, we figured that we were ahead by
 
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