A Journey Through Glen Canyon

by Dr. George Barfoote

From Hidden Passage, the Journal of Glen Canyon Institute
Volume V

Last august Glen Canyon Institute received the donation of a box of slides and a journal from a 1952 ymca river trip through Glen Canyon—one of hundreds of such trips during the 1950s and ‘60s.

The hand written, water stained journal described an adventure that included all the standard features that make a river trip truly special—beauty, exploration, wind, rain, starry nights, a leaky boat, two missing boats, and the sights and sounds of a natural scenic wonder. The trip leader, Dr. George R. Barfoote, was a prominent obstetrician in Phoenix, Arizona. Joining him in four army surplus rafts were three other adults and 14 boys.

The journal and slides have been donated to Mariott Library Special Collections at the University of Utah. Selections from the journal follow.
 

August 10

…Inflated boats, loaded and launched. Patched two leaks in our boat, one of the boys held rock under patch from underneath boat. Boats tested for leaks—no more found. Gear placed in middle of boat wrapped in tarps. Shoes, wettables in rear end where water seeps and drifts. Non-wettables (cameras kept in front where boat rides higher. 1 adult and 4 boys in each boat. Leader and 2 boys in supply boat…

…After supper, after a little horsing around, everybody retired as soon as it was definitely dark. Air mattresses were inflated, bed rolls laid out. Baths were taken, clothes washed, then everybody laid out under the stars. There are millions of them tonight. The air is clear, just a little cool. What a wonderful life!

…In formal ceremonies Aug 12 am boat was christened "Leaky Faucet" manned by 4 drips and an old soak…

Rules

Swimming—2 men in the drink at one time, no more. No ducking near boat. No mud throwing or splashing near boat. Swim between this and another boat. Neither get ahead or behind the boat. (Stick around).

KP—first man to get there gets credit. If no one wants to man with least credit goes. Use own canteen and mess kit.

August 12th Tuesday

Up, ate pancakes, syrup (maple), cocoa, grape nut flakes, powdered milk. Filled canteens with Colorado River water doped with Clorox 15-20 drops per 10 qt. pail. Tasted just a little. Sediment in water had well settled over night. Was even clear in a cup.

Pushed off 7:30. Good swim in first big bend. Hi red sheer cliff making a broad sweep for about a mile or so. Cliff about 500 ft high. Mr. Chaffin at ferry says 3 Moqui granaries are located in this cliff. We saw a probability of one such granary. Everybody took a good swim here. Water deep. Drifted past old mining sluice at about mile 151 on south or east bank high up silhouetted against sky…

…Lunch August 12th—Pea soup and weenies, crackers, jelly, punch, dates, lemon drops (all in a cup)…

…Landed at Tapestry Rock at dusk. Good rock step landing. Got fresh water at Warm Spring Creek—small but goodly flow about size of 4 inch pipe. Ate supper -- Beef stew, potatoes, cocoa. Went to sleep tired.

Tapestry Rock approaches 1000 ft high (?) Downwarp of monocline is clearly noted here. On south side of river formations are seen gradually dipping beneath river level. It is a very dramatic thing.

August 13th
…Ray took a couple shots at a mountain lion on the south bank with his rifle but he ran (the lion that is)….

…More riffles as canyon walls get higher. Walls are Glen Canyon geologic group Navajo on top of Kayenta Wingate. Hard rain lasted about an hour but insufficient to cause falls or much inflow from side canyons, just stains on the canyon walls from the upper reddish Navajo…

…More rapid progress. Run into largest riffle yet, ship lots of water into boat. Slide past beautiful sheer red cliffs…

…Some of the boys made a 5-oar-in-the-ground-tarp-tent. George (Eagerboy) Lyman found a spring about a mile up canyon small and difficult to reach. He also found a one day dead beaver, removed tail and retained same…

…While passing thru the canyon today especially in the wide spaces and where the walls are high and curving, echoes really have all the striking effects of the term. 4 words will come back to you several times… These acoustics make conversation between boats easy. You can hear what the crew of a boat 1/2 a mile away is saying with good ease. Harmonizing (and much is done) can easily be heard…

    George Barfoote

…While lying in bed you can again look up at a million stars. On the right the bellowing and roar of the mighty Colorado reminding you a lot of the surf of the Pacific… while just along side is the murmur and trickle of the little lake Canyon Creek. The latter sounds like a baby’s gentle snore while Grandpa Colorado slumbers loudly in the next room…

August 14th

…It is fairly late when we land at Hole in Rock. Made 29 miles, doing ok, though a day behind an ideal schedule thanks to getting into river at Hite late and wind blowing boats back upstream the other afternoon…

…Hole in the Rock Mile 84 1/2. Supper in the dark—spam and beef stew (good!) Excellent creek water, clear, tasty, cold, plenty of it—reliable supply. Cocoa, potatoes, gravy…

…Nite at Hole in the Rock—coffee, some concern about wild cats and snakes keep me awake again but I enjoy it. This is wonderful. From this vantage point the river sweeps from left to right in a curve below you with yourself at the convexity. It is as though you are the conductor on the podium before the symphony. Below is the murmur and occasional gurgle of the Colorado, here somber and subdued. To the right is the little laughing Hole in the Rock Creek. Above is a beautiful choir of stars. Presently on the east margin of the opposite canyon wall appears the morning star - the guest soprano. It flickers as though a bright beam on the opposite bank. I drouse awhile and listen to the cricket section in the weeds. One of the boys awakens, yells "Ahoy!", flashes his lite and falls back into his sleeping bag. Toward the end of the concert the basso appears—a crescent moon heralded first by a great glow (applause? box office?) then the reality. All is splendor. Take sleeping pill to get to sleep…

[The following is George Barfoote’s description of what he calls "Narrow Canyon"; we suspect he was in Hidden Passage]

…Walls are sheer, very high, coloration a blend of pink, orange, and burnt umber. There is a tantalizing little stream that becomes only 3 ft wide with sheer sides thru which one has to wade. Numerous ferns are found on the walls where there is seepage. Some have scarlet flowers. It is delightfully cool. Looking up the walls sweep up, over, and around with breathtaking grace; and there in a little crack way up above is blue sky and sunlight…

…Get into boats & row like mad upstream and east to reach the landing for Music Temple on the opposite (left) side of the river. Land, go through brush to a small canyon at the end of which is an ampitheatre in rock which is hard to describe. It is a great bowl in the rock recessed so that it is nearly roofed over. High above thru a slit in the upper canyon you can see sky. Music Temple is really a cave like lower box canyon into which the upper canyon empties creating a waterfall when the normally dry creek is filled. (Music Temple is really a box canyon on a grand and dramatic scale.) Around the sides low down there is seepage allowing large mats of fern and moss. The floor is pinkish sand and in the very depths there is a pool about 50 ft across and 3-4 ft deep, clear water…

August 16th

Get up and discover that during the nite river rose about 8 in and took Bob Kenyon and Day’s boats down stream…

…Get to river, pack all packs in large boat, place 11 souls there and 7 on Leaky Faucet. Extra weight on Leaky Faucet makes bottom bulge with pressure but we lash together and handle ok.

Start off with the 2 boats not without some misgivings. Take first riffle ok. Move down river until nearly dark, hard to see landing spots. Presently, at about mile 60 on the left hand side we find miracle of miracles—Ray Day’s boat all intact where a rope caught on a snag under water. We nearly bumped into it in the dark. We sing merrily along and finally land on a narrow sand bar.

Sunday Aug 17

Crawled out of the sand. Had Raisin Farina cereal, dried pears, prunes, cocoa, coffee. Pushed off, lashed together 3 boats. Had church and began reading Powell’s book when Mike Adams spied 4th boat stranded on the opposite bank on a sand bar (one paddle gone). At first looked like a piece of driftwood because river wide here…

August 18

Off for Lee’s Ferry 25 1/2 miles away at 8:00 am. Travel through high red walled canyon consistently and unrelentingly high and red. Striking are the sculptured surfaces. Lunch at about 1/2 way in on the boat—swiebach, grahams, punch, raisins. Pass Mile 15 where Glen Canyon Dam planned. See engineer’s marks on canyon walls, tailings from drill tests and remainder of Bureau of Reclamation camp…

…We pull into Lee’s Ferry at 4:00 on schedule and find a truck waiting for us…

…Load boats, bundles, etc quickly, get a welcome drink of civilized water from USG camp and with a whoop and a holler are off for home. Thus ends truly a wonderful trip. Truly an outstanding experience in anyone’s lifetime.