Day 12 on the Grand
We were on cook crew today and assigned cold cereal for breakfast. Our day on the water didn’t bring us much white water excitement but we stopped at Elve’s Chasm, a short hike up a canyon that had a ton of waterfalls and pools and algae. At the end of the canyon a big pile of rocks blocks the trail from going any further but also dams the water above it creating a waterfall and a deep “swimming” pool below it. We all swam across the pool, climbed up behind a slippery section of moss covered rock and jumped off into the pool. 
Everyone with dry suits quickly climbed up and jumped off. Those of us without all made our way there but were slow to start our swim. Brrrrrr!
We arrived at Blacktail Canyon Lower Camp not too long after. BJ and I are camping ON the trail to the groover (see note below). We just hiked up Blacktail Canyon Narrows in the moonlight. Andy and Scott played guitar while Jaime and Julie played dueling native flutes from two different sections of the canyon. It sounded amazing.
Groover footnote (I don’t think I have mentioned much yet about the groover): The groover is our portable toilet, but more like a box that we poop in. Its an ammo can with a toilet seat but got its name from leaving grooves in your butt before people brought toilet seats along. You can’t pee in it so we have a yellow bucket that sits directly next to the groover and all the ladies on the trip will agree that the yellow bucket to groover shuffle is exciting. The groover is the last thing to get packed up in the morning and always goes on our boat. We have 8 boxes to fill up if needed. I quote Scotty: “I love being on the river . . . burpin’, fartin’, and takin’ a dump in a box.”