![View from Camp](http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4020/4567466670_08f8dce51a.jpg)
Ah, Arizona, you’re breakin’ my heart. You seduced me with your beauty and your free spirit. You’re the keeper of the Grand Canyon and the Sky Islands, truly magnificent jewels among this nation’s many treasures. You have Gila Monsters and Trogons and, maybe, if we hope hard enough, the Jaguar. You took me in and rocked me on your waters. And then, just a few days after returning home from a much needed respite from the everyday stuff of life, news from your dry, dusty world makes me think of the Gestapo and the stereotypical "Show me your papers" from too many B movies.
It’s hard not to feel glum this morning, what with the river of oil despoiling the Gulf of Mexico, dead miners in West Virginia and Kentucky, and the horrible racial profiling law in Arizona. I hope you’ll join me on the Salt River for a little peace and quiet, away from all the craziness in the news these past few weeks.
When I started whitewater rafting in 1995, I also started listening to stories about rivers that other boaters had run, hoping to find those special places that I needed to visit with my newly-acquired skills. In the early days, the excitement of running the rapids was my primary focus. As I've gotten a little more mature, I've become more interested in the place and the connection I feel to the land and water.
Stories I heard about the Salt River intrigued me on both levels - a free flowing stretch of wilderness river in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, with enough rapids to provide the whitewater excitement that I adore. What’s more, there's the potential to see lots of interesting birds during spring migration and breeding season. So, when some friends were lucky enough to get a permit for mid-April, and generous enough to invite us to join them on their journey, we jumped at the opportunity.
Tumbling out of the White Mountains in eastern Arizona, the Salt plunges through nearly 90 miles of wild desert canyons and spectacular gorges that contain one of the Southwest's finest wilderness runs.
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When at last the river emerges from the mountains it is swallowed alive by a series of reservoirs, dams, and pipes that divert virtually the entire flow to feed the faucets of Arizona's largest city.
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But above Theodore Roosevelt "Lake," the first in this chain of reservoirs, the Salt flows wild and free, virtually untouched by civilization.
Western Whitewater from the Rockies to the Pacific - Cassady, Cross, and Calhoun (1994)
Campsite along the river
We were not disappointed. Six days and five nights on the river, with a couple of days on either end to get there and back, were just what we needed as a break from our busy, every day lives.
The Salt River Canyon traverses the Transition Zone of central Arizona. Thus, at the Highway 60 bridge you can see flat-lying sedimentary rocks, a characteristic of the geology of the Colorado Plateau Province. The character of the rock changes downstream until at the Highway 288 bridge you can see massive tilted blocks of crust overlain by gravels only a few million years old, a characteristic of the Basin and Range Province.
A Guide to Salt River Canyon Natural History and River Running - Rink (1990)
Spring came late to Arizona this year so the birds in the canyon were still establishing territories and finding mates. Yellow Warblers, Northern Cardinals, and Bell's Vireos could be seen and heard, singing to mark their territories. Male Hooded Orioles squabbled with each other in the mesquite and jojoba bushes. There was a pair of Gila Woodpeckers tending babies in one of the Saguaros at the campsite shown in the Intro photo.
Hooded Oriole on a Saguaro
Northern Cardinal skulking in a dead shrub
We heard Elf Owls calling at night. Phainopeplas were flycatching on the hillsides. One day while floating down the river, we looked up to see a flock of about 40 Common Ravens floating on the breeze. The entire known (as of Rink's 1990 Guide) population of desert nesting Bald Eagles occurs in this part of Arizona. We had the privilege of catching a few glimpses during our trip.
Phainopepla (full disclosure - I took this photo at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum near Globe, AZ)
Common Raven soaring over Saguaros
Bald Eagle - extremely cropped and processed - this was the best I got on this trip
We spent a layover day at Cherry Creek, a lovely, crystal clear tributary to the Salt River. As I wandered up the creek, I came upon a Sycamore tree that was full of birds - Black-throated Gray and Orange-crowned Warblers, more Gila Woodpeckers, and a trip favorite, a Vermillion Flycatcher. As I waited for the Vermillion Flycatcher to land on a branch it seemed to favor, a lovely Ash-throated Flycatcher stopped to give me a look. The Vermillion Flycatcher, on the other hand, had me figured out and never did come to perch.
Cherry Creek swimming hole - Black Phoebes chirped at us while we swam
Vermillion Flycatcher - I hoped for a better shot but he wouldn't come close enough
Ash-throated Flycatcher
A story about Quartzite Falls, the biggest rapid on this stretch of the Salt River. Prior to 1994, Quartzite Falls was considered unrunnable at all water levels because a ledge rock formed such a strong hydraulic when water flowed over it that neither boats nor people could get past. This meant a long, arduous portage for boaters, most of whom accepted this as a fact of running the Salt. But a guy by the name of Ken Stoner decided he knew what was best for the river. He rounded up some buddies and explosives and blew up the rock on the left side of the fall. The fall is now runnable but it's debatable whether or not this was best for the river. Here's a clip from a documentary called Quartzite Falls: A Wilderness Tale about the events surrounding this act. Ken Stoner was convicted on a number of felony charges and sentenced to 5 years in prison for his role in destroying Quartzite Falls.
We spent one night on either end of the river trip at the Lost Dutchman Campground near Phoenix. It's a phenomenal location for desert birding. The campsites and day use areas preserve most of the desert plants and there are a couple of feeding/watering stations, which means that there are lots of birds around. It's a little lower and warmer than the river canyon, so many birds were already on nests or feeding chicks. I'll close with photos of a few birds from that location.
Great-horned Owl - there were at least two tiny chicks in this nest. Great-horned Owls chicks typically have fledged by this time of year. Arizona's spring got a very late start this year.
Cactus Wren in front of nest
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher - male on nest
Black-tailed Gnatcatcher - female on nest
White-winged Dove
White-crowned Sparrow
Gambel's Quail
Flicker - Northern, I think - possibly a Gilded?
Moonrise over the Superstition Mountains
Back to the real world...
The wildlife of the Gulf of Mexico is threatened with one of the worst environmental catastrophes we've ever seen. On Friday, lineatus posted this diary about organizations that are mobilizing to help rescue oiled birds and other wildlife. Here are a few key items from that diary:
To report oiled wildlife affected by the Gulf oil spill please call the Wildlife reporting hotline at 866-557-1401.
Those who are interested in volnteering should call 866-448-5816.
If you can, please consider a donation to one of these organizations - they are on the ground doing all they can to rescue oiled wildlide.
Oiled Wildlife Care Network - donation page
International Bird Rescue Research Center (donation link at top right on the home page)
Condolences to the loved ones of those lost in this tragedy.