Day 3: Pruitt’s Castle Camp to Upper Whistling Bird Camp (6,740 cfs)
The rain ceased in the night and we awoke to a day of gloriously dry clarity. 😎 The colors and shapes that form Pruitt’s Castle, which had looked drab under yesterday’s cloudy skies, lit up exuberantly in the morning light. After the baggage rafts left, we did a short hike over to view the Chalk Basin and Lambert Dome.
After our hike and lunch back at the rafts, we broke camp and headed downstream. Thanks to the high flows, we encountered only wave trains before stopping to see Potters Cave [RM 30], an overhanging (now partially collapsed) rock shelter that has been in use for as long as 7,000 years. Then it was a short float to our camp at Upper Whistling Bird [RM 31]. Just before camp, at Whistling Bird Rapid, the river flows hard towards the right wall where a huge flake has detached from the wall. Despite the high flows, this was still a pretty exciting rapid.
BOOTS on the TRAIL 
Thanks! It is a unique & special place and one we’ve wanted to visit for several years. We got lucky this year with flow and weather.
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Your pictures are amazing. What a unique trip! And a unique place!
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