Grand Canyon Weakest Link Game

River Games

The Weakest Link Grand Canyon Edition

by Christina King

Explanation of Game: The game is played using the TV concept but we didn’t bother with voting people off. We had one person calling on everyone in the group equally. I explained that each person was competing by answering the most correct answers and winning a "semi-valuable" prize. The entire group voted several people winners for answering the most correct answers at the end of the game.

It really gives the group a more in-depth appreciation for the area we are traveling through and even our Grand Canyon veterans were "incorrect" some of the time. It was a lot of fun.

State information:

What is the capitol of Arizona? Phoenix
What is the population of Arizona? 4.8 million
What is Arizona known as? The Grand Canyon State
Highest elevation? Humphreys Peak, 12,643 feet, located in the San Francisco Mountains north of Flagstaff
Lowest elevation? Colorado River (Yuma Co.), 70 ft.
State Flower? Saguaro Blossom
How long can the Saguaro tree live? Up to 200 years
State Bird? Cactus Wren
State Gem? Turquoise
State Fossil? Petrified wood
State Tree? Palo Verde
State Mammal? Ringtail
State Reptile? Arizona Ridgenose Rattlesnake
State Amphibian? Arizona Treefrog
State Neckware? Bola tie
State Fish? Arizona Trout
When did Arizona become a state and what number state was it? 1912, 48^th
How many hours does it take to drive from Woodland Park to Lee’s Ferry? 17 hours
Lee’s Ferry is named after who and how many wives did he have? John D. Lee, 19
What do the initials stand for in Canyon REO? River Equipment Outfitters
Name one of Arizona's most famous residents? Former U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater, broadcaster Hugh Downs, Watergate figure G. Gordon Liddy, cartoonist Bill Keane, singer Glen Campbell, actress Sean Young, rock star Alice Cooper, actor Leslie Nielsen, US supreme court justice Sandra Day O’Conner and hotelier Leona Helmsley, Senator John McCain
What is virga? Rain that evaporates before reaching the ground.
What is non-virga? Getting dipsticked!

Plants

What plants cover the walls at Elves Chasm? Ferns
What is the introduced plant that tastes like salt? Tamarisk or salt cedar
How long does a Century plant live? 15-25 years
What cactus can be used to make jelly, syrup and candy? Prickly pear
What plant has dangerous hallucinogenic properties? Sacred Datura or Jimsonweed

River:

About the park and permits

When was the Grand Canyon National Park established? 1919
What is the phone number to the river permits office? 800-959-9164
How many private launches are there per year? ~500
Can a person apply anytime to put their name on the private wait list? NO
What is the new management system to get a permit? lottery
How much does it cost to apply for the lottery ? ~$25, I think
What is required 90 days before you launch? $100/person in permit fees
What is required if your boat is more than 16 feet long? A throwable cushion
How many spare oars are required per boat? Two
What emergency signaling equipment is required? Two orange panels (3’x10’) and a US Air Force signal mirror
Name one restricted area for camping? Redwall, Little Colorado, Phantom Ranch, Shinumo Creek, Elves Chasm, Deer Creek Falls, Matkatamiba, Havasu, soon to be Kanab and Tapeats
What are the maximum number of days you can take on the Grand under the new permit season? 16 in Summer, 18 in Fall/Spring, 25 in Winter.
How old do you have to be to be a permit holder on the Grand? 18 at the time of the permit.
Where does the Colorado River end up? The Gulf of California in Mexico
How wide is the canyon? The widest point along its 277-mile length is 10 miles.
What is the narrowest point of the river? 76 feet at Granite Narrows, Mile 136
How deep is the steepest part of the Grand Canyon? 1 mile deep
How long is the Grand Canyon trip? 224 miles, 277 miles if you go to Pearce Ferry which is closed, ? miles of you go to South Cove
Where are the headwaters of the Colorado River? Grand Lake in Colorado
What was the Colorado Rivers’ first name? Rio Colorado by the Spanish then The Grand
What is the river ranger’s name? Dave Chapman
Who wrote the best Grand Canyon waterproof river map guide? Larry Stevens (blue cover)
How many visitors does the Grand Canyon National Park have per year? 5 million
What is the temperature of the water coming out from Glen Canyon Dam? 46 F and it warms up 60 degrees by Lake Mead
Where is the Grand put-in? Lee’s Ferry
Where is our Grand take-out? Diamond Creek, you can also take out at South Cove
This lake was created by Glen Canyon Dam? Lake Powell
This lake was created by Hoover Dam? Lake Meade

Culture

What is the largest Indian tribe that inhabits the area near the Grand Canyon? Navajo
What indian tribe inhabits the Havasu drainage? Havasupai
What indian tribe inhabits the Diamond Creek drainage? Hualapai
What does pai mean? The people of…

History, people and rapids

Estimated highest flows in the last 4000 years? 250,000 cfs
Typical pre-dam flows in June? 85,000 cfs
What Civil War veteran first ran the wild Colorado and when? John Wesley Powell, 1869
What was his rank? Major
Where did he lose his right arm? Battle of Shilo, Civil War
Who first developed the stern first technique of running Grand Canyon rapids? Nathaniel Galloway
Who were the first women to traverse the river? Dr Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter in 1938
Who was the first kayaker to run the Grand? Alexander "Zee" Grant in 1941
Who was known as the "First woman of the River" and the inventor of the "G" rig? Georgie White for running large G-rig commercial trips.
What was Georgie’s typical river attire? A white pitch jungle helmet and leopard skin bathing suit.
Who was the first person to row the Grand Canyon alone? Buzz Holstrom in 1937, Green River, Wyoming to Hoover Dam
When was the first jet boat up-river run in the Grand? 1960
What is a pontoon boat used for? Haul lots of gear and people by commercial outfitters
What was Martin Litton's choice of boat in the Grand Canyon? Dory
In 1980, the Fund for Animals safely removed over 500 of these from the Grand Canyon? Burros
What was "Brighty of the Grand Canyon? A Burro
Who first swam the entire Grand Canyon and when? John Daggett and Bill Beer in 1955 using water wings
Where is mile 0? Lee’s Ferry
When was the road to Lee’s Ferry built? 1871
When was the Navajo bridge built? 1929
What is the (world’s largest) bird that can be seen in the Grand Canyon? The condor and don’t feed them.
What state is the condor named after? California
What rapid sneaks up on the careless drifter? Badger Creek
What was Soap Creek named after? The dead boiled fat of a raccoon
Where are the first Anasazi ruins on the Grand? North Canyon
These cats are fairly common in the canyon and are nocturnal and rarely seen? Ringtail cats
What can be found at Nautiloid Canyon? Fossils in the limestone
What is just below South Canyon? Redwall Cavern
The Anasazi built these to protect their harvests from rodents and hungry strangers? Granaries, the ones are Nankoweep are great
Who died at mile 24.5 rapid? Bert Loper in 1949
What does MNA rapid stand for? Museum of Northern Arizona, first discovered the rapid.
What colors can the Little Colorado river run? Brown, red, blue and white
The Little Colorado drains how many square miles? 36,900
Where can a river runner first spy the Desert View watchtower? Near Tanner Rapid area.
What happened at 21,000 feet above Chuar Butte? TWA and United jets collided in 1956 killing all 128 people aboard.
What can be found at on the Unkar Rapid delta? Many Anasazi ruins
Where does the Inner Gorge start? Nevill’s rapid
Why is it called the Inner Gorge? From the river it is not easy to see the outer rim of the Grand Canyon
What does Sockdolager mean? A knockout blow
Who had their only flip in 20 years here? Pete at Sockdolager
This ranch is named after a tributary of Bright Angel Creek? Phantom Canyon
When was the Kaibab suspension bridge built? 1928
What day do we pass Phantom Canyon? Typically Day 6
What three inner-gorge Grand rapids are considered very difficult? Horn Creek, Granite and Hermit
Who was swept of their raft and swam this rapid? Christina at Granite
What rapid has the highest waves? Hermit
What are the section of rapids starting with Crystal rapid known as? The Gems
When was Crystal rapid formed and how? 1966, during a flashflood
Where is the Dollhouse? Just above Bedrock, river right.
What is so hard about Bedrock rapid? Pulling to the right side of the river-wide rock
What waterfall is located just below Deubendorff Rapid? Stone Creek
What are the 3 camps that access the Thunder River hike? Racetrack, upper and lower Tapeats Creek
According to Pete, what is the best campsite in the Grand Canyon? Ledges
Where can poison ivy be found? Vasey’s Paradise and on the Deer Creek Falls trail
Who capsized in Upset Rapid, giving it its name? Emery Kolb
What chemical forms the pools at Havasu Creek? Travertine
Vulcan’s Anvil is actually the core of a what? Volcano
Christina has flipped here? Lava Falls
What is the origin of the camp named Cremation Creek? Indians used to throw the ashes of cremated bodies over this cliff area.
Where do commercial outfitters commonly exchange and/or takeout passengers? Phantom Ranch and helicopter out customers at Whitmore Wash.
Where are the last pictographs on the Grand? Three Springs
What couple disappeared from the Grand Canyon while running their sweep boat down the river in 1928? Glen and Bessie Hyde
What Grand Canyon hotsprings are named after a vegetable? Pumpkin
When does the Grand Canyon get the most rain in the form of summer monsoons? August
What are the odds that the road at Diamond will be washed out? 1 in 30 in August
What mountain is named after a precious gem? Diamond Peak
Eat here and get gas….slightly used and abused napkins and straws signify what? Lunch at Delgadillo’s in Seligman
What honeymoon couple disappeared in the lower Canyon? Glen and Bessie Hyde
Name 6 rapids that are a very good idea to scout? House Rock, Hance, Granite, Crystal, Upset, Lava Falls

River knowledge:

What is river flow measured in? CFS
What does CFS stand for? Cubic Feet per second
How do you dispose of dishwater on the Grand? Strain and broadcast in the river current
Does bleach go in every dish bucket? Yes
How much bleach goes in the dish buckets? 1 capful each, no more
Where do you crush cans? Below the high water line
Where do you urinate? In the river
What do you do if you have to poop during the day? Tell someone and the toilet will be pulled out. Do not cheat or wait too long.
Where are good places to get drinking water? Vasey’s Paradise, Phantom Ranch, Tapeats Creek and Deer Creek
Which sidestreams do you typically avoid to gather drinking water? South Rim drainages
How do you treat the drinking water gathered at open creeks? Add a small amount of bleach (the smallest you can add), mix and let stand overnight before using OR Filter
Where do you bathe with soap? In the river, NOT in the side streams
Is any trash biodegradable in the Grand? NO. All trash gets carried out with us.
Where does ash go? In the ashcan, not in the river.
Can you burn firewood? Only in the winter season

NFL Football:

Who is the KC Chiefs head coach? Herm Edwards
Quarterback? Trent Green
Running back? Larry Johnson
Finest football coach of our time? Marty Schottenheimer
What is the name of the Chief's football stadium? Arrowhead
What is the name of the Kansas City professional baseball team? Royals
What is a Jayhawk? Mythical bird, pioneers associated the word with lawlessness.

Misc:

What does AARP stand for? American Association of Retired Persons
How old do you have to be to join AARP? 50, unless someone gives you a gift membership.
Where does the word "groover" come from? In the early days of rafting we sat directly on rocket boxes to poop and it left grooves on our behinds
What is the name of the private boaters group? Grand Canyon Private Boaters Association, $25/year membership. If you love the Grand, join.