0:00:02 > 0:00:04The Grand Canyon...
0:00:06 > 0:00:08..one of the world's greatest natural wonders.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14Carving through sheer rock and almost invisible from the rim,
0:00:14 > 0:00:16the mighty Colorado River.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20# Oh, sinners, let's go down
0:00:20 > 0:00:23# Let's go down, let's go down
0:00:23 > 0:00:25# Oh, sinners, let's go down
0:00:25 > 0:00:27# Down in the valley to pray. #
0:00:31 > 0:00:36Just 150 years ago, all this was utterly uncharted territory.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44Until a band of Wild West pioneers decided to take it on
0:00:44 > 0:00:46for the very first time.
0:00:51 > 0:00:55Now, Dan Snow is embarking on a massive historical mission
0:00:55 > 0:00:58to find out just how those early pioneers
0:00:58 > 0:01:00put the Grand Canyon on the map.
0:01:01 > 0:01:05I'm pretty excited I'm on this trip, but I'm pretty nervous to be honest.
0:01:05 > 0:01:06And it's 18 days.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09It's going to be a long time with not many creature comforts.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13Tucked in the far south west of America,
0:01:13 > 0:01:17the Grand Canyon was called simply, "The Great Unknown".
0:01:20 > 0:01:26Then, in 1869, a one-armed war veteran Major John Wesley Powell
0:01:26 > 0:01:29lead nine men in three tiny boats
0:01:29 > 0:01:32into a hostile and alien world.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43Not all of them would come out of the canyon alive.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52Dan's own team will enter a world that has barely changed
0:01:52 > 0:01:54since Powell first explored it.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00And they will brave the Colorado's treacherous rapids
0:02:00 > 0:02:03in specially commissioned boats,
0:02:03 > 0:02:07identical to Powell's 1869 originals.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11# I'm on the highway to hell
0:02:12 > 0:02:15# On the highway to hell... #
0:02:16 > 0:02:18They might be more fit for a museum
0:02:18 > 0:02:21than some of the wildest water on the planet.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24But for Dan, these boats are time machines.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28# Highway to hell... #
0:02:28 > 0:02:32And using diaries from the original expedition,
0:02:32 > 0:02:35our modern team will experience the canyon through the eyes
0:02:35 > 0:02:38of those first pioneer adventurers.
0:02:52 > 0:02:53Just like the 1869 team,
0:02:53 > 0:02:58Dan will enter the canyon with three boats and eight brave men.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00This is yours?
0:03:00 > 0:03:02There it is.
0:03:02 > 0:03:03Fantastic.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07Where's the boat builder? Well done, man.
0:03:07 > 0:03:09Feel great. Can't wait to get them in the water.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12- Are you worried? - No, they're happier in the water.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17Ben Kahn is the team's carpenter.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22He's spent six months creating three traditional river boats
0:03:22 > 0:03:24thousands of miles away in Washington State.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28Carefully copied from original photographs,
0:03:28 > 0:03:31they've been perfectly crafted down to the last detail.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37In 1869, this was state of the art technology
0:03:37 > 0:03:39and perfect for most rivers.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44But boats like these were never designed to survive
0:03:44 > 0:03:47the rocks and torrents of white water hell.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49Huge hole here.
0:03:49 > 0:03:51Didn't sleep at all last night.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55I'm just trying to keep the boats going on the river.
0:03:55 > 0:03:57This is, you know, this is my job.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02Just like Powell's men, Ben's going to have his work cut out
0:04:02 > 0:04:05as the mighty Colorado does its very best
0:04:05 > 0:04:07to batter his boats to destruction.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13A lot of love went into these vessels,
0:04:13 > 0:04:15so I think the boats will be good.
0:04:15 > 0:04:17Here goes.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21As well as a challenge, this is a historical experiment.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28Because no-one has any idea of how these boats will stay afloat.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30Hoo!
0:04:30 > 0:04:34Or exactly what Powell and his men went through in 1869.
0:04:36 > 0:04:41I mean, we're paddling boats that are technology of 150 years ago.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44So it's, er, I mean it's going to be great in the flat water,
0:04:44 > 0:04:48but when we get in the white water
0:04:48 > 0:04:50it'll be challenging for sure.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53I'm worried that they're just going to fill up with water
0:04:53 > 0:04:56and be immobile, just at the mercy of the river.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01The river experts might be worrying about the boats
0:05:01 > 0:05:04but some of the others have rather different interests.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08There's all these people here and they're all concentrated
0:05:08 > 0:05:10on that wet thing that's running through.
0:05:10 > 0:05:15But for me all I can see is an amphitheatre all ready of rocks.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18I still can't take the grin off my face just by looking at the rocks
0:05:18 > 0:05:20around me already and we haven't even set foot.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23For me it's going to be what the river's taking me through
0:05:23 > 0:05:25that I'm going to be excited about.
0:05:27 > 0:05:29Careful so you're not sliding in.
0:05:29 > 0:05:31Like that.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33I don't feel too guilty doing a bit of bird-watching
0:05:33 > 0:05:37because everyone else is standing around just chatting about boats.
0:05:37 > 0:05:39I'd rather chat about birds and look at birds.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43Enter wildlife expert Mike Dilger.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48This is found nowhere else in the world other than the Grand Canyon.
0:05:49 > 0:05:54For Powell, a century and half ago, the canyon's wildlife meant dinner.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59For Mike, today, it's an ecological time capsule
0:05:59 > 0:06:03protecting creatures that Powell himself would have encountered.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08But while he's at home with rattlesnakes and scorpions...
0:06:08 > 0:06:09Both oars!
0:06:11 > 0:06:13- Both oars!- Mike!- Both oars!
0:06:15 > 0:06:18He's not quite so good with the wet stuff.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23Physically, I'm absolutely fine. Emotionally, I'm shot to bits.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29So far, though, he's happily still on terra firma.
0:06:29 > 0:06:32I love seeing rare things. I LOVE seeing rare things.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36I love seeing birds actually. If I find one of the really rare ones like
0:06:36 > 0:06:38an ash-throated flycatcher, I'm going to flip.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41- It's gone.- It's gone, yeah.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43Just to get a little bit of bird watching under the belt then.
0:06:43 > 0:06:45Nice.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48OK, let's try and go as straight out if we can.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53Boats launched, it's time for a test drive.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59And Dan's team will have to learn quickly because tomorrow
0:06:59 > 0:07:03they head back in time on the adventure of their lives.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08Into the world of Major John Wesley Powell.
0:07:12 > 0:07:15Dan will be in the blue boat alongside geologist, Dougal.
0:07:15 > 0:07:16It's good. I'm getting...
0:07:18 > 0:07:21- Oh, now they are rocking the boat. - It's not so good.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23And chilled out river guide Tom.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27Now on each boat there's two people that haven't been on this river
0:07:27 > 0:07:30and they may not have even been on any white-water,
0:07:30 > 0:07:35so part of my role is to calm those nerves, you know.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39In the green boat, giant river man Adam on the steering oar,
0:07:39 > 0:07:45with ecologist Mike, and adventure kayaker Bryan.
0:07:45 > 0:07:48I'm really used to being a one-man show in a kayak.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50Now we're a three-man show.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55And in the smaller scout boat, maritime historian Sam,
0:07:55 > 0:07:57boat-builder Ben,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00and born and bred canyon man Fred.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03I'm not that nervous.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07I've been here many times. I've been in lots of different crafts.
0:08:09 > 0:08:10I don't know these crafts yet.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13After the first couple of rapids I might get real nervous.
0:08:15 > 0:08:19Fred's confidence in the boats, though, is already taking a knocking.
0:08:21 > 0:08:24I'm very concerned how much water has transferred
0:08:24 > 0:08:28- back and forth from the hatches. - Is it going in?
0:08:28 > 0:08:32Oh, yeah. The water sloshing, for one, it compounds the problem
0:08:32 > 0:08:34every time you rock or you tilt.
0:08:34 > 0:08:39But the hatches need to be fairly dry to keep our supplies.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42- It's not dry, it's definitely wet.- Yeah.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49Just half an hour on calm water and they're already bailing.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56With boat trials on hold,
0:08:56 > 0:09:01Dan turns his attention to his predecessor John Wesley Powell
0:09:01 > 0:09:03and his ground-breaking expedition.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09Two things going on in the 1860s, I think are really important for this expedition.
0:09:09 > 0:09:12One is the Civil War that's been raging
0:09:12 > 0:09:16largely across here and out in the east between the southern states and northern states.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19That gets sorted out. So America is ready to turn its attention
0:09:19 > 0:09:22to the west and the unexplored bits of the country.
0:09:23 > 0:09:25Men like Powell had experienced awful things
0:09:25 > 0:09:27but they'd lived a life less ordinary.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30They'd lived the life of great adventure, enormous travel
0:09:30 > 0:09:33and he wanted to keep having those extreme experiences.
0:09:33 > 0:09:38Powell had lost an arm but he didn't let that stop him. If anything it seemed to drive him forward.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44Newly completed railroads allowed Powell to deliver his boats
0:09:44 > 0:09:46out west to Green River in Wyoming.
0:09:46 > 0:09:51And on May 24th, 1869 he began his epic journey.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56To conduct a massive survey of uncharted land,
0:09:56 > 0:09:58its geology and river courses.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07That is the great unknown and that is what Powell and his men
0:10:07 > 0:10:10were going to try and add. They were going to try and go through there
0:10:10 > 0:10:14and add to the sum of human knowledge, he was driven by that.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16He wanted to fill in that space.
0:10:18 > 0:10:22No-one's done this journey in these boats since 1869
0:10:22 > 0:10:24and there's probably a good reason for that.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31Tomorrow morning, Dan's team sets out for real.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34And like Powell, this is a one-way trip.
0:10:35 > 0:10:39Once in the canyon, there can be no going back
0:10:39 > 0:10:42and there are no easy ways out.
0:10:42 > 0:10:44I'm nervous about the people I'm going with.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46I don't know these people.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49I've known them for 24 hours and we're going to do 18 days
0:10:49 > 0:10:52in one of the deepest gorges in the world.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55Just the fact I have no idea how they will respond
0:10:55 > 0:10:58to something difficult.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01You can see it in the eyes of the river guides,
0:11:01 > 0:11:03they're not sure what's going to happen.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05And when you see them thinking that
0:11:05 > 0:11:08you think, "Well, this is different."
0:11:15 > 0:11:16Departure day.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20Drive now. There we go.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31For the Powell team, 18 days of hard rowing lie ahead.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35I'm going to miss him so much.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38It's the one thing I don't like about being a river guide
0:11:38 > 0:11:40is being away from them all the time.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49To comply with modern rules, Dan's team will be accompanied
0:11:49 > 0:11:53by safety experts, ready to react to any emergency.
0:11:53 > 0:11:55Where is Tom? I can't hear him.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58And film crews will be on hand to record every moment.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07Dan's mission - to survive the mighty Colorado River.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11From Lee's Ferry, at the head of the canyon,
0:12:11 > 0:12:15all the way to the Grand Wash at the other end.
0:12:16 > 0:12:22With 280 miles of canyon and around 100 rapids in between.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28Dougal, say hello to a piece of equipment you're going to use
0:12:28 > 0:12:29more than anything else.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31- Guess what they are. - They're buckets.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33Yeah, bail buckets.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35Brilliant. I think that's Dan's job.
0:12:38 > 0:12:42Just like their predecessors, Dan's team plans to be
0:12:42 > 0:12:46completely self-sufficient, carrying all their own food and kit.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50My biggest concern right now is how the hell
0:12:50 > 0:12:53are we going to fit all of our supplies in these boats?
0:12:53 > 0:12:56It's going to be tight. We're going to get creative.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00We have to strap them in the hull, not just in the hatches.
0:13:00 > 0:13:02It's going to look like the Clampetts going down the river
0:13:02 > 0:13:05with stuff tied on and lashed on everywhere.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08This is our whisky so that's got to go somewhere safe.
0:13:08 > 0:13:12Whatever's not lashed down will probably become part of the river.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15Room also has to be found for period equipment.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19They've got quite a lot of moving parts and they really need to be cared for.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21To explore how Powell managed to survey the canyon
0:13:21 > 0:13:23nearly a century and a half ago.
0:13:23 > 0:13:26This is a good bit of kit.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32Sam Willis is a maritime historian
0:13:32 > 0:13:33and the team's navigator.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39Powell gave the responsibility to local mountain man John Sumner.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44Now, Sam has to take on the same tasks.
0:13:45 > 0:13:50With dividers, sextants and a bit of improvisation,
0:13:50 > 0:13:53Sam has to work out how Powell knew where he was.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57Ideally there'd be some kind of horizon.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03A task that, in one of the world's deepest gorges, is far from easy.
0:14:05 > 0:14:09I'm more used to bigger boats with sails, quite frankly.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12If you put me pretty much anywhere it won't take me long
0:14:12 > 0:14:14to tell you where I am.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17Apart from in the middle of a desert, down a canyon
0:14:17 > 0:14:18where you can't see the horizon,
0:14:18 > 0:14:21you can't measure the angle of the sun or moon.
0:14:24 > 0:14:28Boats packed to the gunnels, it's finally time to go.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30- Good luck.- Yeah.- Woo-hoo!
0:14:30 > 0:14:32See you guys down there.
0:14:56 > 0:15:00Boats like these were originally designed to keep a straight line
0:15:00 > 0:15:04when ferrying passengers from steam ships to shore.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09Our guides must rely on long sweep-oars on the stern
0:15:09 > 0:15:13and their novice rowers to steer a course down the river.
0:15:15 > 0:15:17And through its rapids.
0:15:20 > 0:15:21- Fantastic boys.- Here it comes.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23Woo-hoo!
0:15:25 > 0:15:28That's cold!
0:15:37 > 0:15:40After two hours of rowing,
0:15:40 > 0:15:42the Powell team's first real test is coming up.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48Eight miles down from Lee's Ferry,
0:15:48 > 0:15:51the comparatively mild Badger Creek.
0:15:54 > 0:15:55Wish me luck.
0:15:55 > 0:15:58Just easy, just a nice walk.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04No-one knows how Ben's antique boats will cope.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13Powell himself always went first.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17Finding the best line through the white water in his smaller
0:16:17 > 0:16:19and more agile scout boat, the Emma Dean.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22Big one.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24Yee-ha! Wow!
0:16:24 > 0:16:26# I see the white of your eyes I'm a stuntman
0:16:26 > 0:16:30# See the white of your eyes I'm a stuntman
0:16:30 > 0:16:33# See the white of your eyes I'm a stunt man
0:16:33 > 0:16:36# See the white of your eyes... #
0:16:36 > 0:16:39In the scout boat, Fred's concern over yesterday's leak
0:16:39 > 0:16:44suddenly seems small beer in the white water foam of Badger Creek.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49Well, let's start bailing.
0:16:51 > 0:16:54Wave after wave came over and filled us up with water.
0:16:54 > 0:16:55It was really, really cold.
0:16:57 > 0:16:58The boat feels stable.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02It just takes on a lot of water.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05You see them surviving and you know we're going to be fine, basically.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09It's always quite good. They're like the canary in the mine.
0:17:09 > 0:17:12# See the white of your eyes I'm a stuntman
0:17:12 > 0:17:16# See the white of your eyes I'm a stuntman
0:17:16 > 0:17:18# See the white of your eyes... #
0:17:18 > 0:17:20Come on, guys, let's do this.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22# See the white of your eyes... #
0:17:22 > 0:17:25Go ahead and give a few good power strokes.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27Get ready for a hit, right here.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29Another here.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35Thank you.
0:17:38 > 0:17:42Just hours into day one and expert kayaker Bryan
0:17:42 > 0:17:46discovers one of the perils of his period craft.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49I thought I was locked in, then next thing I knew, boom,
0:17:49 > 0:17:52all the way back in here and I couldn't grab anything,
0:17:52 > 0:17:54and I'm just floating around like this.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57Adam had to let go of the tiller and pull me up.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01Bryan Smith is an adventurer and film-maker.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07An extreme kayaker, Bryan knows white water inside out.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13But he's more used to operating solo in hi tech fibre glass
0:18:13 > 0:18:16than one of a trio in a ton of oak.
0:18:18 > 0:18:21Three people in a boat, we're all right next to each other.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25It's where personalities either start to gel or start to clash.
0:18:28 > 0:18:33The boats are still all afloat, but like Powell, Dan's team
0:18:33 > 0:18:36will need to get used to being continually drenched
0:18:36 > 0:18:39with often very little time to dry out between rapids.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42Big waves, much bigger waves...
0:18:42 > 0:18:46Some of which pose a much greater threat than Badger Creek.
0:18:46 > 0:18:51It's important to get three quarters the way across the river
0:18:51 > 0:18:54otherwise we're going to draw some of these rocks and there's some
0:18:54 > 0:18:58things that will take the keel right off the boat if we hit that.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04You guys just watch us right where we enter.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08This one's a crucial one. You want to be on the same spot so...
0:19:08 > 0:19:10Unless I mess up and then do something different.
0:19:15 > 0:19:17Aoo!
0:19:17 > 0:19:20All righty, we're going in.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25Fred guides Sam and Ben over the top.
0:19:27 > 0:19:29Big one!
0:19:29 > 0:19:31Woo-hoo!
0:19:31 > 0:19:33# All I can do is step on the gas
0:19:33 > 0:19:35# And keep my foot on the floor... #
0:19:36 > 0:19:38We're doing great, guys!
0:19:38 > 0:19:40Already getting a feel for the smaller scout boat,
0:19:40 > 0:19:43Fred takes command of the surging river.
0:19:46 > 0:19:49All right, let's get those bail buckets ready.
0:19:50 > 0:19:54Following up behind, Dan and Dougal pull hard into the waves.
0:19:54 > 0:19:55Whoa!
0:19:58 > 0:20:01As Tom calmly shapes a course through the foam.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05# Cos, baby, I'll love you until the river runs dry
0:20:05 > 0:20:07# Until the booze in the bottle has gone
0:20:07 > 0:20:09# Oh, and I love you where the roses grow
0:20:09 > 0:20:11# But the roses have long since gone... #
0:20:11 > 0:20:13SHOUTS FROM BOAT
0:20:13 > 0:20:15# Out here in the canyon, yeah... #
0:20:15 > 0:20:19Keep rowing, nice and easy. Big hit right here.
0:20:19 > 0:20:21Drop your oars.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25We need some bail.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27- Mike, bail.- Bail!
0:20:31 > 0:20:34But despite Adam's massive strength in the stern...
0:20:36 > 0:20:38..Bryan's boat once again struggles.
0:20:41 > 0:20:45Well, in our boat you've got two people, Adam and myself,
0:20:45 > 0:20:48we're both Americans, we're both used to white water.
0:20:48 > 0:20:50We speak the same language.
0:20:52 > 0:20:53And, erm...
0:20:54 > 0:20:56..then we have Mike.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00If we can catch this eddy, we're going to try and catch it.
0:21:00 > 0:21:03- Go hard, whatever you got. - I got it.
0:21:03 > 0:21:07Mike's from a different country and he has a different interest here.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10I think that Mike's interests are probably off the river
0:21:10 > 0:21:12not on the river. And erm...
0:21:13 > 0:21:17We're just struggling to kind of get in the groove.
0:21:20 > 0:21:22- Yeah! Nice job, Adam. Nice job. - You guys did it.
0:21:22 > 0:21:26I think in a boat where there's less experienced people, like Mike,
0:21:26 > 0:21:28in a boat with more experienced people,
0:21:28 > 0:21:32the temptation is going to be to blame the less experienced people for mistakes.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35As soon as something goes wrong, this river is going to seek out
0:21:35 > 0:21:38these tiny little weaknesses and cracks and tear them apart.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41And I'm expecting that over the next few days.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45# Well, I'm sitting on this row boat and I'm not in control
0:21:45 > 0:21:49# But I hope it knows the way back to your heart and to your soul
0:21:49 > 0:21:52# To your soul
0:21:52 > 0:21:55# Hey, hey, hey, hey, yeah. #
0:21:55 > 0:21:58Powell recruited some of his men over just a few days.
0:21:58 > 0:22:03Once going, they had to bond quickly as a team
0:22:03 > 0:22:06and become attuned to the dangers posed by one of the world's
0:22:06 > 0:22:07most powerful rivers.
0:22:12 > 0:22:16I mean, you see all the turbulence after the rapids,
0:22:16 > 0:22:17that's where it gets you.
0:22:17 > 0:22:20It's not the rapid itself, I mean people freak out,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23their head's under water, they get tired, they panic.
0:22:23 > 0:22:28Even strong swimmers are going to go down and drown and suck a lot of water.
0:22:28 > 0:22:30SHOUTS FROM OTHERS
0:22:30 > 0:22:32That's sobering.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39I am currently the only person awake from the Powell boats.
0:22:39 > 0:22:44That was a long, hard day and everybody has taken the opportunity to go to sleep.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47So I thought I'd just show you one or two people flat out.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50The two boatmen here, Adam and Tom asleep in the boats.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55It's not even nine o'clock.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57It's hard out there.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08Erm, my back's a bit sore.
0:23:09 > 0:23:13But, yeah, we took a bit of a battering yesterday.
0:23:15 > 0:23:19Actually, I haven't slept on the floor since my student days
0:23:19 > 0:23:22when sleeping on the floor was quite a normal pastime.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24But, oh, God!
0:23:27 > 0:23:29It's five am.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34I feel like I've been in a car crash.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36Every bit of my body hurts.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40My back hurts, I've somehow pulled a muscle in my leg in a tiny boat.
0:23:42 > 0:23:44We've got a big rapid today - House Rock.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49Significantly bigger than the last rapid we did yesterday.
0:23:49 > 0:23:54So, I don't know, I'm thinking about that a little bit right now.
0:23:55 > 0:23:59Dan's team is suffering after just one day.
0:23:59 > 0:24:02Powell, by comparison, had been going for months.
0:24:06 > 0:24:11Leaving from Green River, Powell started much higher upstream
0:24:11 > 0:24:14with no idea just how long his gruelling mission would take.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18He had already 74 days on water
0:24:18 > 0:24:20before reaching Dan's current position.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26One of them, Bradley, kept a very precise diary and he wrote all the time.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29He actually did it in secret. No-one knew he was doing it.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32He'd simply write "another hard day".
0:24:32 > 0:24:36He says, "We came across a dangerous rapid and had to cling to the smooth sides of the rocks
0:24:36 > 0:24:38"until we could view the situation."
0:24:38 > 0:24:41They got out of the boat, portaged all their kit and then lined the boats down.
0:24:41 > 0:24:44They sent the boats down empty on lines.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47But interestingly, it shows how tough this day was
0:24:47 > 0:24:49because tomorrow as it were, Bradley says,
0:24:49 > 0:24:52"we've been in camp all day repairing the boats,
0:24:52 > 0:24:55"the constant banging against the rocks has begun to tell sadly on them.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59"And they are growing older, faster, if possible, than we are."
0:24:59 > 0:25:01Down to the knees with a flat back.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06For Powell by this stage, things were beginning to get desperate.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11With the most treacherous part of the canyon still ahead,
0:25:11 > 0:25:13his team was close to breaking point.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19By the time they got here their clothes were rotting on their bodies and they didn't have shoes.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23They were getting short of food so they were absolutely knackered.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31Even by 1945, less than 100 people had attempted to run
0:25:31 > 0:25:33the canyon's rapids.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39Today, specially designed rafts take thousands of people
0:25:39 > 0:25:40on the journey...
0:25:43 > 0:25:44..including our film crew.
0:25:46 > 0:25:49But attempting Powell's expedition in original boats
0:25:49 > 0:25:53is utterly unprecedented and formidably difficult.
0:25:55 > 0:25:57We're going to have to make a turn in here
0:25:57 > 0:25:59and there's a big hole at the very bottom,
0:25:59 > 0:26:02there's a big wave coming back on itself and crashing.
0:26:02 > 0:26:06It's really deep, you can't tell how big it is from here.
0:26:07 > 0:26:1017 miles in - House Rock Rapid.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17Complete with its awkward bend,
0:26:17 > 0:26:19treacherous rocks
0:26:19 > 0:26:22and a deep and dangerous waterhole.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27If we do end up in the water which way do we go?
0:26:27 > 0:26:29Which way does the river take us?
0:26:29 > 0:26:33The river's going to take you... You can see the current going down.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36Where the current line and the eddy line meet, if you hit that
0:26:36 > 0:26:38get on your belly and start swimming,
0:26:38 > 0:26:42otherwise it's going to suck you down because there's little whirlpools on it.
0:26:42 > 0:26:47So, Fred, it's worse than it looks and it looks pretty bad.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50That is correct. And these boats don't turn.
0:26:51 > 0:26:54- Nice.- I think the blue boat does.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58Good luck, guys!
0:26:58 > 0:27:02Tom has said he's already been through mentally
0:27:02 > 0:27:05how he's going to take this 50 times in his head.
0:27:05 > 0:27:10And when a guide who's done the Grand Canyon 100 times says that to me,
0:27:10 > 0:27:12then I'm really nervous.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21Powell himself didn't even attempt to run House Rock.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29# With your feet in the air and your head on the ground...
0:27:29 > 0:27:32Without backup, he had to be cautious.
0:27:32 > 0:27:37Shifting his supplies and often lugging his boats across dry land.
0:27:39 > 0:27:43But Dan is determined to test the replica boats to their very limit.
0:27:47 > 0:27:50- Oh, God, they were lucky to miss that.- Aw!
0:27:50 > 0:27:55- Oh, my word. They just disappeared down the hole.- Oh, my Lord.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00Powell's caution was well founded.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04As Fred flirts with disaster...
0:28:07 > 0:28:09..and Sam is almost flung from the boat.
0:28:15 > 0:28:17Amazing!
0:28:17 > 0:28:19I think we had a great line.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23We came in with a nice pace, lined up on that lateral
0:28:23 > 0:28:27and the very tail-end of it, and had a nice surf
0:28:27 > 0:28:29which put us way out of harm's way.
0:28:29 > 0:28:31OK, pull.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34Pull. Pull.
0:28:36 > 0:28:39All Dan's guides have an intimate knowledge of the Colorado.
0:28:42 > 0:28:46For Powell, every rapid presented an uncharted hazard.
0:28:51 > 0:28:54Stop. Stop, stop.
0:28:57 > 0:29:02Tom, though, seems to have an almost spiritual connection with the water.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12Somehow dancing Dan's boat over the waves.
0:29:17 > 0:29:19He's incredible to watch in the rapids.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22His personal serenity comes through the oars,
0:29:22 > 0:29:26and I'm seeing some form of Buddhist perfectionist in him.
0:29:27 > 0:29:30I think he's just got a touch.
0:29:30 > 0:29:31He's really good at what he does.
0:29:33 > 0:29:35Exhilarating.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39Water's a little chilly today but, erm, we got some good runs.
0:29:41 > 0:29:45I don't know, boats have their own nature, you know.
0:29:45 > 0:29:48It's kind of learn how it moves, how it wants to move,
0:29:48 > 0:29:51anticipate to how it reacts to certain waves and the water.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53That's the key.
0:29:53 > 0:29:56# Down by the river where it bends around
0:29:58 > 0:30:01# Sat the town on the river bend... #
0:30:03 > 0:30:06After the dramas of House Rock, time to relax a little.
0:30:08 > 0:30:11# Got an old dog and she loves it there
0:30:11 > 0:30:14# One foot in the grave but she don't care
0:30:14 > 0:30:18# I set the dog on a second wind
0:30:18 > 0:30:21# Taking her down to the river again. #
0:30:25 > 0:30:29For maritime historian Sam, it's a chance to begin the task
0:30:29 > 0:30:32of exploring how Powell knew where he actually was.
0:30:34 > 0:30:37I've been on the river for three days now
0:30:37 > 0:30:40and you get a real sense of just how tough an environment it is.
0:30:40 > 0:30:42It really makes me think of the kind of people
0:30:42 > 0:30:45who actually came on this expedition with Powell.
0:30:45 > 0:30:48This guy is particularly interesting, called Sumner.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50He was their navigator.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54Now, you might think why would they need a navigator on a river trip
0:30:54 > 0:30:56like this because it's fairly straightforward.
0:30:56 > 0:31:00The canyon is a couple of hundred yards wide and it goes that way.
0:31:00 > 0:31:04But to properly survey the river and its geology,
0:31:04 > 0:31:07Sumner had to work out exactly where they were.
0:31:08 > 0:31:10Give ourselves a starting line.
0:31:10 > 0:31:14A navigational feat that was one of the 1869 expedition's
0:31:14 > 0:31:16greatest challenges.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21First, they had to know how far they'd travelled
0:31:21 > 0:31:22along a winding course.
0:31:22 > 0:31:26I'm going to chuck it in not far from the bank and we'll see what we have got.
0:31:26 > 0:31:29So measuring the speed of its current was crucial.
0:31:29 > 0:31:31There it goes.
0:31:33 > 0:31:35Eight.
0:31:35 > 0:31:37Nine.
0:31:39 > 0:31:41I'm going to do the same thing again
0:31:41 > 0:31:44but I'm going to chuck it right out into the middle.
0:31:51 > 0:31:53Gone already.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56Four seconds that took, so that's twice as fast.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58Watch this.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03Unfortunately, the river seems to flow at different speeds
0:32:03 > 0:32:06in different places.
0:32:06 > 0:32:08That's what makes it a complete nightmare
0:32:08 > 0:32:10to work out exactly how far you've travelled.
0:32:12 > 0:32:16While is Sam is just beginning the long and difficult process
0:32:16 > 0:32:20of working out how Powell knew where he was...
0:32:20 > 0:32:23# Pull the pin and settle in... #
0:32:25 > 0:32:28..Dan and Bryan are exploring what he actually saw.
0:32:28 > 0:32:32Every single place you look at is like a frame.
0:32:32 > 0:32:35Especially here, this is extraordinary.
0:32:35 > 0:32:39So the wild thing is when Powell was here on a second trip...
0:32:41 > 0:32:43- ..he was taking photos in 3D. - No way.
0:32:43 > 0:32:47Here's a scene right here that's not far off from what...
0:32:47 > 0:32:51- Hey! Look at that!- ..we've got going on right over there.- Brilliant.
0:32:52 > 0:32:54The beach, several boats.
0:32:56 > 0:32:58That is magical.
0:32:58 > 0:33:00Those are our boats.
0:33:03 > 0:33:06Adventure photographer Bryan wants to try to out Powell's method
0:33:06 > 0:33:09of creating his ground-breaking images.
0:33:15 > 0:33:17- It's actually quite stressful. - I know.
0:33:17 > 0:33:22When your used to taking digital photos, you're just like, ch-ch-ch.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25Let's take another quick look at the focus.
0:33:25 > 0:33:29Powell exposed and transported dozens of delicate glass plates.
0:33:31 > 0:33:33Wow, that is unbelievably cool.
0:33:33 > 0:33:36- Can you see the river down there? - Yeah, I can see the river.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39If that comes out, buddy, you've done well.
0:33:39 > 0:33:44OK, so, you can pull this out and we have seven seconds.
0:33:44 > 0:33:48That's a long time. That's why everyone looks so staged in Victorian photographs.
0:33:48 > 0:33:51They had to stand still for seven seconds or whatever.
0:33:51 > 0:33:53And they're off.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56One, two, three,
0:33:56 > 0:33:58four, five,
0:33:58 > 0:34:00six, seven.
0:34:01 > 0:34:03There's our photograph.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12With almost 260 miles of canyon still to navigate,
0:34:12 > 0:34:14Dan and the team move on.
0:34:18 > 0:34:22Before dark, they have to get through a relentless chain of rapids,
0:34:22 > 0:34:25collectively known as the Roaring 20s.
0:34:28 > 0:34:30- Don't force it.- Just get on case.
0:34:31 > 0:34:35On this particular stretch in 1869, this was the section
0:34:35 > 0:34:37that battered the boats to bits.
0:34:37 > 0:34:41This is a difficult little stretch for these boats but, so far, we're doing OK.
0:34:42 > 0:34:45Pull hard, let's go. Get together, get together.
0:34:45 > 0:34:46Dog it, dog it.
0:34:51 > 0:34:54# When the day has come
0:34:54 > 0:34:56# I've lost my way around
0:34:56 > 0:35:00# And the seasons stop
0:35:00 > 0:35:02# And hide beneath ground
0:35:02 > 0:35:06# When the sky turns grey... #
0:35:06 > 0:35:08Even on a conveyor belt of white water,
0:35:08 > 0:35:11the crews are beginning to have faith in their boats.
0:35:17 > 0:35:21But they know that every rapid calls for some serious bailing.
0:35:23 > 0:35:25It was like a huge wall of water.
0:35:25 > 0:35:27The boat's supposed to go up,
0:35:27 > 0:35:30and we went right through the middle of it.
0:35:30 > 0:35:34I was... I was nearly knocked out. Fred nearly went.
0:35:34 > 0:35:36It's the closest we've been to tipping.
0:35:39 > 0:35:43Now, though, with precious time between rapids
0:35:43 > 0:35:45there's a real possibility of going under.
0:35:45 > 0:35:48# I bleed out for you
0:35:48 > 0:35:49# So I bare my skin
0:35:49 > 0:35:51# And I count my sins
0:35:51 > 0:35:52# And I close my eyes
0:35:52 > 0:35:54# And I take it in
0:35:54 > 0:35:56# I'm bleeding out... #
0:35:56 > 0:35:58Whoo!
0:36:05 > 0:36:08That's the closest we've come to sinking.
0:36:09 > 0:36:12In fact, technically, we did sink.
0:36:12 > 0:36:15You know, we were floating just below the water level.
0:36:18 > 0:36:2532 miles completed and nine exhausted men crawl into camp.
0:36:25 > 0:36:27Well, we cracked the first keg of whisky.
0:36:27 > 0:36:30It's either a sign of success or failure,
0:36:30 > 0:36:33but I think on today's note, success.
0:36:34 > 0:36:36But kayaker Bryan knows that expedition trips
0:36:36 > 0:36:38are all about the long haul.
0:36:39 > 0:36:42You don't have the same amount of energy everyday.
0:36:42 > 0:36:45Like, tomorrow we'll start a little bit tired and sore,
0:36:45 > 0:36:46my hands are blistered,
0:36:46 > 0:36:49the next day it will get a little worse and a little worse, so...
0:36:49 > 0:36:55You know, we're happy but I'm personally feeling it a little bit.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01The boats also need some TLC.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03Oh, Jesus.
0:37:04 > 0:37:05This goes through here
0:37:05 > 0:37:09and it keeps this oar lock from popping straight up.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13This...
0:37:13 > 0:37:14used to look like that.
0:37:15 > 0:37:18Adam needs that to save our lives.
0:37:18 > 0:37:22Unfortunately, it's kind of bent out of shape.
0:37:22 > 0:37:25If that happened right in the middle of House Rock,
0:37:25 > 0:37:27that could have been absolutely hideous.
0:37:28 > 0:37:30While Ben patches up the boats,
0:37:30 > 0:37:34Fred turns his attention to a gourmet camp supper.
0:37:34 > 0:37:40It is a Lebanese peanut bulgur wheat with sauteed onions
0:37:40 > 0:37:44to a caramelised perfection, one pot meal.
0:37:44 > 0:37:46Do you know what? This is heaven for me.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48I've got no problem with that.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51That's nice food for me. I don't like fancy dinning.
0:37:52 > 0:37:57I love camp cooking. It reminds me of going on canoe tripping with my grandpa in Canada when I was a kid.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59SINGING
0:38:07 > 0:38:09Everyone's having a great time.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12We're fed. We're happy. We're living the dream.
0:38:12 > 0:38:15You do a lot of Grand Canyon trips. This one...
0:38:15 > 0:38:16This one's it, huh?
0:38:16 > 0:38:21- Oh, yeah. This is a river trip, right?- Absolutely.
0:38:38 > 0:38:42Just like Powell in 1869, Dan's team is not only aiming
0:38:42 > 0:38:45to navigate the canyon but to understand it.
0:38:48 > 0:38:52While Dan is out to explore the history of the expedition itself,
0:38:52 > 0:38:57rock lover Dougal is looking into a much deeper past.
0:39:01 > 0:39:04You know I've seen cliffs, I've seen canyons, I've seen stuff,
0:39:04 > 0:39:06but this is...
0:39:06 > 0:39:09It is an amphitheatre in every direction.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14Dougal Jerram is the team's resident geologist.
0:39:14 > 0:39:19It's a very old geology, it's been kicked around the park a bit,
0:39:19 > 0:39:21it's been bent up, pushed around.
0:39:22 > 0:39:26Dougal has wielded his geological hammer all around the world.
0:39:27 > 0:39:31But this is his very first trip down the Grand Canyon.
0:39:33 > 0:39:36So, he thinks he can share the same wonder that Powell felt
0:39:36 > 0:39:39when he encountered the canyon's unique rock formations
0:39:39 > 0:39:41for the very first time.
0:39:42 > 0:39:47Everywhere I look is... It's extraordinary.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50Here, billions of years of Earth's turbulent history
0:39:50 > 0:39:53are laid out in all their glory.
0:39:53 > 0:39:58You've got the Redwall Limestone, you've got sandstones above it,
0:39:58 > 0:40:00right all the way up to the rim.
0:40:00 > 0:40:04I can see right up to the rim, hundreds of meters above us.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08And it's everywhere! Everywhere you look.
0:40:13 > 0:40:17Powell knew his journey was taking him back in geological time
0:40:17 > 0:40:22as the river wound down through gradually more ancient rocks.
0:40:23 > 0:40:27The comparatively recent marble canyon is formed
0:40:27 > 0:40:29from thousands of sedimentary layers.
0:40:29 > 0:40:34Some of which are revealed in one of the canyon's greatest landmarks...
0:40:36 > 0:40:38..a vast cavern called Redwall.
0:40:38 > 0:40:42- FRED:- Check it out. I mean, try to walk and look up.
0:40:43 > 0:40:47- MIKE:- It's disconcerting, actually, it closes in on you.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50- DOUGAL:- It just keeps going. Layer after layer. It's beautiful.
0:40:50 > 0:40:54- BRYAN:- It's hard to imagine how high the river would have been to create this.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57- FRED:- Sweeping in here, cutting it out.
0:40:58 > 0:41:01- Have you ever seen a cavern like this?- It's brilliant, isn't it?
0:41:01 > 0:41:04What's amazing is you look over the other side there
0:41:04 > 0:41:08and you can see all the layers and we're just in one little piece.
0:41:08 > 0:41:13This little layer here is just one piece of time 350 million years ago.
0:41:13 > 0:41:14Look at that one there.
0:41:14 > 0:41:17The minute you see things that look like ordered structures,
0:41:17 > 0:41:19they often are something biological.
0:41:19 > 0:41:23- They are probably bryozoan leaves. - They're like fans, aren't they?
0:41:23 > 0:41:27Filtering food particles out of the ocean water.
0:41:27 > 0:41:30And, so, obviously that tells us
0:41:30 > 0:41:34that 350 million years ago where the Grand Canyon is today was an ocean.
0:41:34 > 0:41:39- It's hard to believe, really, travelling down this river. - It is, yeah.
0:41:39 > 0:41:42- MIKE:- And we know Powell came here. He wrote quite a lot about it.
0:41:42 > 0:41:45DAN: Powell was seriously impressed, he wrote in his diary.
0:41:45 > 0:41:49"The water sweeps rapidly around the elbow of this river.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52"It's cut its way under the rock excavating a vast
0:41:52 > 0:41:55"half circular chamber. If used for a theatre,
0:41:55 > 0:41:59"it would give seating to 50,000 people."
0:42:00 > 0:42:03It would make a great concert venue.
0:42:03 > 0:42:04It's like a football stadium.
0:42:06 > 0:42:10While the canyon has preserved unique evidence of our planet's
0:42:10 > 0:42:16history, its deep walls have also protected a unique ecosystem.
0:42:18 > 0:42:22As naturalist Mike explores a side canyon, he is experiencing
0:42:22 > 0:42:26a habitat that has changed little since Powell's own time.
0:42:28 > 0:42:32Ooh, look at this, Mike. A spider's web with a massive moth in it.
0:42:32 > 0:42:36That is a very good find. Fantastic, man.
0:42:37 > 0:42:39It's still alive. It's a hawk-moth.
0:42:39 > 0:42:41These are the B52 bombers of the moth world.
0:42:41 > 0:42:44See that pink there on the high wing?
0:42:44 > 0:42:46That pink is to flash, if anything tries to eat it,
0:42:46 > 0:42:49just flashes that pink. It's a warning colouration.
0:42:49 > 0:42:52I'm just going to take it out and let it go.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55This is one lucky moth. There it goes.
0:42:55 > 0:42:56Sorry, Mr Spider.
0:42:56 > 0:42:58- So, there's a lucky moth?- Yeah.
0:42:58 > 0:43:00And somewhere there's an unlucky spider.
0:43:00 > 0:43:04I couldn't see a spiders, which is why. If there's a spider on it,
0:43:04 > 0:43:06I would have absolutely left it there.
0:43:06 > 0:43:09Oh, there's the spider right in here.
0:43:09 > 0:43:12It's got a big nest too and an egg sack. It's a Black Widow in there.
0:43:13 > 0:43:15I'm very excited
0:43:15 > 0:43:17but slightly pissed off that Adam is finding all the best stuff.
0:43:17 > 0:43:20I've seen people being bitten by Black Widow spiders
0:43:20 > 0:43:23and it's potentially life-threatening.
0:43:23 > 0:43:26One of my fellow guides was bit and he actually went unconscious.
0:43:26 > 0:43:30They drove him up Diamond Creek Road, one of the worst roads ever,
0:43:30 > 0:43:33and if that didn't wake him up you knew he was in trouble.
0:43:40 > 0:43:42On a calm stretch of the river,
0:43:42 > 0:43:45Dan's team need to put in some serious rowing.
0:43:50 > 0:43:56It's day four, and 52 miles from their start they reach Nankoweap,
0:43:56 > 0:43:59a site of ancient human settlement
0:43:59 > 0:44:02long before Powell arrived on the scene.
0:44:04 > 0:44:08Actually, Powell quotes about this place in his diary.
0:44:08 > 0:44:11I assume it's this place, it fits it perfectly.
0:44:13 > 0:44:14"About 200 yards from camp we discover
0:44:14 > 0:44:17"the ruins of two or three old houses.
0:44:17 > 0:44:19"Only the foundations are left.
0:44:19 > 0:44:23"In one room I find an old milling stone," I guess a grind stone,
0:44:23 > 0:44:26"deeply worn as though it's been much used."
0:44:26 > 0:44:28He could be describing this exact spot.
0:44:28 > 0:44:32Most definitely. This is a grinding stone.
0:44:32 > 0:44:36Somebody just put these here, I'm sure, but this is the real deal.
0:44:36 > 0:44:39Grinding it down to fine flour.
0:44:40 > 0:44:41And then storing it.
0:44:43 > 0:44:47Eating it, but certainly saving some for the winters, definitely.
0:44:50 > 0:44:52Hundreds of years ago,
0:44:52 > 0:44:56Native American tribes farmed the Colorado's once fertile banks.
0:44:59 > 0:45:01Venturing into the Great Unknown
0:45:01 > 0:45:05and finding evidence of ancient habitation became Powell's passion.
0:45:07 > 0:45:12He later promoted the way of life of the local indigenous tribes.
0:45:12 > 0:45:15Although he did bring along his own head-dresses.
0:45:15 > 0:45:19To make them look a bit more "Indian" in his photographs.
0:45:25 > 0:45:26Wow.
0:45:27 > 0:45:31- So these are storehouses in the shade.- That's right.
0:45:31 > 0:45:32Basically their pantry,
0:45:32 > 0:45:36the place where they would've collected their strongest seed,
0:45:36 > 0:45:41the best squash, the best melons, corn, cotton.
0:45:41 > 0:45:46They would put it all in here, take some of this limestone, mud
0:45:46 > 0:45:51and water and just seal it all up so it would be safe from the elements.
0:45:51 > 0:45:55Then they could come back next season, dig it out and plant again.
0:45:57 > 0:46:00I mean, the different periods of people who lived here
0:46:00 > 0:46:07and then left and came back, probably 800AD and then 1000
0:46:07 > 0:46:10and then 1100, and then they just migrated away.
0:46:10 > 0:46:13A little spicy.
0:46:15 > 0:46:17Two tablespoons.
0:46:17 > 0:46:20Back in camp, Fred is once again playing chef.
0:46:20 > 0:46:22Tonight, just like Powell,
0:46:22 > 0:46:26he's supplementing the team's rations with some fresh catches.
0:46:26 > 0:46:29This right here is the payoff for a hard day.
0:46:29 > 0:46:31Caught some fish!
0:46:31 > 0:46:34We've got bacon, fish, beans...
0:46:34 > 0:46:38It's going to be a delicious spread.
0:46:38 > 0:46:40Is it garlic naan?
0:46:40 > 0:46:44Where is the garlic? I know we brought some.
0:46:44 > 0:46:46They might be self-sufficient
0:46:46 > 0:46:50but Dan's team is cheating on some of the ingredients.
0:46:50 > 0:46:52- Here's to the chef, man.- Yeah.
0:46:52 > 0:46:53THEY CHEER
0:46:53 > 0:46:58In 1869, Powell was 60 days in, and desperately short of rations.
0:46:58 > 0:47:01Not sure Powell had that much chilli with him.
0:47:01 > 0:47:03MAN CHUCKLES
0:47:04 > 0:47:08Powell had to make do with stale flour mixed with water
0:47:08 > 0:47:10and two month old bacon.
0:47:12 > 0:47:18Often washed down with crude coffee, day after day after day.
0:47:18 > 0:47:20- I caught that!- All these bad boys.
0:47:20 > 0:47:23# I love you till the river runs dry
0:47:23 > 0:47:24# Till the booze in the bottle has gone
0:47:24 > 0:47:26# Oh, and I love you...#
0:47:26 > 0:47:30Just like Dan's team, though, Powell did have plenty of rough whisky left
0:47:30 > 0:47:33to keep his crew's spirits up.
0:47:33 > 0:47:35# Oh, honey, don't you know
0:47:35 > 0:47:38# It would have been fine if I'd have stayed at home #.
0:47:43 > 0:47:45THEY WHOOP AND CHEER
0:47:57 > 0:47:59Day five.
0:48:01 > 0:48:03Dan's team are back on the water.
0:48:07 > 0:48:09And the river is changing.
0:48:11 > 0:48:14They've reached the emergence of the Little Colorado River,
0:48:14 > 0:48:17turning the canyon's water muddy brown.
0:48:20 > 0:48:24The team is about to enter a whole new section of the canyon
0:48:24 > 0:48:27and with it comes a whole new set of dangers.
0:48:31 > 0:48:34The geology is changing dramatically.
0:48:34 > 0:48:38You've got this lovely buff brown, peat sandstone,
0:48:38 > 0:48:42that's an obvious layer in contact with these older rocks.
0:48:42 > 0:48:46And that's only about 20 to 30 metres above the canyon.
0:48:46 > 0:48:48Yet just over there,
0:48:48 > 0:48:52that exact same layer is hundreds of metres up the canyon.
0:48:52 > 0:48:54In fact, the rocks below are now tilting,
0:48:54 > 0:48:57they are tilting down into the canyon like that,
0:48:57 > 0:49:00there's a major fault running up through that area.
0:49:00 > 0:49:03Rivers are going to start carving into that
0:49:03 > 0:49:07and as you get weaknesses and faults, you get bigger side canyons.
0:49:07 > 0:49:09That could mean bigger rapids.
0:49:11 > 0:49:15From their start at Lee's Ferry, Dan's team has covered 62 miles,
0:49:15 > 0:49:17through the Marble Canyon.
0:49:18 > 0:49:22Now, they're about to enter much harder rock.
0:49:23 > 0:49:26The notorious Upper Granite Gorge.
0:49:30 > 0:49:31The creeks of the side canyons
0:49:31 > 0:49:35dump tons of boulders into the Colorado, forming the rapids.
0:49:37 > 0:49:42But here, hidden beneath the water, isn't smooth, weathered marble,
0:49:42 > 0:49:45but sharp peaks of jagged granite.
0:49:47 > 0:49:50Making a boiling cauldron of white water.
0:49:51 > 0:49:55I'm looking at the guides a lot and they are starting to get
0:49:55 > 0:49:59a little bit nervous, it's quite fun to see.
0:49:59 > 0:50:02Tom, for example, has broken out his running shoes,
0:50:02 > 0:50:05the flip flops have gone.
0:50:05 > 0:50:09So he's expecting some heavy action in these boats we are going down in.
0:50:09 > 0:50:12So, there are these little things you notice that are changing.
0:50:12 > 0:50:21Hance, Sockdolager, Grapevine, and Horn Creek are all dangerous rapids
0:50:21 > 0:50:24which must be navigated in a single day.
0:50:25 > 0:50:31In the narrow gorge there's nowhere to stop, let alone camp.
0:50:31 > 0:50:36Powell was wary of the granite, aware of its hidden dangers.
0:50:38 > 0:50:42Today, the same threat worries extreme kayaker Bryan.
0:50:42 > 0:50:45You know, Adam will ask for all four oars in the water,
0:50:45 > 0:50:50and I'm in the water, and Mike needs a drink of water
0:50:50 > 0:50:53or he needs sunscreen, or whatever.
0:50:53 > 0:50:56Some of that stuff hasn't mattered to this point
0:50:56 > 0:50:59but it's going to matter down there.
0:50:59 > 0:51:00As the river gets bigger,
0:51:00 > 0:51:03if we don't have all three people in unison at all times,
0:51:03 > 0:51:08we're going to fill full of water, we're not going to be able
0:51:08 > 0:51:11to bail quickly enough and we are going to end up in trouble.
0:51:15 > 0:51:18It's a whole new test for Ben's boats.
0:51:22 > 0:51:27Support and safety crews hover just a little closer...
0:51:27 > 0:51:30As the Powell boats approach Hance Rapid.
0:51:31 > 0:51:33OK, we're spinning.
0:51:33 > 0:51:34Let go, stop, stop.
0:51:37 > 0:51:40With nowhere to land and portage,
0:51:40 > 0:51:43the usually cautious Powell was forced to take on Hance.
0:51:48 > 0:51:50Big move, big move - go!
0:51:50 > 0:51:53Row hard. You guys are doing great!
0:51:53 > 0:51:55Come on, Mike - go!
0:51:55 > 0:51:57Fred and Adam both reverse their boats down,
0:51:57 > 0:51:59steering precariously from the front.
0:52:00 > 0:52:02Keep going, push!
0:52:06 > 0:52:08But the tactic makes a long sweep oars vulnerable
0:52:08 > 0:52:11to catching on hidden rocks.
0:52:11 > 0:52:12I have no oar.
0:52:12 > 0:52:18MUSIC: "Breathe" by The Prodigy
0:52:18 > 0:52:21That's it, keep going.
0:52:21 > 0:52:23Good. Keep going.
0:52:24 > 0:52:27Dan's boat simply fills with water.
0:52:27 > 0:52:29# Come play my game
0:52:29 > 0:52:32# Exhale, exhale, exhale. #
0:52:37 > 0:52:41It beats the office most people go to.
0:52:41 > 0:52:42This is my oar.
0:52:45 > 0:52:47Snapped like a dry twig.
0:52:48 > 0:52:50Did it break on the nails?
0:52:50 > 0:52:52In Powell's day this would have been a major repair.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55The Powell boats had a lot of spears.
0:52:55 > 0:52:57If you look at the pictures, they had oars actually strapped
0:52:57 > 0:53:00to the gunnels on the outside of the boat.
0:53:00 > 0:53:04- But I think they ended up breaking the spears...- One minute.
0:53:04 > 0:53:09And then they had to fabricate new oars out of driftwood.
0:53:11 > 0:53:15Today, with driftwood protected, Dan has to grab a replacement.
0:53:19 > 0:53:22They are on the move within minutes.
0:53:22 > 0:53:25It doesn't take long before they reach the sheer walls
0:53:25 > 0:53:27of a terrifying sequence of rapids.
0:53:27 > 0:53:31Big strokes, big strokes. Take it in, take it in.
0:53:32 > 0:53:36- Whoa!- Woo-hoo!
0:53:39 > 0:53:43The team's confidence, nurtured over the preceding days,
0:53:43 > 0:53:44is torn to shreds.
0:53:48 > 0:53:51Powell called this his granite prison.
0:53:55 > 0:53:59Filled to the brim, all the boats are at the mercy of the river,
0:53:59 > 0:54:03as they're swept downstream between ever narrower granite cliffs.
0:54:14 > 0:54:16Watch out, here it comes - big hit!
0:54:28 > 0:54:33Incredibly, through it all, Dougal is still rock-watching.
0:54:36 > 0:54:39Most of the grain in this schist is going up vertically
0:54:39 > 0:54:42and you see little sheets of granite shooting up in it.
0:54:42 > 0:54:45The geology here has completely changed.
0:54:45 > 0:54:47We are in deep pre-Cambrian billion year old rocks,
0:54:47 > 0:54:52really messed up, and the river's messed up as well.
0:54:52 > 0:54:53I have never seen a man
0:54:53 > 0:54:57so excited about seeing some granite in my entire life.
0:54:57 > 0:55:02So Dougal, it's fine. In the middle of a rapid he will drop his oars
0:55:02 > 0:55:04and take a picture of a fault line running through the cliffs.
0:55:04 > 0:55:07He's got no concept of boat safety in the rapids
0:55:07 > 0:55:08because he's just looking up.
0:55:08 > 0:55:10He's probably a bit like Powell in that respect
0:55:10 > 0:55:13because Powell didn't seem to care that the food was running out
0:55:13 > 0:55:15or there were dangers ahead.
0:55:15 > 0:55:18He was just obsessed with the scenery and landscape and the rocks.
0:55:18 > 0:55:22One, two, three.
0:55:22 > 0:55:24It's been the toughest day by far.
0:55:25 > 0:55:28Oh, it's the fun boat, the green one.
0:55:28 > 0:55:31This time we lost a bucket and snapped an oar.
0:55:31 > 0:55:34Don't quite now what's going to happen next time actually.
0:55:34 > 0:55:35That happened within an hour.
0:55:35 > 0:55:41Kind of a series of dramatic... Kind of worsening each time.
0:55:41 > 0:55:47And just like the 1869 crews, as the pressure builds, tempers fray.
0:55:47 > 0:55:51I'll be honest and just say he's getting on my nerves.
0:55:51 > 0:55:54You know... He annoys me a bit.
0:55:56 > 0:55:59As for the boats, like the men,
0:55:59 > 0:56:01they're beginning to seriously break down.
0:56:01 > 0:56:03One, two, three and over.
0:56:05 > 0:56:08Jesus Christ!
0:56:08 > 0:56:11- I'm really happy we flipped the boat over.- Yeah, yeah.
0:56:11 > 0:56:12This is not good.
0:56:15 > 0:56:16We can't replace this.
0:56:18 > 0:56:20It's pretty serious.
0:56:21 > 0:56:24We're just going to patch it. It's all we can do.
0:56:24 > 0:56:28Ben is using period tools, of the type Powell used.
0:56:28 > 0:56:31But Powell also had to find his own materials.
0:56:31 > 0:56:33It's going in like butter.
0:56:33 > 0:56:35Harvesting pitch pine resin
0:56:35 > 0:56:38from trees high up in the canyon to make glue.
0:56:41 > 0:56:44An extraordinarily laborious process.
0:56:45 > 0:56:47It's been really hard physically.
0:56:47 > 0:56:50Some people are looking a bit tired...including me.
0:56:52 > 0:56:56There's a great quote from one of the guys in one of Powell's boats.
0:56:57 > 0:57:00This guy called Sumner says, "I've been in the cavalry charge
0:57:00 > 0:57:03"and I've stood by the guns to repel a charge
0:57:03 > 0:57:09"but never before did my sand run so low, in fact it all ran out.
0:57:09 > 0:57:14"But as I had to have some more grit, I borrowed it from the other boys."
0:57:14 > 0:57:16I think there's probably a few people in camp
0:57:16 > 0:57:19thinking like that tonight.
0:57:19 > 0:57:20Right in the corners?
0:57:20 > 0:57:22Yeah, one in each corner.
0:57:22 > 0:57:26Splintering boats, aching bodies and rattled nerves.
0:57:27 > 0:57:31The granite gorge has been a wake-up call.
0:57:31 > 0:57:35And Dan's expedition is still 200 miles from safety.
0:57:36 > 0:57:40There's a long journey ahead...
0:57:40 > 0:57:41And it's that way,
0:57:41 > 0:57:47and it just keeps on going for miles and miles and miles.
0:57:47 > 0:57:52It's the distance that's just so kind of staggering.
0:57:53 > 0:57:56Hang on! Hang on!
0:57:56 > 0:57:58Next time...
0:57:58 > 0:57:59The boats just get trashed.
0:57:59 > 0:58:01Lift!
0:58:01 > 0:58:03The agonies of lugging boats on land.
0:58:03 > 0:58:05It's actually really dangerous.
0:58:05 > 0:58:08Some slightly disconcerting wildlife.
0:58:08 > 0:58:11This is definitely the most frightening campsite we've had.
0:58:14 > 0:58:17And the biggest rapids of all.
0:58:19 > 0:58:23The canyon continues to grind down Dan and his team.
0:58:23 > 0:58:27We're beginning to learn that the Grand Canyon's not all giggles.
0:58:27 > 0:58:29# Keep all your lamps
0:58:32 > 0:58:34# Trim them burning
0:58:37 > 0:58:39# Keep all your lamps
0:58:42 > 0:58:44# Keep them burning
0:58:45 > 0:58:46# Keep
0:58:48 > 0:58:49# Your
0:58:51 > 0:58:52# Keep .#