0:00:05 > 0:00:06The Grand Canyon.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12One of the world's greatest natural wonders.
0:00:14 > 0:00:19Carving through sheer rock and almost invisible from the rim,
0:00:19 > 0:00:21the mighty Colorado River.
0:00:23 > 0:00:24Big hit, right here!
0:00:27 > 0:00:29In a modern-day historical challenge,
0:00:29 > 0:00:34Dan Snow and a crack team are taking on the rapids of the Grand Canyon.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40And they're doing it in boats more fit for a museum
0:00:40 > 0:00:43than some of the wildest water on the planet.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47No-one's done this journey in these boats since 1869.
0:00:48 > 0:00:50And there's probably a good reason for that!
0:00:52 > 0:00:54But there's a serious purpose...
0:00:57 > 0:01:00..to get to grips with one of the world's greatest
0:01:00 > 0:01:03adventures of discovery for the very first time.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12Tucked in the far South West of America,
0:01:12 > 0:01:16the Grand Canyon was called simply The Great Unknown.
0:01:19 > 0:01:26Then, in 1869, a one-armed war veteran, Major John Wesley Powell,
0:01:26 > 0:01:32lead nine men in three tiny boats into a hostile and alien world.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41Not all of them would come out of the canyon alive.
0:01:44 > 0:01:49Now armed with diaries from the original 1869 expedition,
0:01:49 > 0:01:52Dan is seeing the canyon as if through the eyes of Powell
0:01:52 > 0:01:55and those original, pioneering adventurers.
0:02:05 > 0:02:06Morning.
0:02:08 > 0:02:11Eight days in and the Powell team is feeling ground down.
0:02:14 > 0:02:16'Body sore this morning.'
0:02:16 > 0:02:20Legs, bum muscles very sore
0:02:20 > 0:02:22cos when you're rowing, you do a lot of it with your legs,
0:02:22 > 0:02:24surprisingly enough.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27So far, they've covered 90 miles...
0:02:28 > 0:02:31..with nearly 190 still to go.
0:02:31 > 0:02:32Travelling pretty light.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38These are all of my clothes for this journey.
0:02:38 > 0:02:39Here we go.
0:02:40 > 0:02:41Get on the boat, boys!
0:02:45 > 0:02:48Dan's mission is to survive the mighty Colorado River.
0:02:50 > 0:02:54So far, from Lee's Ferry, they've travelled through the Marble Canyon,
0:02:54 > 0:02:57heading towards the Grand Wash at the other end...
0:02:58 > 0:03:02..with 280 miles of canyon and around 100 rapids in between.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08Right now, they've entered the feared Granite Gorge,
0:03:08 > 0:03:12just a third of the way in, with the worst of the canyon still to come.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19See that big pink blob? That big pink blob's the Granite.
0:03:19 > 0:03:23There's big lumps of it, and it's those big lumps
0:03:23 > 0:03:26that are causing all of this mayhem in the river.
0:03:26 > 0:03:28Geology and rapids, basically.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31Coming up is their biggest test so far...
0:03:32 > 0:03:34..Granite Falls...
0:03:37 > 0:03:39..a dangerous rapid that has even got some
0:03:39 > 0:03:41of the most experienced river guides worried.
0:03:43 > 0:03:48A bit nervous about Granite. It's been in the back of my mind a bit.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50There's not much to think about Granite except for, you know,
0:03:50 > 0:03:52it's going to be big.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55It's going to be freaking huge - and unavoidable!
0:03:57 > 0:03:59Just two weeks into Powell's expedition,
0:03:59 > 0:04:02he lost a boat to a rapid.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04With no chance of rescue,
0:04:04 > 0:04:06Powell became too cautious to run rapids like Granite.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13Instead, he faced the grind of lugging his boats on land
0:04:13 > 0:04:15or lowering them down on ropes.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20OK, we're going in, guys!
0:04:20 > 0:04:21Whoo!
0:04:27 > 0:04:30But today, Dan's team, with expert rivermen
0:04:30 > 0:04:34and modern safety support, are pushing their boats to the limit.
0:04:37 > 0:04:40# I feel like
0:04:40 > 0:04:45# The time has come
0:04:45 > 0:04:47# A fearless rescue... #
0:04:47 > 0:04:50Fred avoids the sheer granite walls
0:04:50 > 0:04:52and steers the small scout boat through to safety.
0:04:55 > 0:04:56All right, let's bail!
0:04:57 > 0:04:59HE HOWLS
0:05:10 > 0:05:13But the two heavy oak boats are harder to steer.
0:05:15 > 0:05:21THEY GROAN
0:05:21 > 0:05:26Their crews are battered, but they come through intact.
0:05:26 > 0:05:27Row! Pull! Pull!
0:05:27 > 0:05:28Pull! Pull!
0:05:28 > 0:05:30Get your oars in the water and pull!
0:05:34 > 0:05:37Just like Powell, back in 1869,
0:05:37 > 0:05:41Dan's team is getting used to being continually drenched.
0:05:41 > 0:05:43We took on a fair bit of water today.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47This is what Powell had to deal with every night. He had to get
0:05:47 > 0:05:51his stuff out, he had to dry it off in the desert and repack everything.
0:05:51 > 0:05:56Literally, rancid, from soaking and drying constantly.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58We're struggling a bit with the oranges and the apples.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02cos they're getting bruised. The oranges are getting really mouldy.
0:06:03 > 0:06:04But we're eating them!
0:06:06 > 0:06:09And it's not just food that's rotting.
0:06:10 > 0:06:15That's trench foot, foot rot. Just feet being wet all day.
0:06:16 > 0:06:21And it hurts. Feels like 80-grit sandpaper rubbing on your feet now.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25'Quite a few of us have our feet going off. They're just rotting.'
0:06:25 > 0:06:28It's a fungus that grows on your feet from being just wet
0:06:28 > 0:06:33and moist all day long. It's almost debilitating. It just throbs
0:06:33 > 0:06:38all the way up to the knee, right into the hip and it's on your toes.
0:06:38 > 0:06:39I don't know.
0:06:39 > 0:06:41Push, push, push, push, push, push, push!
0:06:41 > 0:06:45Dan's team has been on the river for just eight days.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47'This is our secret weapon, that's transformed
0:06:47 > 0:06:50'the way our boat performs in the water,'
0:06:50 > 0:06:53cos we put loads of sandbags along the keel to help ballast it,
0:06:53 > 0:06:54but they weren't enough,
0:06:54 > 0:06:58so we started putting huge rocks in the stern compartment.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03In 1869, having started higher upstream,
0:07:03 > 0:07:07Powell and his men had been on the go for over two months.
0:07:08 > 0:07:10Here. Here.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14Powell and his guys, by this stage of the journey, were physically wrecked.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17I mean, two of them wrote in their diaries
0:07:17 > 0:07:19that they'd never been so low, physically.
0:07:19 > 0:07:22By this stage, they were actually starving to death.
0:07:22 > 0:07:24They were doing a huge amount of exercise and physical activity.
0:07:26 > 0:07:30Except Powell. Powell's diary, he says he's having a great time!
0:07:30 > 0:07:33He's absolutely over the moon. He can't believe his luck.
0:07:33 > 0:07:34Never complains about the food.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37He occasionally says the men are making him move on a bit quicker
0:07:37 > 0:07:40because they're worried about running out of food
0:07:40 > 0:07:43but if he had his way, he'd have just spent his days
0:07:43 > 0:07:48looking for rocks up in these hills, taking celestial sightings.
0:07:48 > 0:07:49Extraordinary man! Completely driven.
0:07:50 > 0:07:54Tomorrow, Dan's team will face the feared Crystal Rapid.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58But for once, they won't be running it.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03We're going to try and lift one these boats out of the water,
0:08:03 > 0:08:05we're going to carry it over there, portage it, as they say
0:08:05 > 0:08:09in America, and if that doesn't work, or when that proves
0:08:09 > 0:08:11too miserable, the other boat, we'll line it down.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14We're going to put it on ropes and take it down the side
0:08:14 > 0:08:16of the rapid in the water. Exactly what Powell used to do
0:08:16 > 0:08:19when he came across a rapid he didn't like the look of.
0:08:27 > 0:08:28Morning.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38Large holes and a rock-strewn island make Crystal Rapid
0:08:38 > 0:08:40one of the most dangerous in the canyon.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47So today, they're going to try the two methods Powell
0:08:47 > 0:08:50routinely used 150 years ago.
0:08:53 > 0:08:55First, lugging one of the boats on land.
0:08:58 > 0:09:02The boat weighs about 800 pounds and it's big and awkward,
0:09:02 > 0:09:06so the weight is an issue, but also the size and how awkward it is.
0:09:09 > 0:09:11But before moving his boats, Powell
0:09:11 > 0:09:15and his men had to manhandle all their supplies and equipment.
0:09:17 > 0:09:20Some of the boys are looking very reluctant, indeed.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23You know, that's what happened back in 1869. Powell's men hated
0:09:23 > 0:09:24doing this. It's knackering.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27I think you're more likely to injure yourself than you are on the river.
0:09:29 > 0:09:34We need to go slow, we need to work together,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37we need to communicate. All righty. Let's do it!
0:09:37 > 0:09:38One, two, three, lift!
0:09:43 > 0:09:45Go! Go!
0:09:45 > 0:09:47THEY GROAN
0:09:47 > 0:09:48Everyone, down!
0:09:51 > 0:09:53Two, three...
0:09:53 > 0:09:55THEY GROAN
0:09:59 > 0:10:03As in Powell's day, progress is painfully slow.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08What I'm thinking about is the rest of the day.
0:10:08 > 0:10:09We're killing ourselves
0:10:09 > 0:10:13and we've got one of the hardest stretches of river ahead of us.
0:10:15 > 0:10:16Nice and slow!
0:10:18 > 0:10:20Break an ankle here in the wilderness
0:10:20 > 0:10:22and the only way out is by helicopter.
0:10:23 > 0:10:28If one person slips, they go down. The other person holding that side of
0:10:28 > 0:10:32the boat has to carry the full load. It's actually really dangerous.
0:10:33 > 0:10:36In 1869, it could have meant death.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42Powell's guys sometimes had to do this three times a day,
0:10:42 > 0:10:44with all of their boats.
0:10:44 > 0:10:45Hard to imagine.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47'Puts you right in there. You can understand what
0:10:47 > 0:10:50'they went through, that's for sure.'
0:10:51 > 0:10:52THEY SHOUT
0:10:55 > 0:10:59Two hours of muscle-wrenching torture.
0:10:59 > 0:11:00Turn to the left.
0:11:01 > 0:11:06And to everyone's relief, Dan's team reaches its goal.
0:11:11 > 0:11:12This boat's as tough as nails.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18Ben Khan is the team's carpenter.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24He spent six months creating the three traditional riverboats,
0:11:24 > 0:11:27carefully copied from original photographs.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31But boats like these were never designed to survive the canyon
0:11:31 > 0:11:35and Ben's had to work around the clock just to keep the team afloat.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47Didn't sleep at all last night.
0:11:53 > 0:11:58All the men are exhausted, but there's no time to rest.
0:11:59 > 0:12:00The much bigger
0:12:00 > 0:12:05and heavier oak boats are still at the top of Crystal.
0:12:05 > 0:12:08This could very well be the most dangerous part of the trip.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10We don't want to be more than knee-deep.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14Thigh-deep, waist-deep is where it's dangerous, OK? Really dangerous.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18Watch your legs, buddy.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21No-one wants to face another portage,
0:12:21 > 0:12:24but Powell's other method is even worse.
0:12:26 > 0:12:27For the first time,
0:12:27 > 0:12:30the team will attempt to line a boat through a rapid.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35'We've never really done this before,'
0:12:35 > 0:12:39so we're on the learning curve at a pretty significant rapid.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42There's a big rock right here you're going to have to go out of.
0:12:42 > 0:12:43All right.
0:12:43 > 0:12:45'By the time Powell got down here,
0:12:45 > 0:12:50'he'd probably already lined 75, maybe 100, small ones'
0:12:50 > 0:12:52for their learning curve, to see what worked and what didn't.
0:12:54 > 0:12:57- Got to get off of this, right? - What a big rock here.- Yeah.
0:12:57 > 0:12:59Ropes, rocks...
0:13:00 > 0:13:04..heavy boats and a surging current...
0:13:05 > 0:13:09..all add up to a potentially lethal combination for the men on land.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15You guys, you guys, as he swings, take.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19For anyone on board the boat, it's even worse.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23This whole feature right here, where you see the white water,
0:13:23 > 0:13:25is the biggest feature on the rapid.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28That's the one place you don't want to go.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30Right now, we're basically lining the boat
0:13:30 > 0:13:32right next to the edge of that thing. Hey, Tom!
0:13:34 > 0:13:35Come up.
0:13:35 > 0:13:40One slip, the boat slides or pins. These guys are going in that hole.
0:13:42 > 0:13:46- One, two, three!- It's good.
0:13:46 > 0:13:49It's a slow, and dangerous process.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51THEY SHOUT TO EACH OTHER
0:13:55 > 0:13:58OK, watch out for the rope. Watch out!
0:14:01 > 0:14:02Good to go.
0:14:04 > 0:14:08Then, to make matters worse, the boat jams
0:14:08 > 0:14:10on hidden rocks.
0:14:10 > 0:14:13HE GRUNTS
0:14:14 > 0:14:19Even the brute strength of Adam can't dislodge the boat.
0:14:19 > 0:14:21If it rolls, Brian and Tom could be trapped.
0:14:23 > 0:14:25Exactly what I was worried about!
0:14:32 > 0:14:35As water surges into the boat, they have to abandon ship.
0:14:40 > 0:14:43The situation is as bad as it can be. The boat is stuck, which means
0:14:43 > 0:14:46it can break free suddenly and it's also full of water,
0:14:46 > 0:14:47so it's five, six times heavier
0:14:47 > 0:14:50than it was before. Which means these ropes have got to
0:14:50 > 0:14:53take that much more weight and it's going to be coming on really hard.
0:14:55 > 0:14:57Let's go get a better angle on this.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01- Not going, not even thinking about it.- Yeah, no.
0:15:01 > 0:15:03Not even thinking about it.
0:15:06 > 0:15:08With light fading,
0:15:08 > 0:15:12Dan's boat will have to be left to the mercy of the river overnight.
0:15:15 > 0:15:18The team hoped to have travelled 20 miles today.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Instead, they've managed just 400 metres...
0:15:26 > 0:15:28..with just one boat.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31We're in a state of limbo, really.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34That boat could be completely ruined in the morning or we could
0:15:34 > 0:15:36not be able to get it off. In which case,
0:15:36 > 0:15:40things could get quite cosy, as we shove nine people into two boats.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46It's all about the river finally biting us back, really.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49The more you spend time here, the more you learn that...
0:15:50 > 0:15:52..you can't beat the Colorado.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59And it's not only the river that hides unseen dangers...
0:15:59 > 0:16:02RATTLING
0:16:02 > 0:16:04There we go still coming this way, he's coming out.
0:16:04 > 0:16:06He's going to come out.
0:16:06 > 0:16:11About a metre in front of me is a Grand Canyon rattlesnake.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14But this is our beds, right? We're just on the floor on a tarpaulin.
0:16:14 > 0:16:17Yeah, it's literally, like...
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Like, 15 feet from my sleeping bag.
0:16:20 > 0:16:21I'm scared of snakes.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25It's got very big fangs
0:16:25 > 0:16:27and if it bit me on the calf,
0:16:27 > 0:16:31slowly, but surely, my calf would start dissolving.
0:16:31 > 0:16:33It's just, kind of. buried in the vegetation.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37I'm so close to these bushes. This is definitely the most
0:16:37 > 0:16:39frightening campsite we've had.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59Little sleep in Rattlesnake Camp
0:16:59 > 0:17:01and an early start.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04Tom and I were out here late last night, checking it out.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06The water was still coming in.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09Now, it's not, so this is our best chance to get it out of here.
0:17:12 > 0:17:144.00am.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17And Dan and Bryan are working out a last-ditch plan to rescue
0:17:17 > 0:17:19the stricken boat.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23The boat's high and dry out of the water. We're starting to bail,
0:17:23 > 0:17:26so we can lighten her up and try and get her off.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30The water level has dropped overnight,
0:17:30 > 0:17:33opening up a precious window of opportunity.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37It's pretty jammed in right now.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40The rocks are wedging it at the bow, they're wedging it at the stern
0:17:40 > 0:17:43but we can actually see where it's being wedged.
0:17:43 > 0:17:44That's the difference from yesterday.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47Yesterday, when there was water going in the boat and we couldn't
0:17:47 > 0:17:50see anything we didn't even know where it was getting held up.
0:17:53 > 0:17:55..two, three!
0:17:55 > 0:17:57THEY GRUNT
0:18:00 > 0:18:02Yes!
0:18:03 > 0:18:05We're floating, we're floating.
0:18:05 > 0:18:07- We're floating!- Yeah!
0:18:15 > 0:18:18I've done stupider things in my life, but I don't know when...
0:18:20 > 0:18:22For everyone, immense relief.
0:18:24 > 0:18:27Two hours ago, I though this expedition might be over...
0:18:27 > 0:18:29for our boat
0:18:29 > 0:18:30and now it's back.
0:18:37 > 0:18:39It's been a tough 24 hours.
0:18:41 > 0:18:44Carrying only 18 days of provisions,
0:18:44 > 0:18:46they're now way behind schedule.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51They've lugged one boat and almost lost another.
0:18:54 > 0:18:58But Bryan's boat is still at the top of the rapid
0:18:58 > 0:19:01and they haven't gone anywhere for nearly two days.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03OK, is there anything else up on that beach?
0:19:03 > 0:19:06Just picking up stuff that's not... Life jacket.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09With an almost-suicidal decision, to save time,
0:19:09 > 0:19:11they decide to run Crystal.
0:19:13 > 0:19:168.55, Crystal Rapid.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21Powell faced t he same hard decisions.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26With food running out, even he was forced to start running
0:19:26 > 0:19:28dangerous rapids.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31It's a big rapid. It's got a somewhat technical line
0:19:31 > 0:19:33and then, we've got a rock island at the bottom
0:19:33 > 0:19:35that we have to get left of.
0:19:37 > 0:19:40Bryan Smith is an adventurer and film-maker.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45An extreme kayaker, Bryan knows white water inside out.
0:19:48 > 0:19:51But he's more used to operating solo in hi-tech fibre-glass...
0:19:52 > 0:19:54..than one of a trio in a tonne of oak.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00Three people in a boat. We are all right next to each other.
0:20:00 > 0:20:02It's where personalities, sort of,
0:20:02 > 0:20:04either start to gel or start to clash.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11Big strokes together, Mike. Don't pass him. Go full strokes.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13There's a lot of consequence on this rapid.
0:20:15 > 0:20:16Big hit, right here!
0:20:22 > 0:20:25All right! All right! All right!
0:20:26 > 0:20:27Right! Right!
0:20:29 > 0:20:31Big strokes!
0:20:31 > 0:20:34Right! All together! All together!
0:20:34 > 0:20:37Both oars! Both oars!
0:20:37 > 0:20:39Mike! Both oars!
0:20:55 > 0:20:58With the crew still failing to gel
0:20:58 > 0:21:00and at the mercy of Crystal Rapid...
0:21:00 > 0:21:02Mike, bail! Bail!
0:21:02 > 0:21:04Bryan, pull as hard as you can!
0:21:04 > 0:21:06..Adam is becoming desperate.
0:21:08 > 0:21:10B-a-a-a-i-l! Goddamn it!
0:21:11 > 0:21:13Pull!
0:21:13 > 0:21:15The rest of the team look on nervously.
0:21:18 > 0:21:20We might be doing a rescue here.
0:21:23 > 0:21:26We going right? Yeah, a little. We're good, we're good.
0:21:26 > 0:21:29We're hitting rocks, we're hitting rocks.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32- Everybody high side this way. - CRASH!
0:21:34 > 0:21:36Goddamn it!
0:21:36 > 0:21:38OK. OK, OK, OK.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40OK, row.
0:21:40 > 0:21:42Bail, Mike, bail.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46Bail, Bryan. OK.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52Goddamn, we had a meltdown
0:21:52 > 0:21:54fall apart at the worst place on the whole trip.
0:22:01 > 0:22:04Bryan's boat only just survives Crystal Rapid.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16Hitting calm water, they start to put some miles on the clock.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25But Adam and Bryan seem to have given up on Mike.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33Mike is struggling in my boat and I'm struggling with him.
0:22:35 > 0:22:38I'm letting him get under my skin now,
0:22:38 > 0:22:41I don't even want to look at him, let alone talk to him.
0:22:43 > 0:22:44Oh, he's driving me nuts.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50He knows that his primary job when we're full of water, is to bail
0:22:50 > 0:22:52and...
0:22:52 > 0:22:55you know, he still hasn't figured out a system for being able
0:22:55 > 0:22:57to get that bail bucket out when it counts.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00To be perfectly honest, Mike's not pulling his weight in the boat.
0:23:02 > 0:23:06Had a couple of close calls with the rocks this morning in Crystal
0:23:06 > 0:23:09and, as a result, now we're trying to keep ourselves in the water,
0:23:09 > 0:23:10not on the rocks.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14I think since Crystal, we've rowed well as a boat...
0:23:18 > 0:23:20'Tensions are coming to the surface,'
0:23:20 > 0:23:24because there's nowhere to hide and this journey is exhausting,
0:23:24 > 0:23:26it's attritional and it will bring those tensions out.
0:23:26 > 0:23:31I think Mike is just trying to put the best on it.
0:23:31 > 0:23:33You know, he's a good British, stiff upper lip optimist,
0:23:33 > 0:23:35but he's suffering in that crew
0:23:35 > 0:23:38and I think Mike, unfortunately, is being a bit of a scapegoat.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40SINGING IN CAMP
0:23:43 > 0:23:47Time to make camp after a long, hard day.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55But Sam and Dougal still have things to do.
0:24:00 > 0:24:06In 1869, Powell not only wanted to survive the Canyon but to survey it.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10And to do that, he needed to know exactly where he was.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15The whole point is, if you're taking scientific readings or samples,
0:24:15 > 0:24:18you need to know where you are. Otherwise, there's no point.
0:24:20 > 0:24:23Sam Willis is a maritime historian...
0:24:24 > 0:24:26..and the team's navigator.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32In 1869, Powell mapped the canyon
0:24:32 > 0:24:34using dividers, sextants,
0:24:34 > 0:24:37and a bit of improvisation.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40Now, Sam is seeing
0:24:40 > 0:24:43if he can accurately track HIS journey through the canyon.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49Dougal's been taking photos of rocks for a week and a half now,
0:24:49 > 0:24:51- It all looks the same to me. - I've got a big memory card.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57In 1869, hard climbs to the rim with heavy equipment
0:24:57 > 0:24:59were an almost daily event.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05That moon's going to be a real friend tonight,
0:25:05 > 0:25:09because that's going to travel over here in this direction all night
0:25:09 > 0:25:12and the whole of the heavens are just going to go boom,
0:25:12 > 0:25:14right across us.
0:25:17 > 0:25:20For centuries, man has used the night sky to navigate.
0:25:20 > 0:25:23But for Sam, being surrounded by rock,
0:25:23 > 0:25:26with no visible horizon is less than ideal.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30OK, the moon's out, so we're going to see
0:25:30 > 0:25:33if we can see it in the sextant.
0:25:33 > 0:25:34First thing I need to do...
0:25:35 > 0:25:37..is to fill up our bowl with some water.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43By making his own mini-ocean in a bowl,
0:25:43 > 0:25:47Sam gets a level surface, just like a horizon at sea.
0:25:50 > 0:25:53Knowing the time and the moon's angle...
0:25:55 > 0:25:59..he's almost ready to calculate the team's position.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11Next morning, back in camp, Sam puts his findings to the test.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17So we've got a mixture of things we've done here,
0:26:17 > 0:26:19for the first few days. We worked out roughly how far we'd gone,
0:26:19 > 0:26:22estimating the speed of the river and using compasses
0:26:22 > 0:26:27to judge the bearing. So, we've plotted our estimated position
0:26:27 > 0:26:29on this astro-chart.
0:26:31 > 0:26:35This is the fix we got when we went hiking to the top of the canyon
0:26:35 > 0:26:40and when we finally got down to base camp, we got a GPS
0:26:40 > 0:26:42and that gave us our exact location
0:26:42 > 0:26:46and so, we can work out how accurate our sighting was.
0:26:46 > 0:26:48So we've got our guessed position here,
0:26:48 > 0:26:52we've got our fix from the moon and the sun here
0:26:52 > 0:26:54and our actual position there.
0:26:54 > 0:26:56So, THAT is quite good.
0:26:58 > 0:27:00We are...
0:27:03 > 0:27:05..just over nine miles of difference.
0:27:05 > 0:27:08You can get sextant accuracy
0:27:08 > 0:27:13to within one or two miles, but for being in an alien environment,
0:27:13 > 0:27:15for having to hike up a mountain, I'd done it after a 30-mile row
0:27:15 > 0:27:19as well and nine miles is absolutely fine. I'm really pleased with that.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32Over the next few days,
0:27:32 > 0:27:35Dan's team presses on through the Granite Gorge.
0:27:38 > 0:27:40OK, here comes our big area here.
0:27:46 > 0:27:48From their start at Lee's Ferry,
0:27:48 > 0:27:51they're now 130 miles through their journey.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53Almost halfway.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08But travelling the canyon in August, just like Powell...
0:28:09 > 0:28:12..means they have to contend with the monsoon.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25The rain in the desert is freaking amazing.
0:28:27 > 0:28:32Water pouring down every little groove and doing its thing.
0:28:32 > 0:28:35I get a smile on my face, I look around and everybody else sits there
0:28:35 > 0:28:37going, "Oh, it's raining."
0:28:37 > 0:28:41And it's like, it's the desert and it's supposed to happen...
0:28:42 > 0:28:45..on rare occasions and we're so fortunate to see it.
0:28:47 > 0:28:49That's really... I love the rain,
0:28:49 > 0:28:51Can't tell you enough.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57Well, last night I just got rained on. I mean, I didn't really mind.
0:28:57 > 0:29:00it was just a couple of hours just before dawn and...
0:29:00 > 0:29:04I just got rained on. And it was OK. Quite nice, really.
0:29:04 > 0:29:05The full moon was out
0:29:05 > 0:29:07and then the lightning came in and it was quite dramatic.
0:29:07 > 0:29:10But I think tonight, there's a chance it could be,
0:29:10 > 0:29:12rather than just lose a couple of hours' sleep,
0:29:12 > 0:29:15we might lose the whole night, so tonight were not taking chances.
0:29:17 > 0:29:22In 1869, Powell faced weeks of persistent downpours.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27Don't you worry, it's going to be dry as a bone in there.
0:29:28 > 0:29:32He spent days imprisoned on land, waiting for weather to clear
0:29:32 > 0:29:34and a chance to dry out.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42For the modern team, the threat of a sudden night storm
0:29:42 > 0:29:45means that they have to fix up shelter.
0:29:45 > 0:29:47That looks about as waterproof as a sieve.
0:29:47 > 0:29:49Dougal's taking matters into his own hands.
0:29:49 > 0:29:51He doesn't trust the communal solution.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56But it looks like it involves a flimsy bush.
0:29:57 > 0:30:01I know who'll be knocking at our door at about two in the morning.
0:30:07 > 0:30:09It may be an early night for some,
0:30:09 > 0:30:11sheltering from the canyon's weather...
0:30:14 > 0:30:17But ecologist Mike has other ideas.
0:30:20 > 0:30:23I'm hunting scorpions.
0:30:23 > 0:30:25I have a special torch,
0:30:25 > 0:30:30a flashlight. It basically shines out black light or UV light.
0:30:31 > 0:30:33Oh, there's one! Got it!
0:30:33 > 0:30:35Fantastic!
0:30:35 > 0:30:38This is the bark scorpion.
0:30:38 > 0:30:40Probably the most venomous scorpion
0:30:40 > 0:30:44in the whole south west of the United States.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48Oh, look at the colour of it! Wow, That's amazing!
0:30:48 > 0:30:52It just looks totally yellow in the light.
0:30:54 > 0:30:56Oh, look at this one! Look at that!
0:30:56 > 0:30:59It's just caught a moth, absolutely fantastic. One of the
0:30:59 > 0:31:02best things I've seen on the whole canyon trip.
0:31:04 > 0:31:06That is a top Grand Canyon moment.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09I'm totally thrilled with that.
0:31:09 > 0:31:10Well worth staying up for.
0:31:20 > 0:31:22A bit wet last night.
0:31:22 > 0:31:24Not the most ideal, erm...
0:31:26 > 0:31:29..camping set-up really but, erm...
0:31:30 > 0:31:31..kept mostly dry.
0:31:33 > 0:31:35Didn't really, actually. I'm quite wet.
0:31:36 > 0:31:38There you go.
0:31:43 > 0:31:46# Good morning, world It's a brand-new day
0:31:48 > 0:31:51# I'm packing my bags and I'm getting away... #
0:31:53 > 0:31:57Powell never wasted the time he spent on land.
0:31:57 > 0:31:59They say the Grand Canyon is all about the little side canyons
0:31:59 > 0:32:02that you've got to explore for the full experience
0:32:02 > 0:32:04and that sounds very true of our trip.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07At any opportunity, he explored side canyons.
0:32:12 > 0:32:15Collecting rock samples and recording the geology.
0:32:18 > 0:32:20Dougal's writing his rock notes.
0:32:21 > 0:32:25Since 1869, it's a world that's barely changed.
0:32:27 > 0:32:30And for Dan's team, offers a rare relief from the river grind.
0:32:33 > 0:32:35Here we are, what a view.
0:32:39 > 0:32:43We know from Powell's diaries, he used to hike up the top of this gorge
0:32:43 > 0:32:45nearly every night.
0:32:45 > 0:32:48You feel a very long way from the river, a long way from the rapids
0:32:48 > 0:32:50and I think, coming up here was probably
0:32:50 > 0:32:52part of his coping mechanism.
0:32:57 > 0:32:59There's one of the rapids of the Colorado. When you're in it
0:32:59 > 0:33:03they feel all encompassing and very intense,
0:33:03 > 0:33:05but from up here...
0:33:06 > 0:33:08..they just look like a few ripples.
0:33:08 > 0:33:10It looks nothing from up here.
0:33:16 > 0:33:20Powell returned to the canyon two years after his pioneering trip.
0:33:23 > 0:33:27And this time, he brought along a state of the art 3D camera.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32Going home with dozens of delicate glass plates.
0:33:38 > 0:33:41Oh, look, there's this layer. This limestone layer.
0:33:41 > 0:33:43Yeah, the Tapeats. It's a sandstone.
0:33:43 > 0:33:45I don't know. What do you think?
0:33:45 > 0:33:48Armed with a box of prints from the Powell originals,
0:33:48 > 0:33:51Dan and Bryan are trying to find the exact locations
0:33:51 > 0:33:53where they were taken.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56- It's upstream from here. - Is this not that right there?
0:33:59 > 0:34:00Yeah, there you go.
0:34:00 > 0:34:02- That could be it, too. yeah, yeah, yeah.- Right here...
0:34:02 > 0:34:05We found it, we found the spot. That's a great one.
0:34:05 > 0:34:08- We're looking at the same scene...- Yeah.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11..that Powell would have looked at back then.
0:34:11 > 0:34:13We're in their footsteps.
0:34:13 > 0:34:15- That pretty solid?- Yeah.
0:34:17 > 0:34:20Using a camera similar to the one Powell would have had,
0:34:20 > 0:34:23Dan and Bryan are attempting to recreate
0:34:23 > 0:34:25one of his most memorable scenes.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29Just glorious. Fantastic. It just looks great.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32- Do you want to come and see this?- Oh, wow!
0:34:34 > 0:34:35OK, here we go.
0:34:35 > 0:34:38One, two, three,
0:34:38 > 0:34:39four, five...
0:34:41 > 0:34:43- We back on?- Back on.- OK, nice.
0:34:49 > 0:34:53It's just amazing up here. It's like the perfect dark room.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57- All right, so...- OK, buddy, we need to go red now, right?
0:34:57 > 0:35:00We need to go red now. Stand by.
0:35:00 > 0:35:02- Look at that!- Not quite there.
0:35:02 > 0:35:06That evening, Dan and Bryan find a dark spot, to discover
0:35:06 > 0:35:10if their own 3D photography has worked.
0:35:10 > 0:35:12Oh, it's exciting. OK, here we go.
0:35:12 > 0:35:14It's amazing not knowing what pictures you've taken
0:35:14 > 0:35:16until you got them back to the lab or dark room,
0:35:16 > 0:35:18which could be weeks or months later...
0:35:20 > 0:35:22Great shot of the boat here.
0:35:22 > 0:35:24When you think about modern photography,
0:35:24 > 0:35:25it's just a different world, isn't it?
0:35:27 > 0:35:29I mean, digital photography,
0:35:29 > 0:35:32you just instantly make a correction
0:35:32 > 0:35:34and then you walk away with the shot.
0:35:34 > 0:35:35Where as here
0:35:35 > 0:35:39it's just so tricky, you know?
0:35:41 > 0:35:44- Is it cool to go white light now? - Yeah, we're totally set, so...
0:35:44 > 0:35:46- We might see more. Look at that.- Oh, wow.
0:35:51 > 0:35:52That's fantastic.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57- Well done, man.- Thank you.
0:36:10 > 0:36:1211 days in.
0:36:12 > 0:36:16Dan and his team still have 158 miles to travel.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23THEY SHOUT TO EACH OTHER
0:36:30 > 0:36:35But at last, they are coming to the end of the feared Granite Gorge.
0:36:35 > 0:36:39The rapids here are not as big as some they've come through.
0:36:39 > 0:36:40THAT can be deceptive.
0:36:40 > 0:36:45They're shallower and rockier and the men are all worn down.
0:36:59 > 0:37:02When Powell was coming down this river, their shoes had
0:37:02 > 0:37:04rotted off their feet, they had very little food left,
0:37:04 > 0:37:08they had run out of spares and were running out of motivation, as well.
0:37:09 > 0:37:10Running low on energy,
0:37:10 > 0:37:13people's feet are starting to rot, hands are starting to swell up.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16It's all going to have an effect and all it takes is for us
0:37:16 > 0:37:17to be a little off our game
0:37:17 > 0:37:20and we're straight into the wall or straight into some rocks.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31A sudden snap...
0:37:31 > 0:37:33and Fred goes hurtling.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51Just sheered off an oarlock pin.
0:37:51 > 0:37:53That's the bit that's broken off and you can see
0:37:53 > 0:37:57where it started to go, started to bend here
0:37:57 > 0:38:00and then it's just, "ping!" it sounded like a bullet.
0:38:02 > 0:38:04Fred, can you wiggle your toes, if you're OK?
0:38:08 > 0:38:11Oarlock fixed and back on the river.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17But the worst of the day is still to come...
0:38:17 > 0:38:20- for Dan's boat... - Hard on this side. Hard...
0:38:22 > 0:38:24..at a vicious rapid called Bedrock...
0:38:26 > 0:38:30..where even the normally-serene Tom gets rattled.
0:38:30 > 0:38:32Keep going, keep going!
0:38:32 > 0:38:35Hang on, hang on! Get rid of your oar, get rid of your oar!
0:38:35 > 0:38:38Get rid of your oar. Hang on, hang on...
0:38:38 > 0:38:40Dan's boat takes a big hit...
0:38:44 > 0:38:45We're all right.
0:38:45 > 0:38:47Relax, wait.
0:38:47 > 0:38:49Stay in the boat, just relax.
0:38:52 > 0:38:54..and it's seriously damaged.
0:39:02 > 0:39:06OK, poor Crazy Horse, man. Oh, my goodness.
0:39:06 > 0:39:09It's ruined.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12If this was a fibreglass boat, it would have...
0:39:12 > 0:39:14it would not still be floating, I don't think.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20It would've wrapped around that rock. It may of even stayed on that rock.
0:39:20 > 0:39:22It hasn't even crushed the grain on the outside,
0:39:22 > 0:39:25if you look at the inside, the wood's totally blown out.
0:39:25 > 0:39:27What do you think of that, eh?
0:39:27 > 0:39:31That's brutal, patching a patch.
0:39:31 > 0:39:32Patching a patch.
0:39:35 > 0:39:39OK, that's a serious digger right there.
0:39:39 > 0:39:43Unless Ben can fix the extensive damage to Dan's boat,
0:39:43 > 0:39:46the whole expedition could be in real trouble.
0:39:46 > 0:39:48Sometimes, when there's a crack in the wood,
0:39:48 > 0:39:52you can actually cork the crack. I'm just driving the cotton in there.
0:39:52 > 0:39:56The Powell guys did this a lot on their expedition down through here
0:39:56 > 0:39:59and they used to use... They used to climb up to the higher ground
0:39:59 > 0:40:04and use tree sap as an agent to improve this corking process.
0:40:05 > 0:40:08It's all hands on deck to help Ben.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13Kind of out here in the field and running out of daylight.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16There's really no good way to fix it, so I'm just going to go for it
0:40:16 > 0:40:18and see what happens. I'm going to do what I can.
0:40:18 > 0:40:22I can no longer see daylight through the bottom of the boat.
0:40:23 > 0:40:25Didn't sleep, hardly at all, last night.
0:40:27 > 0:40:31Just started working on the boats. I'm not fixing them properly,
0:40:31 > 0:40:34because I'm just trying to keep the boats going on the river
0:40:34 > 0:40:35and we have limited time.
0:40:35 > 0:40:38We were in the camp at six or seven and it's almost dark.
0:40:39 > 0:40:41This is, you know, this is my job.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49Having spent half the night fixing the blue boat...
0:40:51 > 0:40:54..Ben needs the next day to check over the others.
0:40:57 > 0:41:01With the canyon's biggest rapids ahead and time running out...
0:41:03 > 0:41:05..he resorts to modern technology.
0:41:09 > 0:41:12These boats are definitely taking a lot of energy.
0:41:12 > 0:41:14I've been working on them every night, every morning
0:41:14 > 0:41:17for the last couple of days and...
0:41:17 > 0:41:21the river's definitely taking its toll on the boats.
0:41:21 > 0:41:22Thank you, sir.
0:41:24 > 0:41:28A boat like this should last 50 years on the ocean,
0:41:28 > 0:41:30but you put a boat like this
0:41:30 > 0:41:35in an environment like this, two weeks is about all it can take.
0:41:40 > 0:41:42Can't quit now.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46While Ben finishes his repairs...
0:41:48 > 0:41:50..Dan and Tom climb to an ancient site
0:41:50 > 0:41:54which would have fascinated Powell back in 1869.
0:41:58 > 0:42:01- Here we go, check these out, Dan. - Oh, yeah there's some marks here.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04It's the old universal desire to draw a picture of a...
0:42:04 > 0:42:06- human on a rock, eh?- Yeah.
0:42:06 > 0:42:08No matter where you are in the world.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12Oh, wow. There's great ones up there.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16Powell took a great interest in the native Americans who were
0:42:16 > 0:42:20living in the canyon long before he arrived.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24What material are they using?
0:42:24 > 0:42:28That is a hematite. They use it to colour their moccasins
0:42:28 > 0:42:30and their bodies, too, for dances for ceremony.
0:42:32 > 0:42:33On later visits,
0:42:33 > 0:42:37Powell even photographed the local tribes for posterity.
0:42:43 > 0:42:45Powell coming through here,
0:42:45 > 0:42:49he thought this was The Great Unknown and he spends his whole time bumping
0:42:49 > 0:42:52into evidence of human habitation. And this journey would have
0:42:52 > 0:42:56changed his whole outlook on this great unknown, this blank space.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59Because it wasn't The Great Unknown to all the people living here
0:42:59 > 0:43:02and fishing here and hunting here and growing vegetables here.
0:43:02 > 0:43:06- This was home.- And probably gave him hope that he was getting back
0:43:06 > 0:43:08- and closer to...- I think...
0:43:08 > 0:43:11..terra firma, you know?
0:43:11 > 0:43:13- Would have been comforting, I think.- Yeah.
0:43:19 > 0:43:22Boats finally repaired, it's time to move on.
0:43:23 > 0:43:28There's a pretty major repair that went down on the blue boat.
0:43:28 > 0:43:29But it's good, it's all patched up.
0:43:31 > 0:43:35The problem now is that they're all very high and dry
0:43:35 > 0:43:38and our boat is completely rocked out.
0:43:38 > 0:43:40One, two, three!
0:43:41 > 0:43:43- Yeah, there we go.- That's nice.
0:43:43 > 0:43:44- Oh, beauty.- Straight in.
0:43:54 > 0:43:57Every single day, Powell thought that the cliffs of the canyon
0:43:57 > 0:44:00would begin to open and he would be freed from his prison.
0:44:03 > 0:44:06But every day brought new grim surprises...
0:44:08 > 0:44:10..formed from ancient geological events.
0:44:14 > 0:44:18Dan's team are two thirds of the way through the canyon.
0:44:18 > 0:44:20They've made it through marble
0:44:20 > 0:44:21and granite,
0:44:21 > 0:44:24but are now approaching the most treacherous section of all...
0:44:26 > 0:44:28..lava
0:44:35 > 0:44:38These lavas, sort of, represented the start of the final dark
0:44:38 > 0:44:41chapter in Powell's journey.
0:44:41 > 0:44:44Imagine that desert canyon as it is now
0:44:44 > 0:44:45and then, all of a sudden, a lava flow
0:44:45 > 0:44:49starts coming barrelling down the canyon,
0:44:49 > 0:44:53gets to the edge of the Grand Canyon and goes whoosh
0:44:53 > 0:44:55and starts an actual -
0:44:55 > 0:44:58almost like a waterfall, but a lava fall - of molten rock.
0:44:58 > 0:45:02In fact, this would have come all the way down
0:45:02 > 0:45:06and would have filled up and blocked the Grand Canyon.
0:45:06 > 0:45:09We'd have actually been able to walk from here
0:45:09 > 0:45:11over to the other side of the Grand Canyon.
0:45:15 > 0:45:20Rounding Vulcan's Anvil, just as Powell did in 1869,
0:45:20 > 0:45:23Dan's team comes into hard lava rock
0:45:23 > 0:45:26and the start of some fearsome white water.
0:45:31 > 0:45:33Here is the biggest
0:45:33 > 0:45:37and most violent rapid in the entire canyon...
0:45:38 > 0:45:39..Lava Falls.
0:45:42 > 0:45:45When Powell actually got to Lava, he didn't think at all about
0:45:45 > 0:45:49running it. I think it's such a violent churning stretch of water,
0:45:49 > 0:45:52they would have just portaged it, there was, literally, no choice.
0:45:54 > 0:45:57Even the safety and filming rafts get battered
0:45:57 > 0:45:59by the huge waves of Lava.
0:46:03 > 0:46:08Lava is, by everybody's estimation, pretty much the biggest and most
0:46:08 > 0:46:11complicated rapid on the Colorado River.
0:46:15 > 0:46:17Lava's properly dangerous. People die on Lava.
0:46:20 > 0:46:23But Dan is determined to see if his boats can run Lava.
0:46:28 > 0:46:30For Mike, it's a massive ask.
0:46:32 > 0:46:36I'm going to try not to think too much about what a big rapid
0:46:36 > 0:46:38it is before we go down.
0:46:38 > 0:46:42I'm going to trust my technique, listen to Adam and watch Bryan
0:46:42 > 0:46:44and they're the three things that I've tried to
0:46:44 > 0:46:46maintain the whole way through.
0:46:47 > 0:46:50My concern is that...
0:46:50 > 0:46:55with Mike, is that he gets really nervous and scared,
0:46:55 > 0:46:57and when he gets nervous and scared,
0:46:57 > 0:46:59he stops following directions.
0:46:59 > 0:47:03It's this whole domino effect, where one little missed stroke turns
0:47:03 > 0:47:06into two, turns into three and then
0:47:06 > 0:47:09we start losing the boat. We lose our momentum, we lose our angle.
0:47:09 > 0:47:12Lava can just slap you. Anything can go wrong there.
0:47:12 > 0:47:14Doesn't take much.
0:47:16 > 0:47:19Technical bends. Exposed rocks.
0:47:19 > 0:47:24It brings all the dangers together in one terrifying package.
0:47:26 > 0:47:29At the top, a hole the size of a bus,
0:47:29 > 0:47:33capable of pinning boats to the riverbed.
0:47:33 > 0:47:36Survive Lava and you're straight into another rapid
0:47:36 > 0:47:39that has been the undoing of many river men...
0:47:41 > 0:47:43..Son of Lava.
0:47:47 > 0:47:49Fred, what happens if we get it wrong?
0:47:49 > 0:47:52We are probably going to go pretty deep and get washed out.
0:47:52 > 0:47:57Possibly a popped eardrum, smashed on some rocks.
0:47:57 > 0:48:00Remember, if you do go in, this is a rocky rapid down deep and it's
0:48:00 > 0:48:03going to take you down deep. Make sure you limbs are in, so you're not
0:48:03 > 0:48:05getting a foot entrapment from a rock.
0:48:05 > 0:48:08But, erm, the boats just get trashed.
0:48:11 > 0:48:14It's the biggest test in the entire canyon.
0:48:15 > 0:48:19Fred takes the scout boat over the top with Sam and Ben.
0:48:42 > 0:48:44Only a perfect line will do.
0:48:45 > 0:48:47Oh, they nailed it!
0:48:47 > 0:48:49CHEERING
0:48:52 > 0:48:54The light scout boat makes it through Lava.
0:48:57 > 0:48:59Get on it, now, get on it.
0:48:59 > 0:49:01Get on it.
0:49:01 > 0:49:03Get on it.
0:49:04 > 0:49:05OK, here we go...
0:49:08 > 0:49:11Dan's heavier oak boat, though, takes a hammering.
0:49:16 > 0:49:18Here we go, keep going.
0:49:18 > 0:49:21Stay with it, stay with it, stay with it.
0:49:24 > 0:49:29It seems Powell was right not to run Lava falls and its violent waves,
0:49:29 > 0:49:33as Tom's stern oar is ripped from his hand and he loses control.
0:49:34 > 0:49:37Dan only comes through at the mercy of the current.
0:49:47 > 0:49:49Big wave, duck!
0:49:54 > 0:49:57Just coming in, Bryan's boat takes a massive broadside hit.
0:50:07 > 0:50:10Adam is suddenly nowhere to be seen.
0:50:36 > 0:50:38He's hauled back on board.
0:50:39 > 0:50:42But without a stern oar, they are totally out of control.
0:50:44 > 0:50:46And heading for Son of Lava.
0:50:51 > 0:50:52Hold on!
0:51:00 > 0:51:03A rescue boat vainly attempts to attach a safety line.
0:51:10 > 0:51:13But somehow, Bryan's boat makes it to shore.
0:51:22 > 0:51:23For Mike...
0:51:23 > 0:51:25it's all been too much.
0:51:27 > 0:51:28Was I scared? Erm...
0:51:31 > 0:51:33You haven't got time to be scared
0:51:33 > 0:51:35it's just bang, bang, bang, bang, bang.
0:51:48 > 0:51:50After coming close to tragedy,
0:51:50 > 0:51:53Bryan has sympathy for Mike's feelings.
0:51:53 > 0:51:55- Hey, Mike.- Yeah?
0:51:57 > 0:52:00Nice work, dude. Nice job, all right?
0:52:05 > 0:52:09You realise that life is this fickle thing
0:52:09 > 0:52:13and the river has WAY more power
0:52:13 > 0:52:16than any of us possibly have to control it.
0:52:32 > 0:52:35Dan's team have travelled 240 miles.
0:52:39 > 0:52:41Leaving the dangerous Lava behind them,
0:52:41 > 0:52:44they are finally through the worst of the canyon.
0:52:47 > 0:52:52In 1869, Powell's men were barely clinging on to life.
0:52:55 > 0:52:59Expecting to only spend a few weeks in the canyon,
0:52:59 > 0:53:01they'd been on the river for over three months.
0:53:03 > 0:53:07And some had finally lost faith in their leader.
0:53:14 > 0:53:19This was described by one of the guys on the Powell expedition as the
0:53:19 > 0:53:21"darkest day" of the entire expedition.
0:53:23 > 0:53:27Almost starving, they reached a side canyon,
0:53:27 > 0:53:29now called Separation.
0:53:30 > 0:53:33Here, three of the men deserted.
0:53:34 > 0:53:38Up until now, one of the key distinguishing features of this
0:53:38 > 0:53:41place has been its claustrophobia. It's like being in a maze.
0:53:41 > 0:53:44You can never see any further than a quarter of a mile in any direction.
0:53:44 > 0:53:47But here, for the first time, it's opened up
0:53:47 > 0:53:50- and it really looks like you've got a chance of getting out.- Yeah.
0:53:52 > 0:53:57Tensions, built over months, had reached breaking point.
0:54:00 > 0:54:02It's funny, we talk about arguments over food,
0:54:02 > 0:54:05"So and so doesn't do the washing up very much" and it sounds so petty
0:54:05 > 0:54:08when you are back home. But those are the things that do drive you
0:54:08 > 0:54:12crazy about each other. Those are the things that do rip the group apart.
0:54:12 > 0:54:14And they had lost faith in the leadership.
0:54:14 > 0:54:16Totally lost.
0:54:16 > 0:54:18So when he's saying "Guys, we're close by!"
0:54:18 > 0:54:22They are saying, "You've been saying that for weeks. We don't trust you
0:54:22 > 0:54:24"any more and we are taking matters into our own hands."
0:54:28 > 0:54:31Two brothers, Oramel and Seneca Howland,
0:54:31 > 0:54:37along with William Dunn, left the expedition on the 28th August 1869.
0:54:38 > 0:54:40They exchanged letters for loved ones
0:54:40 > 0:54:44and were given a copy of the expedition journal.
0:54:44 > 0:54:46Then, they walked away.
0:54:48 > 0:54:53So, the three of them left the river after having come so far.
0:54:54 > 0:54:58But if your scared and you don't know what's downstream...
0:54:58 > 0:55:02Scared, hungry and nobody was getting along.
0:55:05 > 0:55:07The three men were never seen again.
0:55:18 > 0:55:22What no-one knew was that Powell and the remaining five men
0:55:22 > 0:55:25would reach the safety of a Mormon settlement only two days later.
0:55:32 > 0:55:35I think what it comes down to, is that Powell had what lots
0:55:35 > 0:55:38of those great explorers had, which was luck.
0:55:40 > 0:55:43They shot these rapids OK. They were lucky
0:55:43 > 0:55:45and then, they were home clear.
0:55:46 > 0:55:48For the 2013 team,
0:55:48 > 0:55:52just one last night in the grip of the canyon.
0:55:52 > 0:55:54Old squash, old peppers.
0:55:56 > 0:55:57It's going to be delicious.
0:55:58 > 0:56:01Sad, elated...
0:56:02 > 0:56:04..proud.
0:56:04 > 0:56:07Yeah, it's good. Good. We've done well. We've done well.
0:56:07 > 0:56:09You know, I'm ready to...
0:56:09 > 0:56:14Kind of kick off the foot rot and shave my face
0:56:14 > 0:56:17and go home and see my wife and kid.
0:56:17 > 0:56:22This relentless push to get to the end is finally done and I am
0:56:22 > 0:56:24God-relieved that it's nearly finished.
0:56:30 > 0:56:35In 1869, Powell and his men spent 101 days
0:56:35 > 0:56:40fighting for survival through 930 miles of hostile river.
0:56:46 > 0:56:52After nearly three weeks, Dan's team have successfully navigated
0:56:52 > 0:56:58their antique boats through all 280 miles of the Grand Canyon.
0:57:02 > 0:57:07Dan has rediscovered The Great Unknown for the very first time.
0:57:09 > 0:57:12I can safely say that Powell's achievement
0:57:12 > 0:57:15is up there with anything any explorer has ever done,
0:57:15 > 0:57:18whether it's Stanley crossing Africa, whether it's Shackleton
0:57:18 > 0:57:21in the South Pole, whether it's Scott in the Antarctic, as well.
0:57:21 > 0:57:23What they did here, what they suffered
0:57:23 > 0:57:25and what they went through...
0:57:25 > 0:57:27is right up there.
0:57:28 > 0:57:30I'll never sit at home and sit back
0:57:30 > 0:57:33and read a diary of a great explorer ever again
0:57:33 > 0:57:37without realising just the horror that they must have been through.
0:57:40 > 0:57:44Back in 1869, there were still rapids to navigate.
0:57:48 > 0:57:52But today, water backed up from the Hoover Dam has covered them all.
0:57:54 > 0:57:57Dan's journey is finally over.
0:57:59 > 0:58:03The canyon walls fall away just as they did for Powell
0:58:03 > 0:58:09almost 150 years ago, and they're out in open country, at last.
0:58:12 > 0:58:14I'm enormously relieved that we're here.
0:58:14 > 0:58:18OK, we've got Adam in there now.
0:58:18 > 0:58:21We've all got cuts and bruises and aches and pains. The boats are
0:58:21 > 0:58:25- looking pretty battered... - Here we go.- Get in, Bryan.
0:58:25 > 0:58:27..but we've done it. It's absolutely amazing.
0:58:27 > 0:58:30LAUGHTER
0:58:32 > 0:58:34# Keep all your lands
0:58:36 > 0:58:38# And dream them burning
0:58:41 > 0:58:44# Keep all your lands
0:58:46 > 0:58:48# And keep them burning
0:58:50 > 0:58:51# Yeah!
0:58:52 > 0:58:53# Oh!
0:58:56 > 0:58:57# Yes! #