Glen Canyon below the dam

On the walls, and back many miles into the country, numbers of monument-shaped buttes are observed. So we have a curious ensemble of wonderful features - carved walls, royal arches, glens, alcove gulches, mounds and monuments. From which of these features shall we select a name? We decide to call it Glen Canyon.

- John Wesley Powell, "Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons"

GLEN CANYON, many suppose, is a canyon no more. But that is not 100-percent accurate.

True, Glen Canyon Dam near the Utah-Arizona border plugs the ancient course of the Colorado River. As a result, the gorge described and named by John Wesley Powell after his 1870s expeditions has become a long, serpentine basin filled with water.

Except . . . Glen Canyon Dam is not at the mouth of Glen Canyon.

"This is the last 15.3 miles of Glen Canyon," notes John Torgenson, a young river pilot for Wilderness River Adventures. He's guiding a sky-blue J-raft, made of large linked tubes, into the stream just below the dam, which towers almost 600 feet above the launch dock.

This raft and two others loaded with tourists have embarked on a float trip from the dam to Lee's Ferry, a pioneer-era crossing now served by modern bridges.

After introducing himself, Torgenson, from St. George, Utah, has his passengers identify themselves. Many of the 19 aboard are from the United States, but most - 13 adults and children - are members of an extended family from Cornwall, England. They've been exploring the American Southwest, visiting, for instance, Disneyland and the Grand Canyon. Three in the party ventured to Plateau Point below the South Rim, "and I have a sore bum from riding a mule," admits Jeremy Mitchell to chuckles all around.

"You need a life jacket or something to sit on?" Torgenson asks.

This segment of the river is quiet and pretty much without riffles, let alone rapids, so it is unlikely anyone will have need of a life jacket for its designed purpose. The water is chilly though, about 47 degrees Fahrenheit, because the reservoir holds and releases cold mountain water. That temperature makes this stretch of river a haven for anglers.

"They're all fishing for rainbow trout," Torgenson explains, for the species thrives in the waters, as do some carp and trash fish. Those fishing are allowed to use artificial lures only, "no cheese or worms . . . and one day a week you have to use your left hand," the guide says. He's exaggerating.