In The Shadow of Longs Peak
Glendo To Guernsey
03 August 2013
We woke up to a grey overcast sky with very low hanging clouds, a very unusual sight for Wyoming. This is not the forecast I read but we are all up and getting ready for today’s outing. Gary makes pancakes and I prepare my coffee. It was quite windy on the drive up from Colorado and windy overnight making sleeping difficult, though sleeping is always difficult on the first night of camping.
The wind is reminiscent of last years trip which was windy overnight but then it broke about midnight and we woke up to sun and calm.
Not so today.
We meet at 8 am, at the boat ramp just below the Glendo Power Plant and got ready to do the shuttle. We decide that Maris can bring everyone back to the put-in so we head off. It is still pretty overcast. We stay close in our caravan and it seems like it takes forever to get to the Guernsey exit. Once off the exit, the next turnoff is to the north, on the Wendover Road which we take to the Cottonwood Road and are stopped by a train. We get out and investigate; discuss simply leaving the cars there. But luckily, after about 15 minutes, the train moves and we are on our way. Once at the take out, we walk down and scout the take out; then back to the cars and the put-in.
By this time, the sky has cleared and the wind is up a bit. We get ready, put in and are off! A nice steady flow -- my kind of river. I eddy out for a minute to adjust my camera then we raft up and decide positions: I will sweep but honestly we stay keep pretty close together so that is nice. We go down the first riffle without incident and continue down river and enter a canyon, pine covered and steep but not cliffy and gradually the canyon gives way to a more open area.
The river splits. Gary and John decide to explore and take the right branch while the rest of us stick to the main channel which we continue down. After awhile I wonder where John and Gary are. We decide to eddy out and wait, but there is no good eddy in sight. I cross, continue down and spy what looks like a nice eddy on river left. As I turn in, I hear Gary call my name so look around but do not see him and wonder if I am hearing things…but just then I see them both pop out across the river. So that channel does go thru.
It’s getting on to lunch and we start to look for Alligator Alley / Dragon’s Lair and come upon it after a half mile or so. It’s a nice spot with a picnic table, grill and our friend the dragon. We have a quick lunch and are on the river again as the wind begins to pick up. At this point we’ve estimated that we’ve gone 4 miles with another 8 to go.
Next item of note is the ranch bridge across the river, then a long left hand turn, more river, then another left hand turn where there is a nearly river wide eddy. I cross the eddy, paddling hard against the swirl to reach the other side.
We are about 2 miles from the haystacks. As you approach the haystacks, there is a promenade high up on the right. We go down the first S turn. There is a nice big eddy on river right to get into which Pam Noe does. This is a good spot to look down and pick your line down into the haystacks into the next eddy on river left. Whitewater kayaks are always cautioned against going across the eddy line too slow but the rules seem different for canoeists as going too fast seems to be key to flipping – here it seems like a shallow angle across the eddy line is best. One of our tandem boats do flip and everyone lends a hand. As always, it takes time to get gear, drain boats and get people going.
2 or 3 more miles but now the wind has come up with a vengeance. Two of the whitewater canoeists take a tow. The flatwater boats seem to do better. But now the weather moves in. I paddle upstream to the last tandem and then turn back down. Pam and Karen are out, unpacked, loaded and leave. Good for them, as now the rain and thunder start. We take refuge in our cars and it seems a long time before it stops. I worry about driving out on the muddy road. We focus on loading the boats on the car and finally we are all ready to move on. The road is muddy but driving is not too difficult. Ken is heading back to Colorado but the rest of us head back to Glendo. It continues to rain and the wind blows.
Back at camp, still raining, still windy but there is a picnic shelter we take refuge in and enjoy a group summer. Mary Jo and Steve decide to break camp and find a motel. The rest of us head for the tents. I sleep pretty sound.
Sunday of course is calm and beautiful. We have breakfast and break camp. Gary and I head north and go for a spin in the sea kayaks before heading home.
Again its windy and again the wind play havoc with the boats. We stops, tighten then get off the highway at first chance taking the frontage and back roads into Cheyenne and continue down highway 85 into Ault then 14 west to Fort Collins, a nice less windy alternative.
A nice weekend by far. Next time need to order up less wind.