In The Shadow of Longs Peak
Friday 15 October 2021
Again, we are camped where we get the morning sun. And again, I sleep with my boating clothes between my sleeping bag and pad so they warm and toasty when I get dressed.
After packing up, we head into Warm Springs Canyon. At the end are what we dub ‘ghost trees’ since they probably have not seen the light of day since the 1960 when the lake started to fill.
We head out and continue down lake, bypassing Cedar Canyon.
After Knowles Canyon we start looking for a lunch spot. We should see our campsites from 2014 and from 4 years ago. From both those trips, I do remember, just after Knowles, there are a number of coves on river right. On the 2014 trip, we did find a nice lunch spot in there. I also remember a huge rock outcropping sticking out of the water both times.
We paddle but do not explore coves. We see a something sticking out of the water and we head there. It turns out to be the rock outcropping of previous years but now is an island, where we get out to have lunch.
Our camp spots of previous years are just should be just across the water. They are but are way high. I am glad we were not counting on this as a camping spot.
We have lunch and are underway again. Past Smith Creek Canyon. Past Forgotten Canyon.
We run into a group of sea kayakers from Golden and exchange information on camping sites. We tell them about Warm Springs, they tell us about a site at Buoy 102.
Next is Hansen Canyon, the first of possible camping sites. Gary and Werner begin to explore but we call them back. The weather is good and we decide to get further down the lake with MM 102 as the first possibility.
We continue down lake on river left, against a wall, since the sites at MM102 will be on river left. Across the lake, we see what could be camping possibilities – shore line leading into gentle slopes with some trees – and keep it in mind. We pass the end of the wall and start looking for campsites. On previous trips, this seemed like a good place for camping. Again, there are small coves to paddle into. We find one that has possibilities, pull up, get out and look around.
Home for the night.
Monday 11 October 2021
We are up between 7:00 and 7:30. It takes awhile to have breakfast, break down camp, move gear to the boats and load them. We were on the water by 10 AM or so.
As soon as we round the next curve, at the nose of The Horn, the wind comes up.
We gather up in a protected cove on river right. Our decision is to cross the lake and start looking for a campsite as we expect the wind will increase as the next weather front moves in. The forecast is for rain starting at midnight and higher winds thru Tuesday. Thus, we had already expected that tonight’s camp would be for 2 nights.
In our planning, I had thought there would be camping on river left in the area of Scorup Canyon, which I have always considered to be the top of Good Hope Bay. The first thing then is to cross the lake. The wind is coming up-lake at an angle which is advantageous to us so we can head directly into it, heading down-lake and diagonally to the other side. Once across, someone mention the crossing, which was about a mile, took an hour. Once we get to the other side, and in a spot that was a bit protected, I take a reading on the anemometer. It reads 11+ mph. I would guess on the open lake it would have been around 15 mph.
We begin investigating camp sites. At this point we are nearing Scorup Canyon where I had expected would have camping possibilities. Lindsay investigates one which seems small. Gary investigates the next though it seems composed of a wide drainage which may be a problem if the expected rains come. I paddle forward into the next cove, find some rocks and gravel to ensure a solid landing, get out and hike up to the nose of the bench. There is a flat spot for 2 tents but we need room for 3. I encourage the others to get out and investigate.
We do some weeding and decide the best is to put the 3 tents side by side on the nose. Cozy but comfortable and out of any drainage. We call Gary over. We all start unpacking and setting up camp. It is windy but still warm. Our spot is somewhat out of the wind, but we can scoot down on one side or the other of the nose and be out of the wind completely.
After setting up camp, we make lunch. Carol and Werner go for a walk. I relax, still not quite recovered from yesterday. I am very unoptimistic about the remainder of the trip since the lows are predicted to be in the 20s and I am not mentally prepared for that and only very marginally prepared gear-wise. I am getting more and more un-nerved.
I felt the need to apologize for taking folks into the unknown rapids yesterday. I know we are a group of strong boaters, but I feel very responsible for leading them into such an unknown, difficult area.
At some point, I do go for a walk, both behind our campsite and down lake. Down lake, there is another cove which I did not see on my initial scout. But when we finally do paddle by it on Wednesday, it did not seem to have any better camping as compared to where we are.
We make and eat supper then crawl into the tent. My boating clothes are nearly dry, so they go into the bottom of my sleeping bag. Once I change to dry socks, I am warm and comfortable.
(The remaining nights, my boating clothes went between my sleeping bag and pad. In the morning they were dry and warm without being in my bag. And once I remembered this 'winter camping trick' the lower predicted temperatures were much less foreboding).
I sleep better than the previous night, though do wake up once it starts raining. We seem pretty secure where we are, so I fall back asleep pretty quickly.
Thursday 14 October 2021
Today is a long paddle day, due to having to paddle the channel below Good Hope Bay, where there are no incoming creeks or known campsites until we get to Warm Springs Canyon or Cedar Canyon.
It is a bonus that we have the morning sun. I get up, get dressed into my paddling clothes which are warm and dry, then add some more layers. The overnight lows were not in the 20s as predicted, more likely the mid to high 30s. I am very happy about that!
Gary works on making hot water and breakfast while I start packing sleeping bags, pads, and clothes. Eventually all gear is packed and we are ready to paddle. The sun is warming up nicely.
We head back to the mouth of the canyon. The sun is at such an angle that I cannot see the opening of the canyon mouth into the main lake so ask others to lead. But turns out, no one else can see it either.
We paddle on, eventually rounding a spit of land and are back in Good Hope Bay proper. We should be about 4 or so miles from the channel.
We paddle on. And paddle some more. And some more. There is much consternation since it seems like we should see the floating outhouse by now. We do see lots of likely objects but none turn out to be the floating outhouse. And from the last trip I seem to remember that the lake angles wide to the left (looking down lake). I have no idea where we are, despite having both maps and a GPS. Finally, we do see there is a wide bay off to our left. And straight ahead another object. I take out the binoculars and see it is the floating bathroom. Whew!
The guys paddle ahead. Carol, Brookie and I paddle to the right and take out for a quick rest stop. Then back into our boats and we meet up with the guys and turn into the channel.
As we paddle along, I check out the walls, both right and left. We did stop somewhere for a quick break 4 years ago but all the likely looking places are way over my head.
Eventually we break out of the channel. The first canyon is Seven Mile Canyon on our right.
The weather prediction was for winds in the mid-to-late afternoon and they seem to be starting up. We are approaching Warm Springs Canyon. And on river right, there seem to be some camping possibilities. We start peeking into coves and find one with gravel spots so we get out and look around. There is enough space for 3 tents.
The wind comes up even more and it starts to rain but not for long. Since this site is adequate, and due to the wind and rain, there is no enthusiasm for scouting out additional sites. So we are home for the night.
We unload, find tent spots, and set-up. I pump water. Carol goes for a dip (which I should have done, as today it is finally warm enough).
Sadly, no beer today.
Same as yesterday, I stay in my boating clothes till they are nearly dry and again put them between the sleeping bag and pad, then change into PJs with shore clothes layered on top. We eventually have supper. Then later crawl into the tent. I sleep well again.
Wednesday 13 October 2021
As predicted, it is colder overnight but not the below freezing temperatures promised. The boating clothes were stowed in the foot of my sleeping bag, so they are warm to put on, which I am grateful for. We have breakfast, break-down camp, pack the boats and are on our way. It is warming up and the sun is out! Yee-Ha!
I use the new big waterproof gloves, taking care to keep my fingerless gloves dry (since they are the only gloves that I have with me that allow me to operate the camera).
We head down lake, staying on river left. As mentioned, there are additional coves along the way, but none seem to have any better camping than the one we camped at. Before long, Brookie has trouble with her rudder so we pull over; repairs are made and we are on our way.
Next, we approach the mouth of Red Canyon and Blue Notch Canyon, passing Castle Butte. The last time we were here, these looked worthy of further exploration but today they do not seem to go back very far (which can be deceiving) so we bypass them and continue paddling. It gets warmer and sunnier. The wind remains calm.
Lindsay strikes up a conversation with a couple rafters who are doing a photo study on the lake today, as compared to photos from 1960s. There is a posting in the Utah Rafters Facebook Page by Tom Martin on 23 October 2021 and his presentation can be seen at https://vimeo.com/638086686. It is an intriguing presentation. There is also a posting by Tom Martin on 17 October 2021 with a photo or two of the rapids we went thru. There is also a video on MountainBuzz posted on 14 October 2021 by yardsells that show the delta and some of the rapids taken by a drone.
The next highlight is Ticaboo Canyon on river right. It has the look of a slot canyon so is very inviting. We cross the lake and head into its mouth. It does not seem to go back very far but Gary and Werner disappear and pass out of sight.
Lindsay mentions he would like a break. Once in the canyon mouth proper, there is a huge sandbar, very inviting. We scope it out and find good gravel banks to land on. Once out of the boats, we see that this site has ample space for camping.
At some point, I paddle around the back of the sandbar which is a long peninsula with a large area of water behind it. From around back, the remnants of a firepit can be seen, most likely from a houseboat party since the bank is steep and it looks to be mucky at the water’s edge which the plank from a houseboat can be used to avoided. I had expected this would lead me to the canyon’s end, but it does not.
Gary and Werner have been exploring but now I see they are headed back. I paddle up to the end of Ticaboo. There is a bank of sediment and no place to land so I think our sandbar is a good choice.
I paddle back out to the sandbar. The others have all gotten out and are checking out the site. There is agreement that this would be a good place to camp, even if it is a bit early. There is also discussion about whether we should continue given that tomorrow will have a long stretch down the channel with few campsites. The channel starts at the bottom of good hope bay, just beyond the cove with the outhouse which I think is at least 3 miles down lake.
We decide to stay, since this camp will get the morning sun, which is a big deal given that again, the overnight temperatures are projected to be below freezing.
The interesting thing about this sandbar is that there are not really many spots that are flat enough for a tent, except near the fire ring but that is a long walk from the boat. While over there, I walk down to the water, as expected, it is mucky as the bank gets closer to the water. Lindsay has snagged a primo site on the nose of the sandbar. I pick one on the same nose but further away from the water than Lindsay’s. But then I spy a log and there seems to be a perfect flat space behind it and that is where we set up. Carol and Werner seem to find a spot but then move to our abandoned spot.
Camp is setup. It is relatively early, compared to the first day. We have the final beer. Speaking of beer, we each brought 4 beers, packed in ice bags as always. I had one each night, so this is the final one. Truth is though, a beer is nice after a day’s paddle. Next trip, I will bring along some stouts that can be good at room temperature.
We eventually have supper. And after a bit I crawl into the tent to change. I have kept on all my boating clothes, so they are nearly dry. And finally, I remembered the winter camping trick of putting all your clothes between the sleeping bag and pad. Another winter camping trick: put on my PJs then additional layers over them plus hat and gloves. And I am quite comfortable.
Later we crawl into the tent. I sleep better each night.
Tuesday 12 October 2021
When I wake up, it seems like it is still raining out, so I close my eyes and go back to sleep. About an hour later, I do wake up and get out of the tent briefly. It is raining, but not as hard as I would imagine based on the sound of the raindrops on the tent. That is good news. I crawl back inside, sleep and rest some more. It is nice having a down day after the previous 2 days.
Toward noon, it stops raining. We get up and make breakfast – Gary has eggs and spam, I have spam and mashed potatoes. It is breezy and is not clear.
I walk down lake. I see there are even more coves, but again when we paddle past them on Wednesday, they do not seem to offer better camping than the site we are in. I also walk south hoping to see the end of the canyon just to our north but do not. Then back to the tent for more rest.
We get out again for supper, to a clearing sky and calmer winds.
Despite having an inactive day, I sleep well.
Saturday 16 October 2021
The weather continues to co-operate and each day is warmer. Today we are in the lee of the sun, but we did not have the overnight lows of a few days back. We get up, make breakfast, pack up, and are on our way.
Our first site is Moqui Canyon on river left. Across is a great sandbar which would have been a nice spot for camping although there are a number of houseboats.
We continue on. And paddle. And paddle. We keep to river right. I know from previous trips that once we round the corner and see campers and tents parked in the Stanton Creek remote area, it is a still a long way to the put-in.
So we keep paddling. And paddling. Eventually, we do see a power boat headed into Bullfrog Bay. We still have quite a way to go. Halls Crossing is on our left. Finally, we see the marina and the docking area for the houseboats and head there. Lindsay and Gary are ahead and enter the breakwater. Lindsay heads right, Gary goes left. The rest of us enter the breakwater, and we finally all met up at the cove just below the parking lot. We all get out.
Lindsay, Werner and Gary head to the put-in. Brookie, Carol and I unload and haul gear and boats up the bank to the end of the parking lot. There is lots of stuff!
When I pull my boat up and open the back hatch, I see it is full of water. Which explains why it seemed like I was going slower and slower as we approached Bullfrog. I empty the gear and pull it up out of the water. If my hunch is correct, the repair job we did a few years back has finally failed. If that is true, the water should drain out on its own. And it does!
Luckily, Carol and Brookie are energetic enough to carry mine and Gary’s boats up as I am about out of steam.
Now, the guys have returned with the vehicles. And finally loaded. Lindsay and Brookie are planning to drive partway back. Gary and I head to the lodge to see if there are rooms available, which there are. Carol and Werner stay at the lodge too. We shower, change, have a cocktail, have supper. And sleep. I sleep very well.
In the morning, we have breakfast and then head home, arriving probably around 6 PM.
All is well.
Lake Powell
09 October 2021 - 16 October 2021
Self- Supported Sea Kayaking at Lake Powell from Hike to Bullfrog
Saturday 09 October 2021
Gary came over on Friday evening and we loaded nearly all gear. We got up early, loaded the boats and cooler, then to Gary’s house to pick up a couple forgotten items. We were driving thru Boulder at 9 AM, heading south on Hwy 93, stopping for a quick comfort break at the trailhead just past the intersection of Hwy 128 then on to Golden where we picked up C-470 to I-70 west. We make another quick stop at the Visitors Center in Georgetown. Then a gas and sushi stop in Grand Junction. West again to Utah, turning off the interstate at Utah 24 south to Hanksville where we stop again for gas.
Next is Lake Powell and Bullfrog Marina. Our plan is to camp at the Bullfrog Campground tonight. Our adventure partners, Brookie & Lindsay and Carol & Werner are already there. This campground is first come/first served (no reservations). The cost is $26 per night, $13 with a Senior Pass. Such a deal!
We have a beer then our usual sushi for supper with an added treat of leftover grilled vegetables. Cocktails for dessert. Then we set up the bivy, chat and settle down for the night. I wonder if bivying is a good idea since there seems to be clouds moving in. We do have the extra tarp to use as a cover, just in case, and we could sleep in the truck if needed. As it turns out, there is no rain overnight, and that is good. I don’t think I woke up at all so did not have a chance to see stars.
Sunday 10 October 2021
Seems like it did not get dark last night till 7:30 or so and this morning the sun was not yet up at 7 even though it was light out. It was at least 7:15 when I finally rolled out of the sleeping bag. Lindsay & Brookie and Carol & Werner were already up, making coffee, having breakfast. Initially, Gary and I had planned to eat at the Lodge, but we nixed that idea, since the others were eating in camp. Brookie had bagels, crème cheese and lox she shared with us. These were really yummy, even more so this I do not normally eat bagels.
Once done with breakfast and our gear is packed, we work on transferring Brookie’s & Lindsay gear from their car, which will be left here at Bullfrog, to Gary’s and Carol/Werner’s truck.
Next is to figure out where to leave the car. First, we head to the main boat ramp, just south of the campground. The ramp is open for motorboats but has been reworked due to Lake Powell’s low level.
Taking out here would be nice since it would be the first takeout at the end of our trip. But there is only room for a limited number of vehicles, so we drive out to check out the non-motorized put in which is near the houseboat slips. We turn down the drive to the marina and boat rental area. There are a couple places to land the boats and unload gear and we leave the car here.
Next destination is the Dirty Devil Take-out which is our put-in. Its 40 or so miles northeast on highway 276 to its junction with Highway 95, then an additional 20 miles east toward Hite. We note that 95 is closed just west of Blanding which may impact our fall Utah car camping / hiking trip.
Last time, as we approached the put-in, there was a turnoff where we could look down and see the water in North Wash Canyon and the river beyond. We do not stop this time but looking out I do see water in what I expect is North Wash and riffles in the river itself. I wonder if I should be concerned.
Now we are at the put-in. The ramp of 4 years ago is roped off but we can still drive down to the lower (platform?) and check out the river. There is a steep ramp to the river but we spy a footpath that is not as steep to the river though there are a few rough steps.
We begin hauling boats and gear down, load boats then move the trucks up to the main parking area.
And we are ready to launch. The time is just past 1 PM.
The river is solid class 1, a moving lake. It is not as fast as 4 years ago but seems swirly in comparison. And it is a bit shallow as it seems like immediately we are on the lookout for sandbars after Gary gets caught on one.
Before long we pass North Wash Canyon. Last time there was just a small area that allowed passage from the river to the cove and we were able to paddle into the cove but today the way is completely blocked, so we continue on following the river as it curves around the bottom of Hite and to the left.
Before long we encounter islands of silt along with riffles. Brookie and Gary go left, the rest of us go right. Lindsay pulls into an eddy at the bottom of the islands and waits for everyone. I was concerned that Brookie and Gary would hit a dead end but the two channels joined together.
We continue. I imagined there would be islands since the water level is so low but not these tall ‘islands of silt’. Last time there seemed to be a high bank on river left and mud flats on the right (looking down lake) which blocked entrance to those canyons. Today, there are still mud flats but they are several feet high.
We continue. Coming up is the mouth of White and Farley Canyon. Our original plan was to camp here as we did 4 years ago but there does not seem to be a way to access the canyon as it is blocked with a wall a silt. Though as we proceed, there is a break in the on river left where a small rapid spews into the river which I expect is the outflow from White and Farley. The river at this point is pushing us downstream and I am not sure that I could actually paddle into that opening and it seems like we are already running late and we did expect that our first camp site would be on the lake, not the river.
We continue downstream. Lindsay, Brookie and Werner are in front of me. Carol and Gary are behind. Below us, there are standing waves between a rock wall on the left and another silt island. The waves seem tall, not giant but not riffles either. I follow down the left side and pop into an eddy near the others.
We wait. I imagine Carol could get swamped without her spray skirt. Gary, with his whitewater experience should be ok but his habit is to leave his rudder down. In my boat, having the rudder down in a rapid seems to throw me off balance.
Both Gary and Carol appear. Gary pulled up his rudder since it did not seem to help. Carol went right of the silt island and downstream is slightly calmer waters. She pumps out her boat but is not swamped. But now Gary is stuck on yet another sandbar.
Somehow, we are again all moving downstream.
On river right is Trachyte Canyon. We did explore it last time though it did not go back very far. Today its entrance seems far away and like the others there does not seem to be an obvious passage thru the silt.
We continue downstream. The next canyon on river right is Two Mile Canyon, barely discernable. We are encountering more waves but they have a different quality than those just past White/Farley. These waves seem to be coming toward us, then from behind even though we continue to be going downstream. These are not like anything I have ever encountered. But I think we must be approaching the delta which the ranger is ‘somewhere between Two Mile and Four Mile Canyon’ and I imagine the energy of the river is hitting the lake is creating the waves coming toward us.
This is not getting easier but it is not the standing waves of Farley/White. At one point Werner is paddling parallel to the waves which looks unstable but he is paddling so that is good.
And suddenly we are done. The water isn’t quite settled but we can see it changes color from the murky silt to an odd green. I am glad we will not need to pump but at least it is not brown.
We relax a bit but on to the next problem. Finding a campsite for the night suitable for 3 tents. We pass Four Mile Canyon but do not explore as there is not an obvious entrance.
In trying to find a campsite we pass some possibilities but the banks are a mess of silt and quicksand making getting out of the boat rather impossible. We need a site with a rock or gravel bank.
Lindsay finds a site on lake left but it does not seem to have room for 3 tents. We continue and find another possibility on lake left, north of the feature on the map “The Horn”.
We use 2 different landings, pull the boats out of the water, get tents setup, have supper and head to bed. At least it is warm out.
During the night, I hear water splashing up against the rock but no apparent wind. I wonder if its an otter or something. I get up to investigate but see nothing. The boats are where we left them.
The next morning, I do see a rock just out of the water in the cove and determined that was the source of the noise. It would not take much for water to break over it, but still why was the water moving as it seemed so calm.