In The Shadow of Longs Peak
Thursday 16 October 2014
Our last day of paddling before heading out tomorrow. Today's destination for Gary and me is the small canyon that is around mile 115. We even went beyond to another small blip on the map! On the way back we check out Seven Mile Canyon. This end of this one has the look of a place you can climb out. The others take in Warm Springs Canyon and Cedar Canyon.
Monday 13 October 2014
Monday brings blue skies and calm waters!
We make breakfast, pack up and underway. Our destination is the area near Knowles Canyon, so we have nearly 13 miles of paddling.
We take a lunch break then continue on. As we approach Forbidden Canyon it seems like we are all slowing down. Jud, Gary and David are tasked with finding a camping site and head to the north side of the lake as it seems there is better camping there. We paddling slowly along. We can see they are out of the boats and exploring but its unclear if we should follow. So we send Brian to investigate. He heads across and then provides the agreed upon signal and we follow. Nice to be home for the night.
Tuesday 14 October 2014
Today we decide to go separate ways. Gary and I head for Warm Springs and Cedar Canyon while the rest of the group heads for Forbidden Canyon and the Defiance House ruin. It was a great day paddling!
Friday 17 October 2014
We head back to Bullfrog Marina. At the others insistence we are up and paddling away early but end of stopping twice on the way back which seemed pretty inefficient but 13 miles is a long way.
Lake Powell
October 2014
October 2014 was our 2nd week long self-supported paddling trip at Lake Powell
Friday, 10 October 2014
We left Lyons at 2:10 PM, right on schedule. I needed to work more than a half day so 2 PM was quittin’ time. We made a quick stop in Boulder to pick up Gary’s reading glasses. Then on to the La Quinta Inn at Fruita and dinner at Rib City.
Saturday, 11 October 2014
We had breakfast at Starvin Arvins – I like the biscuits but I have to admit that they and the whole breakfast was a bit heavy. We were on the road by 9:30 or 10:00 AM. Our next stop was for gas in Green River, Utah then west just a bit more on I-70 and south on US 24 thru Hanksville Utah. We see a green Ford Ranger with a sea kayak pulled to the side of the road. We pull over and I run back and there is Al Lovas. Everything is ok and we go on to Lake Powell, arriving by 1:30 PM. Lou Ann and David are already there. Al is close behind. The others arrive by 4 or so (they met in Denver around 7 am). We ate dinner together in the lodge.
Sunday, 12 October 2014
The various weather forecasts for today had winds predicted at anywhere from 9 mph to 35 mph. The wind kicked up around 4 in the morning. We were up at 6:30 and it seems like the winds had lightened up a bit so we broke camp, and proceeded to the launch area and loaded boats. Then in for breakfast at the lodge at 8 am (restaurant opening time).
We made our way back to the launch area and are underway by 9:30 or 10:00 despite the wind. Once on the water we make our way slowly. It is rough enough that David suggests staying near shore which we do.
After some time, it is clear we are not making much progress. There is a rock outcropping in the distance that we head to, knowing it will be a bit sheltered there. We land and have lunch hoping the wind will die down while we eat. It does not. We decided to camp here tonight and try again in the morning.
Wednesday 15 October 2014
The day started out a bit windy, though not nearly as bad as the first day. Today we paddle as a group and take in Knowles Canyon. On the way back we explore the series of rock bluffs across from Knowles on the north side of the lake which gave us a chance to stay out of the wind . Another great day of paddling!
Saturday 18 October 2014
We got off the water yesterday and stayed at the Defiance House Lodge last night, a very good choice as I was absolutely exhausted when we landed. A note here: I think I bonked and I might point out that this was the only day I did not drink the Gatorade / lemonade combination. On the boat, I need a 2nd bladder and hose just for that, and maybe just a liter or so)
This was a good trip overall. My only comments as a trip coordinator would be to have had a mandatory meeting. This would have eliminated the issue with late sign-ups as well as discussing the possibilities in daily paddle destinations, emphasizing that as trip coordinators, we had specific canyons in mind to paddle even if the others did not care to join us.
But, we did paddle to that last ‘unnamed canyonette’ at MM115 which was our goal ….and even took in a smaller canyon a bit further.
On Saturday, before heading home, we make our way to the area of Hite Marina and discover a nice launch area on the Colorado River above Hite Marina which I later learn is the Dirty Devil Launch. Trips coming down thru Cataract Canyon take out here. Hite Marina itself is out of the water. There is a BLM campground close by.