Meander Canyon - Oct 2015

[wfinley]

Hi all. I'm a long time lurker and I wanted to post a couple photos and thank everyone who has posted trip reports from Meander and Stillwater Canyons in the past. We used these various trip reports to plan and had a wonderful trip.

In short... 5 days from Potash to Spanish Bottom on one of Tex's cata-canoes with 4 adults and 2 children. The kids, age 2 and 4 had a wonderful time. Weather ranged from rain and flash flood warnings to sunny and mid 70s. There was a little misery on the day it rained all day - but whining when it rains on a desert river trip is to be expected. Due to the threat of flash floods and the fact we had kids with us we chose to hang out on sand bars more than explore canyons... and the sand bar camping was amazing. Thanks again to all the previous posters.

Choice pix below. All my photos are here.

Cheers!

 

[Nick]

So awesome. Love the dual canoe setup. Thanks for sharing.

 

[TannerT]

Excellent! We've talked about doing that section, especially after floating the labyrinth canyon section. Thanks for sharing!
Salud!

 

[Jimmy]

I take my kids on canoe trips in Southeastern Missouri regularly, and it's such a great experience. When they get a bit older, something out West is definitely in the cards. Thanks for sharing. Sounds like an awesome trip!

 

[gnwatts]

So awesome. Love the dual canoe setup. Thanks for sharing.

X2

 

[wfinley]

Thanks all. My daughter has been in a lot of boats but this was the first time in a canoe for her so the cata-canoe was ideal. Even with 24 gallons of water, 4 adults, 2 kids and several bags of food and gear the boat was fairly maneuverable and super stable. That said..."fairly maneuverable" is kind of an oxymoron. Turning the boat required a bit of effort and ferrying was possible - but practically required anaerobic energy.

 

[Vegan.Hiker]

This looks awesome. Would love to do this one day.

 

[Jimmy]

Most of our rivers here are too narrow and full of trees and rocks to do the double canoe setup, and I'm jealous of that setup. With three kids, my wife usually does a double kayak with a kid (and sometimes the dog), and I pull canoe duty with the gear and two kids. Makes for some interesting paddling when the random downed tree blocks the river, but it works.

 

[Glasterpiece]

Wonderful. Does Tex tow you back upstream?

 

[wfinley]

No... The canoes come apart & are stowed on top for the return journey. It's a 4 hr / 50 mile ride so everything is lashed down tight.

 

[DrNed]

Nothing so majestic as floating a desert canyon. Any day on the river is a good day.

Love the shot from the canyon rim!

Thanks for sharing.