Once more into Meander Canyon....

gnwatts

Member
.
Joined
May 19, 2012
Messages
1,987
I0000yVZeR8QMe_s.jpg



I have floated this river 4 times before, and either I am a different person each time, or the river changes in significant ways through time, and I am the same. Doubtful. On all counts.
I hope that made sense.

But going by yourself is a trip in itself, and a good learning experience too.

I decided not to paddle the boat backwards, as I have always done when paddling solo. I added 120 lbs of sand in the front, and it handled like a dream. I had the great fortune of calm glassy waters the whole way, which I was extremely grateful for.

I was also looking forward to using my new toy, a 70-200mm f/4 IS for my Canon 5DII. I could not afford the 2.8 version, and with the slower lens (f/4) I was afraid it might inhibit things in a moving canoe, but I only had issues in the early morning and evening. I have never had a stabilized lens before, so this was a treat. I liked it a lot.

I decided to leave around 4am from Carbondale, arriving at the Potash boat ramp around 7:30. I saw several large groups getting ready, with the usual congregation of tour boats to go to the Grotto. I was braced for this. Going down the Colorado has it's advantages, and disadvantages. The big advantage was that no one was tripping down the Colorado. They were either tourists going to the grotto (this stopped around 2pm) or people headed to Spanish Bottom, 2 miles below the confluence with the Green. I saw no one the second day. Had the place to myself. The third day I saw 2 jet boats (picking up paddlers at Spanish Bottom) and a few "party barges", big rafts tied together, with lot's of umbrellas, hammocks and drunken individuals bobbing up and down in the river in yellow duckies.

It started to rain as I packed the boat. Shit.
I started to really enjoy being out on the river in the rain though. It was a light rain, no wind, with great sound effects. The rain kept the temps down, so I decided to paddle hard this day, and I covered 24 miles. Not a bad day.

It was one of the most memorable days of my life.
Every other river trip in the rain has been a drag: cold, windy and wet. This day was filled with saturated colors.



View larger map.
Potash
8.13.14

I00004hiW5nb3G5s.jpg




I0000Ot06Z2W8MhI.jpg





I0000H7ISkeEi8As.jpg





I00008HRtdJF9W54.jpg





I0000RKYL_2CYrKE.jpg


Above, lunch:

Below, from my first camp site, on an island at mile 24.

Around 10pm I woke up, laying in my tent, with a light rain on my face. Alas, a little too much of that chilled red zinfandel put me out, and the result was a bit of water in the tent.
It rained hard all night. I slept great.
Around 5:30, when it was getting light I felt something on my arm. It was a small spider, white, about 3/8" long.

I don't like spiders.

I am tolerant of most creatures on this earth, but spiders I cannot abide by. Especially in my tent. When I turned the light on there were at least 20 of the little bastards all over the tent. They must have sneaked in when I passed out. I decided to get an early start, and get the hell out of my tent.

8.14.14

I0000pi_kZfcpMx4.jpg





I0000pWQynvYhIHs.jpg


The next day was warm, blue skies with big puffy clouds.
The water had turned into tomato soup.


I0000e_4f_TZWzhQ.jpg




I0000w4aS.xU1K7k.jpg


Lunch:

I0000v6xsWS0Kalc.jpg



I found a camp site on the "neck" of the loop @ mile 8. This place was nearly perfect. Clean white sand, no friggin spiders, spectacular view and plenty of shade:


I0000dZ2ksqBqkRI.jpg



Looking down river towards the neck in the loop. There is a trail where you can hike over to the other side:


I0000NKJn3I9LGzM.jpg





I0000d.vTtHvY_XQ.jpg





I0000Z2UWNrJFg3s.jpg





I0000wbiLjH1UCtc.jpg



Next morning, 8-15-14:

I0000GqOvWRpwmZQ.jpg





I0000ThzyYAGuy3U.jpg





I0000i1eE7242lMQ.jpg



Leaving, camp spot on the right:

I0000d4w4RYr2foA.jpg



My last full day on the water. I had 8 miles to do in a whole day, as I wanted to see the confluence, and a camp site the guy from Texs's told me about. In past years the camp spot at the confluence was on the far side, or the right side of the Colorado below the Green. Now it is on river left, just down from the confluence.

I0000wMP6myWuBXc.jpg




I decided to try to canoe up Elephant Canyon @ mile 3 and do a short day hike, as I was able to fairly easily paddle up it about 300 feet:


I0000vAVSBbN1AWU.jpg





I0000.PytxoEvbbQ.jpg


It was a muddy hell. I hiked about 50' and gave up. What the hell am I doing here?

Back to the River!
And cold beer!

Right at the confluence on the left I found a spot. Unfortunately there was a couple that had just arrived shortly before me at the point of the sand bar . I went over to talk to them. They were going to be picked up by Tex's the next morning. I explained that there was a chance I would not find a camp spot below here, and I sure did not want to spend the night @ Spanish Bottom. They were very gracious and said I wasn't going to bother them, they did not care.

I0000StBAjctSewo.jpg




I0000B4Ql4D_Us1w.jpg



From my camp spot, the Green coming down on the right, the Colorado in the foreground across to the left:

I0000c93hzwp4Bco.jpg



I kept on getting woken up by flashes of lighting, no thunder, happening a long way away. So I ended up getting out of my bag around 2am, with a shot of my neighbors, looking down river:

8.16.14




About an hour later:

I0000WIud72bKpk8.jpg




I0000Wsff8WT.aHM.jpg




I0000Rmd.fICR.cg.jpg



Looking up the Colorado:

I0000mo6mZWDGquA.jpg


All that was left was to load the boat up and tow it over to the point, clean it out really good and wait for the jet boat.
It was going to be another hot day.

Thanks for looking.

Featured image for home page:
slide.jpg
 
Last edited:
Soul journey. Excellent.
 
Thanks Randy, uintahiker and BJett for your comments.
 
Great trip. Like the black and white shots best, especially the one with the branch in the foreground.
 
Love the stormy photos. Clouds and vibrant the colors = awesome!
 
Thanks Nick, Rawirvin, DrNed and langutah.
 
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
forest dweller What do you think is the best way to meet other SERIOUS backpackers when you only backpack once or twice a year and... General Discussion 52
balzaccom Death Valley once again Hiking & Camping 1
balzaccom I Once was Lost... Backpacking 0
IntrepidXJ Once in a Blue Moon | The Arizona Strip Hiking & Camping 18
John Goering More ancient past from the archives, 1981 Beartooths trip Backpacking 11
kwc More Adirondack Paddling On The Water 3
balzaccom Trail Crews--one more time Backpacking 1
Rockskipper You think you found a pithouse, or maybe an Ancestral Puebloan tower near Green River, UT? It's maybe something even more interesting... General Discussion 3
zionsky Snow, Snow and more Snow General Discussion 91
balzaccom More trail work! Backpacking 0
kwc A Few More Photos from Scatman’s Grizzly Lake trip … Backpacking 3
Janice The Wave - and SO MUCH MORE! (Coyote Buttes North, South, White Pocket, Buckskin, Condors, Bighorns...) - Part 1 Hiking & Camping 14
K North To Alaska - The Aleutians and More Everything Else 3
Rockskipper You have more impact than you may think General Discussion 2
J Moving down to Southern San Rafael Reef Wilderness for two more loop hikes April 13-14 2021 Hiking & Camping 1
Bob Windrivers - More Itching Backpacking 4
J More fine and aesthetic desert summits scrambles Dec. 1-3, 2020 Hiking & Camping 2
balzaccom More Everest Trip Planning 4
Ugly Two More Local Fridays -or- Timp Two Ways Backpacking 9
kwc More Southern Adirondack Hiking Hiking & Camping 5
TractorDoc Anybody Need Some New Pants? Read more if you are a 32 waist. . . Gear 2
Pianomover Trump administration Tuesday proposed allowing logging on more than half of Alaska’s 16.7 million-acre Tongass National Forest, the largest intact tem General Discussion 0
kwc One More Short Adirondack Hike ... Hiking & Camping 0
kwc A little more Adirondack wandering ... Hiking & Camping 1
kwc More Adirondack Paddling ... On The Water 2
kwc Even More Adirondack Wandering ... Hiking & Camping 0
kwc More Adirondack Wandering ... Hiking & Camping 1
Outdoor_Fool More Fenn News General Discussion 0
zionsky More snow on the way? General Discussion 5
DrNed Are There Really More Wildfires Nowadays? General Discussion 7
kwc More Adirondack Canoeing - Mason Lake On The Water 2
ScienceMom Hello from Vegas! And anyone have advice for helping reluctant-hikers enjoy backpacking more? Noobs: Introduce yourself! 25
kwc Even More Adirondack Canoeing On The Water 0
kwc More Adirondack Canoeing On The Water 3
kwc one more Adirondack Canoe Day trip - Fall Lake Stream On The Water 2
Ross Invite Cathedral Valley,Halls Creek.Happy canyon,Bisti,Caineville Mesa + more Meet Up (Members Only) 4
Perry One More Uintas Day Hike? Trip Planning 9
balzaccom The perfect campsite...or more Trip Planning 2
Langdon Greene More Than Just Parks series: #6 Zion NP Photography 4
TrektheWorld Planning a family trip to Utah (Park City + more!) Trip Planning 4
Cool Danish Southern Utah Expedition 2014 – Canyonlands, Sandstone and more. Hiking & Camping 16
steve The More We Explore - Video Trip Reports Backpacking 32
HomerJ Backpacker Mag: Get Out More Tour in SLC (3-26-15) General Discussion 0
Michael B There are more good place to backpack in Michigan than you'd think! Noobs: Introduce yourself! 2
Bob Idaho Mapping GIS - Online Topos and more Resource Discussions 1
J Apologize, but asking for more Death Hollow tips.... Trip Planning 23
DAA Canvas, more of... Photography 0
Nick Yellowstone: Canyon & More Geyser Goodness Hiking & Camping 5
beneathredrockscott All Southern Utah National Parks and More Photography 5
Janice Meander vs Stillwater - hiking opportunities? Trip Planning 11

Similar threads

Back
Top