Sunday morning went according to plan. Some great scenery on the ride south. There was a beautiful stretch through mountain passes, leading down into the desert. Stopped once about 70 miles from Moab in Green River. The ride was comfortable and felt fast, though over 4 hours long. Arrived around 11:30 at Tex Riverways, the outfitter.
Along the way Gabe and Rick gave us a briefing. Gabe, a former professor, PhD in Native Cultures and currently a professional Jewish group leader, was our wilderness and spiritual guide. Gabe went down this portion of the Colorado River last year and told Rick how great that trip was. Rick suggested to Gabe that they take a Mosaic group to the same place. Rick is the founder of the national organization Mosaic Outdoor Clubs of America, our trip organizer and also our wilderness guide.
Saw a strange sight that I am not sure if anyone else saw. There was a small funnel of wind and dust spiraling up from the road. In the funnel, carried up and away from us, were thousands of butterflies. The sunlight sparkling on their wings is what caught my eye.
The outfitter provided each of us with a dry bag. Our heavy coats went into community dry bags, which was a relief to me because my stuff could not fit in my own dry bag. For lack of room, had to leave behind my extra pair of shoes and a blanket, which I borrowed from the hotel.
After packing our own gear, we loaded community supplies into bins. There was too much for the canoes, so Gabe had us leave a lot of the supplies behind. Dirk brought these down river to us on Wednesday.
Dirk gave us the Tex talk and explained what not to throw in it. He also told us how to keep the river clean.
We piled into a school bus and took the 15 minute drive, from Moab, passed Potash, a small mining community, to the put in point at J. L. Eddy.
Gabe gave final instructions. Rule #1 never go ahead of the lead canoe. Rule #2 never fall behind the sweep canoe. Other instructions included tying everything up in case the canoe tipped, pushing the paddle with the upper hand instead of pulling with the lower, and when needed, kneeling in the canoe for greater stability, which I already learned the hard way on the Guadalupe River.
Canyonlands National Park is divided into three sections by the Green and Colorado Rivers. Since no bridges cross the rivers in the park, if you drive in, you can only visit one section. Our trip started north of the park and ended a little north of the confluence of the rivers. There are no roads to the river in the park. In some places, you can take a 4-wheel vehicle to the top of a canyon. Otherwise you need to canoe, hike or bike in.
We agreed to change partners every day. My partner the first day was Ken. We packed up our canoes. Ken took the driver's seat and we shoved off.
We canoed for a couple of hours, leisurely through red cliffs and canyons. Pyramid Butte was visible the last half of the trip. The time was late, so Gabe decided to look for a nearby sand bar rather than try to make another 7 miles to a main site. Had a little trouble finding a spot. Gabe checked three or four that failed his tests. Ken and I were in the lead, and I had a feeling around the next bend there would be a sand bar. There was a small one, overgrown with baby tamarisk and a little low. Dirk said we should camp at least two feet higher than the river, and this one was only between a foot and two. The sun was below the canyon wall, so Gabe decided to make camp.
There was a lot of wind. Those, including me and Sharon, that pitched their tents closer to the river, soon moved them as far inland as possible. People stacked the canoes for a wind break for the fire. Ken made a tasty sauce with pasta and salad for dinner. Lynne led the clean up crew.
Had a rough night. Did not wash. Did not sleep at all. The worst was the cold. Froze the entire night. Drank a lot during the day to stay hydrated. Spent the night going to the river to pee every hour and wondering how I was going to last 5 more days.
One thing though, the sky at night, without the moon and the fire, was truly incredible. After a while, the patterns of the stars become familiar and the planets stand out like road signs. Jupiter was in Gemini.