Kayak Trip through Labyrinth Canyon, Green River

[gorillamel]

Hi All!
This is my second paddling/adventure trip report. My first one was last year as “Solo Kayaking Trip through Canyonlands NP” (http://forum.expeditionportal.com/threads/159022-Solo-Kayaking-Trip-through-Canyonlands-NP), also posted on this forum. I did a few updates on that thread with this trip, which I will summarise on here. We put in on Fri May 12 and took out Mon May 15, spending four days and three nights on the Green River traveling approximately 45 RM.

To be a bit redundant, here are those posts on this new adventure thread to get you all up to speed on what this trip was all about:

Posted 05/10/17
This update is more for myself than anything else. T-minus 10h and i leave for Moab with my friend, my Jeep, 2 mountain bikes and 2 kayaks on board. Along with a bunch of dry bags and excitement.

We will be kayaking the Labyrinth Canyon part of the Green River, launching from Ruby Ranch and taking out at Mineral Bottom care of Tex's Riverways (I love those guys!). I plan to drive all night (I do not think my friend can drive a manual trans) to get to Moab in time to go skydiving at 1200h on Thurs/tomorrow. Oh heck yeah! I am so stoked for that part! I've been to Moab a number of times and have always wanted to have my first foray into skydiving there. After that will be a day of mountain biking and showing my friend Moab till the rest of ur party arrives at our campground we reserved.

I have not planned this trip as obsessively as I had the previous one last year. I kind of left that up to my friend whose idea it was to go on this trip. I have done research into hikes and canyons along this route. I am anticipating the flow to be even higher and faster than last year, thus less paddling will need to be done and more fun and exploring to be done. Wooo! I can be a little more daring, too since there are others with me.

I found some useful links on some of the canyons to explore:

Hell Roaring Canyon (pictographs here)
https://www.mountainproject.com/v/he...nyon/106319075
http://udink.org/2014/08/11/hell-roaring-canyon/
http://climb-utah.com/Moab/yellowcomet.htm

Bowknot Bend
https://backcountrypost.com/threads/...uth-side.3022/

Three Canyon (near/at Trin-Alcove)
http://www.summitpost.org/three-canyon/939693

General hiking/exploring links
http://www.bogley.com/forum/showthre...ng-Suggestions
http://dyeclan.com/outdooractivities/paddling/?id=322

We will put in on Friday morning and take out on Monday using the Tex's Riverways shuttle service. There will be 2 touring kayaks (mine and a sit on top) and a canoe. A total of four people. I followed my same packing list as last year. Although food will be more plentiful and kept in the canoe AND there will be beer this time! That is the one item I sorely missed last year while on my own. I cherished the two cans the singing group of men gave me. I am so excited to be doing this with people this time! I will post updates most likely after the trip as another report. Weather looks like it will be in upper 70s/lower 80s and clear skies. Wooty woo!
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Once again, I used Belknap's waterproof Canyonlands River Guide. Which is an awesome resource. But truthfully, only for following your route on the river. If you want to do any recreation off the river, it becomes harder to assess camp locations and hiking routes.

Since I was not the one organizing this trip, I was much more lax about my prep and research into it. I knew we'd be paddling and hiking and drinking beer. Other than that, it was up to group thought.
The Labyrinth section of the Green River does not require a permit or money to traverse this section. It is BLM land for the most part.

Where to start? First of all, I am a wordy writer. My apologies (but not really). Second of all, there will be lots of pictures. Just because I like pictures. So there. Enjoy!

Day sub-2
Well, my friend and I left Boise at 2000h after both working full days on Weds 05/10. We drove through the night to get to Moab in time to make our skydiving appointment at noon on 05/11. Yes. You read that right. We decided to start off our Moab adventure trip with a real bang of an adventure.

Unfortunately, a 2009 Jeep Wrangler JK 2-door loaded down with two kayaks, two mountain bikes, two people and all their outdoor gear make for a slow and not fuel efficient trip across desert and mountains on highway/interstate thoroughfares. Going up inclines my Jeep would crawl to 55-60mph while the rest of traffic flew by at 80mph. Very frustrating and stressful, especially when I was caught trying to pass and realizing it was a futile effort and thus slowing people behind me. I hated it.

We stopped briefly outside Spanish Fork so that I could rest (my friend does not know how to drive a manual trans) on Hwy 6 at one of the pullouts. We rested a few hours and then were on our merry way. And we were very thankful for how nice the rest stops are along Hwy 6. Super nice! I really love the drive on Hwy 6 from I-15 to I-70. It really is a pretty drive. And oh man, how I would love to live in Price, UT area. Gorgeous!

Day sub-1

We arrived in Moab around 0900h. Much earlier than anticipated. We visited the Visitor Center to get cleaned up. Get acquainted with events. And walked the main downtown area for a while to stretch legs and oogle at the wares. We were hungry but too nervous to eat before diving and thus did not eat or drink much…at all.

Then it was time. Check in to skydiving at Skydive Moab. We were both super hangry. Loved the staff. They certainly accommodated my unique personality and style. It was a blast. So much fun! My friend was nauseous and not feeling well after the jump.

Views from the plane overlooking the Moab area before the jump

We jumped!

The view while we free fell

Youtube video of it (warning, PG-13 content): [video]https://youtu.be/ltBwMxRw9yo[/video]

We went and got food. Hiked Tusher Tunnel area. Mountain biked Monitor and Merrimac…until I got an epic flat and realized I left my spare in the Jeep. *sigh* So that was a bust. We checked in to our campground for the night at Moab Rim RV Park (1900 US 191, Moab). Which is not quite my style, a little too crowded and full of loud blaring music and children screaming. But it was for a night and had a grassy strip to put up our tent and free showers to use before our multi-day water trip. I couldn't find my sleeping pad and merely wrapped myself in my woobie and used my backpack as a pillow and slept hard. Did not even hear our other friends arrive and set up their tent that night. Best night's sleep I've had camping…on hard ground, haha!

Tusher Tunnel

 

[gorillamel]

Day 1- start of Adventure!

We met at Tex's Riverways (love those guys! They actually remembered me from last year. Then again, I tend to leave a lasting impression, bwahahaha!) at 0800h, but of course, had to get our coffee fix at Wicked Brew on the way there. We unloaded gear and boats. Filled water bladders. Double-checked gear. Used the toilet to empty our bowels one last time (or few) before our adventure began. An older couple joined us on our shuttle to Ruby Ranch. This was their fourth time on this stretch of the Green River. What an awesome couple. I hope someday if I ever find a significant other, that we will do awesome stuff like that.

Our shuttle took us to Ruby Ranch put-in spot, ~20mi south of Green River State Park put-in on RM 96. Here is info from the Tex's website http://www.texsriverways.com/labyrinth.cfm

Regarding permits for this section of the Green (from the Tex's website):

Permits are required for boating the Green River between Green River State Park and Mineral Bottom (Labyrinth Canyon). There is no charge for Labyrinth permits. If a reservation form is submitted for boating the Green River within Canyonlands National Park and your launch location is in the Labyrinth section of the river, the required interagency permit will be included.

On the way to the put-in, Tex's staff tells us about good places to camp and hike, especially with regards to high water season. They also gave us a handout of listed high water camp spots. Here is the paper...after much folding and dunking in the Green River from being in my PDF or hiking bag for much of the trip:

We got all our gear together and we were on our way! I think we celebrated with a push-off beer. The adventure begins! At Ruby Ranch part of the Green, the canyon walls are much lower to non-existent. You travel a few miles down river to see the walls move up to the river and rise higher and higher. We were going a total of 45 RM from Ruby Ranch to Mineral Bottom. I checked the CFS's the day before put-in and it was a whopping 17,000! According to the Tex staff, in a few more weeks it will be closer to 25-30,000CFS. Balls!

During our shuttle ride, the Tex's staff member told us about some high water campgrounds and places to hike during our trip. Some of the canyons are not named, but were worth exploring.
One of which was listed at RM92-ish. We paddled and looked and looked and did not find it. We blame the overgrown tamarisk. So we decided to move on. As we paddled, I would call out some of the notations listed in the River Guide to everyone. Things such as "Hey Guys! Navajo sandstone first appears over here on river left (RM94.6)!" Yup. I'm the guide sort of travel buddy. But that's okay. My friends like that stuff. So we'd marvel at the different kinds of rocks and formations we saw as we passed them by. About 5mi downriver from Ruby Ranch (~RM90) we arrived at Three Canyon at Trin-Alcove Bend. This spot is where three canyons converge together. Or, as the Outdoor Project describes it:

“Three Canyons is the first notable side canyon landmark off to the west after Trin-Alcove Bend. This spot is where three box canyons all converge. This is roughly 4.5 miles from the Ruby Ranch put-in”

Entrance to Three Canyon (we grounded our boats straight ahead)

We were advised that this area gets high use and is not recommended for camping for that reason. We also read that it has good hiking and is a fun area to explore. So we followed the creek into the canyon, pulled our boats ashore, chose a camp spot among some good shade trees and decided to go explore the canyons. There were two families across the creek from us in two large rafts. They had a few very young children and a few dogs. They said they were from Driggs, ID. Their heeler dog was not a very desirable dog to be around as we were weary of it biting us since it continually aggressed us. And the children were the whiny screaming type. *sigh*

We went to the southernmost canyon first. It ended in a packed sandy wash. We practiced some yoga moved. Laid on the cool sand in the shade and enjoyed the temp difference.

We then followed the trail along the stream and chose the northernmost canyon which ended in a cool pool. There were deposits of what I assume are calcium that were forming stalactites and stalagmites. There was thick green mossy material all over as well. This canyon was even cooler (temp-wise) and more in the shade.

Then we moved on farther into the main canyon. We followed the trail/stream under a large rock overhang that the water had carved out over time. Another great rest spot.

We encountered a few more clear pools. A friend and I decided to go for a dip in one. He found a crawfish and went to pick it up when it went after him. He scrambled away from it. After that I was a bit more leery to go any deeper in the pool, even though it was crystal clear. It was a quick cool off. We had to scramble up the rocky bank to get above the pool. Looking down into the pool, we counted up to 14 separate crawfish in the pool. Fourteen! We called it the vicious crawfish pool after that and poked fun of our friend for the rest of the trip.

We wandered farther and farther into the canyon expecting an end at some point. But it just kept going. We were higher up and the area was less riparian and more a sandy wash with rocks smoothed from water over time. We found so many different colored rocks. Some were almost a fluoride green. We called those toothpaste rocks. Eventually we opted to turn back.

We set up camp and cooked a wonderful dinner of pasta, tofu and sauteed veggies. We ended up hiking at least 6mi throughout the canyons. The night sky was amazing to see through the netting in the tent. And sunset was a marvelous thing to behold on the red rocks.

 

[gorillamel]

Day 2- Three Canyon/Trin-Alcove (RM90) to Bowknot Bend (RM70) via Bull Hollow and Ten Mile Canyon; Part I to Bull Hollow (RM84.5)

Whenever I camp, I usually get up with dawn…and when all the damn birds start their morning chorus. This trip was no different. My tent partner and I are early risers. We managed to get our belongings gathered and tent taken down by the time the others came by for breakfast and morning coffee (the nectar of Gods). When I exited the tent that morning, I saw a few deer on the rocks to the first canyon we explored the day before. They went bounding about making it look easy to traverse the rocks.

On our first day, we paddled roughly 6-7mi. This day we had to make up for that small mileage. The wind was picking up, as it had the night before. We were hoping that it would wait until the afternoon to really get going, as it is known to do in the afternoons in the canyons. We picked up camp and went on our way. Heading to the next canyon to go explore. We only got a few miles down river when the wind hit us. And holy ************** he-ll! It was strong! The waves became whitecaps. The peaks and swells were roiling everywhere. There was little respite from the waves. No more dilly dallying paddling. If you stopped paddling, you went swiftly back upstream. I wished I had a spray skirt. I was taking on water from all the spray and whitecaps smashing into my boat. At this point, it was enough to stay straight and going forward, much less turning around to catch an eye on my friends.

I'd catch a break in an eddy near the shore every now and then. We'd yell at each other to try to be heard over the wind and crashing waves. We decided we had to get off the water and get a rest. We made it five miles total to RM 84.5 to Bull Hollow. We were so thankful to get out of the blasting wind. The canyon stream did not go far, but was very overgrown with tamarisk and woody bushes. I was first to go ashore. I got the bow of my boat on shore to stabilize it, then stepped out. BAM! The mud under my feet turned to slicker slickness and I slide into the water chest deep and still sliding out. ********. I scrambled for all I was worth to try to hold my boat from blowing away and to get shore. I was covered in mud, wet and realized my Lifeproof phone with a broken case was in my chest pocked of my pfd. Great.

Got ashore. Took phone apart and set it all out in the sun to dry and hoped and prayed it would still work. Silly me. I had literally just put it in that pocket from the water case it was carabinered to on the front of my boat. Just great.

Bull Hollow is nothing special to speak of. It was so brushy and the undergrowth so thick that there was no semblance of a trail or way to get through it without chopping at it. So we set up our chairs, grabbed a beer and snacked on some food while we tried to wait out the wind. And then, the mosquitos. Effing mosquitos. We could finally stand it no longer, we had to get moving and get miles in.

Entrance to Bull Hollow

As we were leaving, the couple that put in with us the day before arrived to get a break from the wind. They said it was still bad out there. We risked it anyway. And lo and behold, it was not as bad as before, wooo! We noted on the straightaways, the wind sucked the worse. On meanders, depending on the direction, it was not as bad. Our next stop was Ten Mile Canyon in 4RM (@RM80.5).

Random partial arch/amphitheater forming in rock along river. We saw many of these. Between Bull Hollow and Ten Mile, it is noted in the guidebook that Kayenta formation first appears (RM88) as does Wingate Sandstone (RM 85).


EDIT: I was trying to find a measurement of wind speeds in the canyon, but my Googling skillz are not up to par. Although I did find this useful link which talks about the winds and various things to be aware of during high water season on the Green River:

• Self-Guided Multi-Day Green River Trips

 

[gorillamel]

Day 2- Three Canyon/Trin-Alcove (RM90) to Bowknot Bend (RM70) via Bull Hollow and Ten Mile Canyon; Part II to Ten Mile Canyon (RM80.5)

We were so thankful to make it and not have to deal with super wind quite as bad as before. There was a point I was on river right and the rest of my group was on river left and there was an island/sandbar in the middle and the wind was really starting to blast and I know the turn off for Ten Mile was coming up around the meander. I had to kick it in to overdrive to get over on river left before the island and not get caught in the swirling windy current mass of an eddy at the head of the island. I was spent after that. But the entrance to Ten Mile was totally worth it…as long as you can navigate around the sandbar.

The creek is in a narrow canyon with the walls right up on you. The movement whirl and sediment patterns of the canyon walls were a marvel to look at and touch. And so many colors. We paddled in a couple miles. Initially stopping along the canyon wall at a sand wash to go potty and then move further into the canyon. The wind was really picking up again and we were revving to go hiking.

We beached our boats when we could go no further and the creek ended. We ate a quick lunch. Had some beer and then set off for a hike.

The first thing we noticed were motorbike tire tracks. They were even under the water in the shallow part of the creek. And they followed the trail we were hiking. The trail, in fact, looked to be a motorized trail. Balls! The goal of the trip was to be isolated. No semblance of society. And now we have dirt bike tracks. Ah well. It was getting hot and the sun was blaring down on us. This canyon was pretty, but wider than Three Canyon. And the trail easy to traverse. It had quite a bit of sand. And walking in soft deep sand sucks. Lots.

There were mini arches and hollowed out rocks all over. An oxbow meander part of the creek had dried up and left behind a cool looking butte at the beginning of the hike. Our smallest friend crawled through one of the hollowed out arches for our amusement. Then. We discovered quicksand. It actually exists! Holy cow! You set on what you think is solid sand hardened ground, and bam, down your foot goes into the muck. It sucks you in and keeps going. We were fascinated by it. Our largest member took off his socks and shoes and tested how deep he could go. Then he ran over it. Highly entertaining. I am still fascinated by it. So, beware, Ten Mile Canyon trail is full of quicksand in the more damp looking areas. I stepped into it one time and my shoe got covered in nasty sludgy crap.

Quicksand and cleaning off quicksand muck from shoes/feet.

We got bored with the main trail and took a side canyon going south. It appeared to have very little human traffic in it. No apparent trail. Lots of scrambling and bushwhacking. We were careful to avoid anything that even looked like cryptobiotic soil (and held to this mantra throughout our trip). We took a rest at an overhang under the canyon wall. That is where we noticed the older scat all over. Fairly large scat. And then we saw the paw prints. Fairly large paw prints. We determined this was a mountain lion litter box and this particular canyon is where one definitely hangs out. We continued a bit farther, but the canyon become less manageable to traverse, so we turned around.

On our way back to the boats, we encountered a herd of motor bikes. Maybe ten or so? Heading toward the Green River. We told one we were boaters and asked another how far up the canyon does the trail go. He advised about ten miles with a four mile turn out to exit. Go figure. Ten Mile canyon is named for its length. Derrr. We got back to the boats and saw the bikes had been in the area. Apparently most of them did not believe we had actually paddled into the canyon from the river and wanted to see our boats, hahaha!

I looked up the vehicle trails that traverse the Ten Mile Canyon area and found a few useful and informative websites:
• https://www.offroaddance.com/ten-mile-rim-trail-moab-ut-english/ (rim road trail; overlooking Green River)
• https://www.traildamage.com/trails/index.php?id=279 (the wash trail we hiked)

[video]https://youtu.be/cHGWcwDDACo[/video]

We sat and debated how far we wanted to go down the river or if we wanted to camp in Ten Mile. Since we were still behind on mileage for the day, it was decided we would see how Hey Joe Canyon was, but ultimately, if the wind was not bad, we would go to Bowknot Bend. We really wanted to avoid Hey Joe since the family with mean dogs and loud kids said that was where they were heading. Blegh. So we had 9RM to go to get to Bowknot Bend. *fingers crossed no bad wind!*

Note: Register rock is supposed to be in the Ten Mile canyon area. But we were not sure of the exact location. We stopped a few times in areas that looked like take outs and wandered around but never did find it. (We later found out at the register atop Bowknot Bend where exactly it is located.) Ends up we were a bit off in our exact location. This website has a great explanation of the trip and where exactly formations and highlights along the river are located: Labyrinth Canyon- Canoeing the Green River. (Pssst, it is at RM77.5, past Keg Bottom).

 

[Stumpalump]

45 miles and I bet you never ran out of cool things to look at. Wow!

 

[gorillamel]

45 miles and I bet you never ran out of cool things to look at. Wow!

Not once! The whole trip is awe-inspiring. You could spend weeks in that section alone exploring all the side canyons and trails. Lots of wildlife, too!

 

[gorillamel]

Day 2- Three Canyon/Trin-Alcove (RM90) to Bowknot Bend (RM70) via Bull Hollow and Ten Mile Canyon; Part III to Bowknot Bend (RM70)

The wind was merciful for the most part. It rarely picked up. We had time and conditions conducive to drinking beer and paddling. The world was good, once again.

We approached Hey Joe and since the wind was still behaving, we decided to pass it. Exploring man-made things did not truly interest us. We tried to look for and pay attention to the “D. Julien” inscriptions, but were not having much luck. We did see the “Launch Marguerite 9/1/1909” inscription on the rocks on river left as you enter a meander. The lettering was quite high and very noticeable up on the rock face. There is a motor-vehicle trail that ends in Hey Joe Canyon that follows the Green River for many miles. We heard some vehicles on it and occasionally saw them, too.

I tried to do some research on the Launch Marguerite inscription. From what I gleaned from the internets is that the Marguerite was a steam-powered vessel that transported mining goods and equipment from Hey Joe Mine up and down the river in the early 1900s. But other sources state that the Marguerite was a wooden paddle boat (not steam) that ferried supplies between Moab and Hey Joe Mine. So far, I cannot confirm the validity of either claim.

We approached Bowknot Bend as the sun was beginning to dip below the canyon walls. We pulled to the river bank and one of us got out and scoped along to try to find an easier spot to set up camp and pull our boats ashore. The river current was going pretty fast, so I held on to some tamarisk as best I could to not be swept away. Friend found a better spot to set up tents, but we were SOL on a good way to get ashore. The river bank was about 3'+ and sheer. It was dirt, but the crumbly kind. Dirt stairs were built into the river bank, but the high water had made them treacherous and not reliable. We got the sit on top kayaker up and out first, with the canoe and me using our boats to keep it from floating off. Then it was my turn. I had flashbacks of Bull Hollow incident and really did not want to take a swim especially with the river flowing as it was. I got out, with some difficulty and pulled my boat ashore. Next up, the canoe with most of our supplies. I laid on my stomach, my friend holding my legs while I held on to the edge of the canoe while our friend unloaded it carefully. We pulled the canoe ashore, set it up upside-down and used it as our prep table for dinner. Success!!

One of the crew found a scorpion that gave chase while searching for rocks to put in our tents (to hold down in case of wind). The views were fantastic. And the trail up to the saddle of Bowknot Bend was just up from our camp spot. During dinner, after the sun set, we heard rustling in the clump of trees next to us. We shined our lights in the area thinking a large animal was coming toward us. Then suddenly a 15'+ of the riverbank gave way and fell into the river. Trees and all. Balls! We were amazed and a wee bit shook up, thankful it was not the section we were currently standing on. The river had begun to undercut the river bank in sections and I am guessing the weight of the trees caused it to all collapse.

Sunset at Bowknot

We went to bed marveling at the stars and in awe of the scenery around us. Next day, we would hike atop Bowknot saddle. Wooo!

Our camp spot with Bowknot overlooking us.

 

[gorillamel]

Man, writing these takes some work! Especially since I am so easily distract-able. I have videos, too, especially one of just Bowknot saddle from the top. But those are a work in progress while I edit and mash them all together. I have finally edited my maps and will add them to each post so that the mileage and topography progress made each day can also be seen.

 

[gorillamel]

Day 3! Bowknot Bend (RM70) to Hell Roaring (RM55.5) via Twomile Canyon and Horseshoe Canyon: Pt I Bowknot

Got up at dawn. Again. Watching the sun rise with a steaming cup of coffee while listening to the river gurgle on by and birds chirping their morning song is a fantastic way to wake up in the morning. We made sure to place our portable toilet aka “The Groover” near the riverbank so that we could evacuate ourselves with beautiful scenery to look at. Luckily we placed it far enough from the riverbank that it did not tumble in the river with all the trees the night before.

First order of the day was to hike the 1/4mi-1/2mi trail that goes up to the top of Bowknot Bend saddle. The trail was in amazing shape and I have a great appreciation for whomever maintains it. The rocks placed as stairs were a Godsend. It is a good hike with lots of elevation gain in a short time. But TOTALLY worth it.

Once you get to the top you can see on both sides of the saddle the Green River in its giant ~7mi meander going 180degrees and about the length of two(?) football fields separating each side. Seriously. Breath-taking stuff. I may have gone a bit overboard with taking pics and videos while up there. I regret none of it. At the top you can walk the length of the saddle going west. In the middle is the trip register in a pile of ordered rocks. The register also contains BLM laminated sheets about various hikes and historical info along the Green River. We finally found out where the Register Rock was located at Ten Mile Canyon. D'oh!

Then we hiked down. Packed up the boats and paddled the meander (~RM70 to RM63). Weather was perfect. Light breeze. We ran into another older couple paddling who told us about some hikes at Twomile Canyon ahead. That there are some great arches to see there. So that was our next stop (RM61).

 

[gorillamel]

Day 3! Bowknot Bend (RM70) to Hell Roaring (RM55.5): Part II via Twomile Canyon and Horseshoe Canyon

The rock formations along this area, especially in the morning sun are so stunning. Quite a few chimney rock formations and smaller box-type canyons near the tops as the rock is worn away over time. And the giant boulders strewn about, seeming with nothing to hold them from tumbling in the river are so cool to see. Imagine seeing when the rock faces broke away and all those rock fragments fell? The noise and crash and waves that ensued. Truly awe-inspiring.

The wind picked up a bit as we headed toward Twomile Canyon. We beached at another steep bank. Stairs were once again built into the bank, but they were very crumbly and not reliable. First up was the sit on top, then me. We tied the canoe up and that is when the older couple came in and joined us at the bank. We assisted them in tying their boats up (it was too difficult and small a space to get all boats out of the water at this stop). We confirmed the directions for our hike to go see some arches and off we went.

The couple told us to follow the trail and keep to the left. So that is what we did. We took the leftmost canyon and kept looking and expecting to see arches. We saw a small one at the very top of the rim in the main canyon, but nothing else. My blood sugar was running low and was getting hot and tired, so I sat on a rock in some shade and rested while some of the others continued looking. We were SOL and headed back to the boats disappointed. We saw some great views of the river since we were on a flat butte type rock formation with a giant amphitheater eroded into the rim rock wall alongside us. Even without arches, it was still a beautiful hike. There was even a USGS marker atop the butte we walked on.

We ate lunch in a moondust shady spot and then moved on to Horseshoe Canyon. The older couple advised us that there was a beautiful waterfall in the southern half canyon off Barrier Creek near a giant cottonwood tree. So we had a new exploring mission!

Horseshoe Canyon is an old closed off meander of the Green River. It is literally shaped as a horseshoe with Barrier Creek running into and flows into the Green River from the southern part of the “horseshoe”. This hike was unlike the others. It felt like we were in a Jurassic Park scene with all the lush greenery, tall grass, trees and tamarisk close up on the trail. So dense it could not been seen through. And suddenly canyon walls were upon you. This trail was merely the creek bed of Barrier creek. We went on and on and on and no waterfall. I opted to turn around and hang out on the beach and get some alone time while the others continued on the search for the elusive waterfall.

I took a nap on the beach. I sat in the water. I just marveled at the world around me. I was at peace. And it was beautiful. Here I was. In this isolated awe-inspiring place of natural beauty.

My friends returned with disappointment. No waterfall. Just more Jurassic Park scenes which eventually opened up to more rock and canyon formations. We left Horseshoe and headed to Hell Roaring Canyon to spend our last night.

 

[gorillamel]

Horseshoe Canyon (RM59-ish) is only a few miles upriver from Hell Roaring (RM55.5). We enjoyed another brew and paddle on our almost bittersweet trip to our last night’s destination.

We were advised by the Tex’s staff that there was a D. Julien inscription in Hell Roaring and an easy hike to find. We paddled up the stream in Hell Roaring as far as we could go. We beached at a sandy wash. Where, once again, we saw tire tread marks. It appears that a road traverses the canyon rim down into Hell Roaring. As we set up camp on the shore and the sun began to set, I wandered to find the inscription. I found “No Camping” signs along the road that leads east. And then there it was- the inscription! The BLM placed a placard at the base explaining the history. I was in flipflops. I climbed the rocks and got up close. I was in awe. This man, Denis Julien, had paddled against the flow of the river going north in the 1800s. Can you imagine that? And he did it alone!!

We had dinner and went to bed. Apparently me tent partner and I chose the zoo spot for our tent. We heard so many rustlings of nocturnal creatures outside our tent all night. And what we are assuming were toads that sounded like screaming kittens calling out to each other. It was a loud boisterous night for those creatures. Luckily, I was tired enough, I slept through most of it.

Day 4: Hell Roaring (RM55.5) to Mineral Bottom (take-out) (RM52-ish)

The next morning, we could see the prints of the creatures all over the sand surrounding our tent and dry bags. It was fascinating to see how many prints and how busy they were! And alas, I found a mouse turd in my baggie with my toothbrush. Great. Toxoplasmosis and Leiptospirosis were raging through my head when I found that since I never left that bag out unattended ever. Blarg. Dirty teeth it is!

Over night, the water levels dramatically went up and as the morning progressed, we could see it continue to go up. We packed up and were on our way the last few miles to Mineral Bottom to be picked up and returned to civilization.

Throughout our trip we have picked up any trash we encountered. And, of course, most of the trash was along Ten Mile in the area motorized traffic can access. I believe we found 4-6 cans of beer on that trail. We also found some discarded wrappers. Well. On our way to Mineral Bottom, we found the best two river discards ever! A bobbing Canada goose decoy head and a NOLS Nalgene full of water. YES!!

I did not take us long to make it to Mineral Bottom. The water level was higher than last time I had been there a year prior. No one else was around. We unloaded our boats. Cleaned them off and down and pulled everything ashore and waited. I drank the last beer. We compared photos. I took photos of the placards of the info of the area and finally used a real (pit) toilet that smelled quite nice of black ice car freshner.

Then it was time. Our ride arrived. We loaded up. Chatted with Lorenzo, our ************ Tex’s staff member and drove back to Moab. Sadness. I would much rather stay on the river, hahaha!

 

[thefishhawk]

Nice report and pics!

Can't beat some Wicked Brew, here's photo of my dry box from the raft and it's collection

 

[gorillamel]

Thank you!

I love your sticker collection! There's just something awesome and smile-inducing when looking at it.

What kind of raft do you have?

 

[thefishhawk]

I have a Vanguard with NRS frame setup.

Stickers are mostly my two daughter's undertaking. They love collecting them for various places like nalgene bottles and boxes, coolers whatnot. I do like that it's a cool reminder of adventures we've gone on together.

Heading down the Yampa in a couple weeks