Lower San Juan Friendsgiving

Far from the busy river of alte spring and early summer when it is running high, the San Juan on the cusp of winter is a quiet place. 

After the constant pressure and business of getting married (Yay! but also Yay it is over!) Lindsay and i wanted to get away for a long weekend. Thanksgiving was the obvious choice. We called in a small collection of friends and family to join and before we knew it we had ourselves a proper friendsgiving weekend getaway! Unfortunately, this time of year weather can be fickle in the desert. Throw in the fact that we would be in boats and that complicated things. Several days before we set out, weather models changed and suggested that a major storm would be cruising through right when we would be in the thick of things in the canyon. Things were surely going to get exciting.

Another Stellar Sunrise at Sandthrax camp

We set off from Salt Lake wendesday after work, a contingent from phoenix did the same. We camped, as we often do when heading to this part of the state late after work, at the Sandthrax site, which seems to be getting busier every year and, even with below freezing temps and a storm in the forecast, there were several others already there when we arrived. A short and cold night ended with a beautiful sunrise and we were off continuing south. The drive south of Hanksville to Cedar mesa has to be one of my favorite in the state, the views are spectacular and it is an area that still seems to have a semblance of solitude. After a quick drop of a car at the clay hills crossing ramp, we went back around to Mexican hat. 3 years earlier we finished a winter float of the san juan in mexican hat; it was nice to return and i (and i am sure andrew and lindsay as well) was eager to see what lay down river. 

Under grey  skies, we set off on the river and within minutes came to gypsum creek, our first rapid. At the water levels we saw, all rapids we encountered were no more than class 2 and were all short and straight forward. At gypsum creek we scouted on the left, walking across the drying bed of gypsum creek proper which was telling the story of this land. The drying but not fully dried clay does an excellent job of capturing footprints in amazing detail.

The Desert has a story to tell

As we left town, the canyon walls gradually rose around us; i was having flashbacks to the section just upstream 3 years earlier as they were remarkably similar. The lower san juan quickly enters entrenched meanders, at the far end of the first of these, the mendenhall loop, we took a quick warm up break to hike up to the mendenhall cabin. What a place that would have been to try and eek out a living! We stopped for the day a few miles further at the Tabernacle and set up for our feast. Feast we did! After getting the fire going we warmed our turkey in the coals, and enjoyed a proper thanksgiving with our small group of friends and family taking in tangerine sunset. 

Preparing for a Thanksgiving Feast under the Tangerine Sky

Thanksgiving Turkey warming up

Black friday was expected to be a dark and dismal day for us. Rain and/or snow was in the forecast, and not just a little of it. When we awoke, thoguh, we were greated to broken skies and the occasional blue patches! Down river, we had our first and only wildlife sighting, a big horn sheep that was running up on a broken ledge alongside us as we went down river. Around our lunch break the weather changed and a driving rain came in intermixed with heavy up and down canyon winds. After pushing through the rain and wind for 4 hours, we finally called it for the day at Ross rapid camp. Coincidentally, things cleared up and the blue sky and sun grazed us to close out the day. At Ross camp the chert and jasper intrusions are particularly prevelant. We explored a bit, finding the memorial to Mr Ross himself, as well as a small structure, likely a somewhat recently constructed hunting blind made when newcomers began to mine the area. As the sun set, the moon rose to perfectly clear skies, painting a scene on the canyon walls and seemingly hinting at better weather to come. 

The locals letting us hang out in the water as they watch from above

Clear Skies and fast water make a happy Lindsay

Exploring (and maybe yelling at the sun to sun more?)

A look up and down river at Ross Camp

Moonrise at Ross

Although winter canyons can be amazing for the solitude they allow, the deep walls, now ~1000 feet above us, and the east-west nature of the canyon meant that sunlight was a rarity, and on the occasion that we got to glimpse some, all would stop and bask in it as long as possible. Leaving Ross camp, we had just come into the sun and the temps had peaked above freezing again, but once on the water we were immediately back in the icebox. Even with the cold and a now constant upwind draft, the clarity in the desert post rainstorm was on full display and the canyon seemed so vibrant. At around 2 we arrived at the fabled Government Rapid, supposidly the "big one". Being potentially overly cautious, we stopped well above the rapid and walked the canyon down to scout. What was supposed to be a somewhat long and difficult Class 3 really was just two drops in quick succession, no more than 2+ at this flow, a straightforeward run down the middle or maybe a slightly more interesting run on the left. We had been leapfrogging another party that had put in shortly before us on thanksgiving, and we managed to catch them just as we were finishing up running all of the boats through government. At Slickhorn B we pulled over for the night. I doubted that we would actually see much sign of the oil exploration that had happened in the area other than some old equipment, but at times the smell of fuel oil was strong hinting that some of the natural seeps were still active. 

Old Man Beer Belly Spire reflected off interesting pools in Slickhorn

Early Morning Calm at slickhorn

Pancakes in bed, a river trip special

The crew getting ready as andrew plays his brain bongo

Tristan, ready to own another day of paddling on his first river trip in his packraft

At Slickhorn the water gets continuously slower. It was tough leacing the pace of this bend in the river in the morning, especially since we had the pleasure of frozen shoes to look foreward to. An hour or so after setting off, we made a stop at Grand Gulch to get out and get some blood flowing. The lower bits of grand gulch hold some pretty amazing pools sheltered under ledges. Some day we will come back and pack out grand gulch, the trip i had initially hoped to do but we didnt have time for. After Grand Gulch the effects of the Dam are particularly apparent. The river channel is 30+ feet above where it used to be, and as a result slowly meanders back and forth covering the entire bottom of the canyon causing consistent frustration. At Oljeto Wash we stopped again to go for a walk. This canyon was probably my favorite of all of the side canyons we explored but was guarded by a fair but of muck and quicksand/mud. We found petrified wood, interesting sand flows, and even some formed smokey quartz from an age long past in the canyon bottom.

Walking along the ledge that used to be a waterfall down to the river, Grand Gulch

Pools in the lower reaches of Grand Gulch

Walking under the overhang, Oljeto wash

Lindsay, the strong and independant woman that she is, singlehandedly holding the world up, you can thank her for not letting it fall over everyone. 

At Steer Gulch we stopped for our final evening. I had heard that there was a horrendous mud flat to walk across at Steer Gulch to access camping, but the upper entrance wasnt too bad. Andrew had committed a little too far down river and ended up breaking a paddle blade off trying to get back to the camp, but in the process found the preferred entrance among the tamarisk with some good flow to immediately step into. Steer Gulch was also my favorite camp, very close and intimate with the Wingate walls keeping close company. That night we had a ceremony for andrews fallen friend and granted him first ever use of our spare paddle that had come on so many rivers without ever seeing action. As the fire raged and our shadows danced on the walls, the night grew deep and cold and we eventually retired to sleeping bags under the open sky.

A raging ceremonial fire on our last night

Lindsays and shadows dancing in tandem

Morning on our final day greeted us with sunlight and a lack of wind that we had battled the prior few days. We slowly left behind the canyon walls and emerged back at Clay Hills where we were the only car in the lot, leaving the river behind to have some time to itself before hustle of the next runoff season.

Is it a river or is it a lake? The lower San Juan as we approach the takeout, most of the water is less than an inch deep with a channel in there somewhere...

Leeaving the Canyon Behind

Back at Clay Hills after a lovely long weekend

Winds - Headwaters of the Green

As with many before me, i have become infatuated with these mountains. They are harsh and rugged, yet welcoming and beautiful all at the same time. Travel is tough over talus, or easy and idylic through meadows of lush grass and flowers, invigorating through clear and cold mountain streams coming off the high peaks. 
I am not the only one; generations have come here to find solitude or comraderie, wild adventure or simply beautiful views. Different than most of the greater Yellowstone complex, these rounded and craggy granite peaks hold some of the largest glaciers in the Rocky Mountain range in the US, yet they get a small fraction of the visitation that the tetons, neighbors to the north, recieve. Travel is generaly easy out here, unlike the in the tetons where all trails lead up, usually quite steeply. Here the name of the game is long, undulating distance. 

To end the excellent runoff season of 2023 in the West, and because i havent been climbing much this year due to a varietly of life circumstances, Lindsay and i headed up to the start of the Green. Although we had been through the true headwaters, up and over the ridge where the green starts as a series of trickles coming off a receding glacier and some semi-permenant snow fields, for this trip we wanted to try to boat the river down, then out of the mountains. The goal was to packraft from whenever possible through past green river lakes, then out and around the northwestern part of the winds back towards Pinedale/Cora. Most people who have floated this section opted for the much easier method of walking up the river corridor then floating back out. Rather than default to the norm, lindsay and i instead opted to come in over the ridgeline, so we could follow a continous stream all the way from its headwaters and watch it grow from nothing to a trickle to a river. This would, of course, mean hauling boats up thousands of vertical feet into the alpine, but the alpine regions of the Winds are always worth the visit. 

After a frantic last minute packing session, we set off for New Fork after work. I had not yet been to New Fork so i wasnt sure quite what to expect. We set up a bike shuttle (dropped a bike in the woods at the green river winter trailhead) and started walking from the New Fork narrows trailhead just before sunset. A mile and a half in saw us at the head of the upper New Fork Lake on a beautiful glacial beach away from the crowds at the narrows campsite.

Walking in to camp at the head of New Fork Lake

The first real day of the long weekend had us crossing the New Fork River twice in a long, gradual ascent of the New Fork drainage. I had not heard much of this drainage but as a climber, it seems that anywhere you go in the Winds holds dramatic, sweeping granite walls and domes. New Fork was no different and seems like a great option to avoid the hoards of Cirque of the Towers and Deep Lake while also having a shorter and easier walk (and pavement nearly to the trailhead). The drainage itself was stunning, and, given the right time, seems like it could also support a good packrafting run almost back to the lake. 

On the trail

Upper New Fork River

Sometime after lunch the trail really started to take off up into the headwaters and the alpine. Some concerning weather also started threatening which added to the concern about not having a place to set up the tent if the sky really opened up. Luckily we only got a few light showers and made it to Kenny lake, which we had all to ourselves, just in time to freshen up in the lake and watch the beautiful sunset.

Wildflowers at Kenny Lake

Sunset at Kenny Lake

Our second full day on the trail started with a quick descent into the upper New Fork river basin area before re-ascending to a pass that would take us into the upper Green River area. We happened to catch the wildflowers just as they were peaking, which also meant the mosquitos were peaking as well... At the pass we finally had visibility into the central core of the wind river range, a steep and unforgiving area of rock and ice. This part of the range was pretty quiet, even on a prime "Pie and Beer" day weekend, and we had not seen another group since mid afternooon the day before, so we took advantage of the solitude and went skinny dipping in Clark Lake. 

The paintbrush trail. 

Recovery time in the alpine at our final pass before descending down to the river

The final descent down switch backs seemed to take a long time, but was more reminiscent of the PNW than of the central rockies, with tall trees covered in moss and large, broken peaks. When we finally hit the valley floor at three forks park, the river looked doable, but some internet scouting seemed to suggest the next mile and a half might have some intense whitewater, so we opted to walk rather than transition. Definitely was a good idea to walk, as there were several sections of class 4 water in a shallow gorge that was full of wood, where exit would be difficult. We ended up camping at a river bend right before the beaver park bridge in the shadow of Square Top.

Dinner by the river

The wilderness section of the green above green river lakes was absolutely stellar, the views were amazing and there were a few fun rapinds. Unfortunately the river was also choked with wood which meant we had to portage ~9 times in ~7 miles, slowing us down quite a bit. All but one of the portages were just a single log that was wedged. If i return, i would bring a small hand chainsaw and clean up some of them with a few fast cuts, which would really improve the character of the run. We paddled upper green river lake (and the river between) but opted to walk around lower as the paddling was slow and the lake was long. 

Beautiful floating in the Green River wilderness section

After upper green river lake the water transitioned from glacial milk and a fairy blue-green color to beautifully clear. Coming out of lower green river lake the water was amongst the clearest i have floated on, with a hint of green. After a few swift miles the river broadened and deepened, to the point of almost being a lake. The water was wider and deeper than other "slow" rivers i have been on with 4x that flow which meant we were really crawling. Looking at the elevation profile, i thought something must have been up with the topo model because it was heavily stepped... in reality... this is the river profile. Almost completely flat for miles followed by very steep miles before returning to almost flat. We didnt get nearly as far as hoped. I was hoping to get within ~10 miles of the takeout (meaning 24 miles on the water) but with sunset only an hour and a half away we were barely 16 miles in and the water was seemingly flat. Readjusting, we agreed to stop at Moose Creek, because there should be a rapid section right after that which we would start with the following morning. Well... things dont go according to plan and in reality the rapid began about a half mile upstream of Moose Creek. At this point we were tired (and a bit cold, we didnt bring dry suits) from the long day on the water. Nonetheless we pressed on because of the lack of camping (marshy on one side, private and/or cow infested on the other). Sure enough, the crux of the whole run came soon after. I made it through the rapid but Lindsay flipped backwards in a lateral/hole. Looking back, i managed to grab her gear that came floating down to me, make my way to shore, and set up to rescue her. She was stuck on a rock close to shore, but with a sizable stream to navigate through that could easily sweep her further down. This is why we practice rescue techniques! I threw a rope, got set as a body anchor, and she was able to sweep herself across the flow to shore, fine if a bit shocked.  A quick scout seemed to show a decent camp site another halfmile down the river with a minor rapid to navigate. After collecting ourselves a bit, we bee-lined to camp, happy to be off the water. 

Looking back at the winds from the upper green

The crux of the Moose Creek rapid section

Camp in the high desert out of the winds

Our final river day started off beautifully. After resting, we were much more mentally ready for the remaining rapid section (a few miles of continuous CL2/2+). The fish were EVERYWHERE, jumping out of the water every 30 seconds or so. I really wish we would have brought a fly road, if for this section alone. Before long the river started backing up again into a long flat and winding section. With time slowly getting away from us, an up-river wind really picking up, and the prospect if needing to still float 8+ miles of river, unclear if it would be flat or swift, we pulled over and called it. I ran the remainder back to the bike, biked back to the car through off and on rain, and made it to the car JUST in time for the sky to really open up. All in all, it was a stellar trip with amazing views, but equally amazing amounts of frustration with portages and flat water. I can't wait to go back! It seems that, if you are willing to work for it, there is a lot of good packrafting to be had in the winds, and maybe next time i wont pass up the fly rod. 

   Some of the Sage Brush Ocean wildflowers (including a Paintbrush Rainbow)

Dolores

 With the Dolores flowing again this year due to a massive snowpack, i, like many others, jumped at the opportunity to get on it! below is a non-chronological account of some of my experiences

McPhee dam to Bradfield

There is minimal information on this section, BUT there is a road that parallels it the whole way! A brief line in a guidebook suggested CL1+, and because we had changed plans a few times this was an easy way to extend a trip. We drove up and put in at a dispersed camping site about as close to the dam as is legal. Even this close to the dam, the water was cloudy suggesting that the reservoir had experienced a truely outstanding runoff season. The float down to Bradfield was easy and straightforward. No cross-river hazards but a few sections that the trees were hanging well into the river course. Despite years of almost non-existant flows, the river corridor looked surprisingly healthy. This was definitely the least scenic section of river i did this year, in a sloping gorge with little exposed rock, but was still well worth doing at least once. After about 13 miles  and ~2 hours of moderately fast, splashy CL1+/2- water we returned to the bradfield bridge.

A common view in the Dolores Gorge below the dam

Bradfield to Dove Creek

By far my facorite secton of the Dolores, and possibly the best Cl2+ run i have done yet, this section was stunning. There is a lot of information on this section out there already. My experience was about 7 miles of mediocore canyon and relatively flat water that abruptly changed to continuous wave trains, 2+ rapids, and absolutely amazing rock walls in a deep gorge lined by gorgeous ponderosas, everything that i love. It was almost too much fun. I wouldnt heasitate to return when this section flows again. We stayed the night at the Box Elder Campground. What a place! It took us ~3 hours to continue downstream from Bradfield to take out at the campground with flows at ~1200.

Taking a breather and grabbing some snacks in between wave trains in the Ponderosa Gorge section

Slickrock to Bedrock

I ran this as a multiple night overnight trip. At the time, the slickrock boatramp was closed, but one advantage of packrafts is you can get in and out wherever it is public land. I found a spot a few mile supstream that was BLM and put in there with Davis and Jennifer. We took 1 night to float from slickrock to Gypsum (only about 4 total floating hours at ~2200 cfs). The section was scenic if relatively flat, with some private land, signs of past uranium mining use, and the usual desert rock layers. This section definitely sees less traffic than up or downstream sections, and many of the campsites had overgrown landings and were starting to be reclaimed by invasives. While exploring around camp, i even found an old microblade, who knows how long it had been there and if anyone else had found it, but with habitation in the area dating back thousands of years it could very well be wuite old. It was a nice warm up section with a roadside CL2 just above the boatramp. Our layover at the boatramp (which was expected to be ~a few hours) ended up lasting the night. Expecting Lindsay and some other friends who would be in a 16ft raft to meet us by early afternoon, we set up under one of the shade structures and waited... and waited... and waited. Eventually around 4-5 pm lindsay showed up but without out other friends and the boats. I guess they had taken some dirt road (instead of the easy highway, for some reason) and had to backtrack. They eventually showed up around last light. I was a bit frustrated, but i guess i should have been more explicit in trip planning and specified driving routes to take more clearly. 

We put in at gypsum the following morning in between many other groups, including a large group of packrafters. Once in the canyon, however, our frustration melted away. The canyon was beautiful, narrow, and what i would describe as the epitome of an easy and scenic desert river trip complete with sweeping views, red rock, a thin strip of green around the river, and signs of past inhabitants. We topped about 2/3rds of the way through to camp. Not one to just sit around all day, Lindsay and i went up a steep drainage behind camp to see if we could make it to the rim. We didnt, but we did make it to a high point. The view from above is almost always worth the effort. On the way back down we even found an arrowhead!

Of note, the guidebooks mentioned this section as having a few CL3 rapids and many CL2s. We saw nothing harder than an easy CL2, certainly much easier than the Ponderosa gorge section. Worth the trip regardless though. 

Rico to Dolores

For the first weekend in June, Lindsay, Andrew and I were originally planning on floating Bradfield all the way to slickrock, however the morning of the trip Lindsay wasnt feeling up to it. Instead, Andrew and i called an audible, continued with the trip but did the alpine section above Mcphee instead. There is a bit of info out there on this section but it is generally limited to just the Stoner section around Stoner, Co. 

Andrew and i met up in Dolores, dropped a car (noting that we would coincidentally be in town for Dolores River Fest if we made good time) and drove up to Rico where we would put in, scouting along the way. In Rico, it was rainy and cold and almost dinner time so we of course went to the bar to grab some food before heading out. By the time we started out, the sun had re-emerged and we could soak in the beautiful mountian views. A short ~10 mile float (about an hour) took us to a campsite for the night. It was a bit strange doing a long roadside section where we camped at a dispersed car camp site. The upper section was fun, very fast, with a short bedrock box canyon section, and super senic. 

The next morning we started early and got right in to the fast clear and COLD water. After a quick snack break at the usual daily put in (bear creek bridge) we hit the main event rapids of the upper dolores, the "stoner section" The surf waves were super fun, among the biggest waves i have boated yet. Shortly after there was a significant diversion dam that we had identified as the main hazard, but was reasonably run on far river left. Downstream the river generally eased but the large wavetrains continued all the way into town. In town we showed up to the river fest in full swing, dried out our gear and went over to enjoy the music, grab some food and beers. Pretty good for a super last minute change in plans! The whole section could likely be done in a long day (something close to 40 miles?) with 800 on the guage in Rico and 2000 on the guage in Dolores. 

Some river shots courtesy of andrew's go pro