River Trip

Most of you know me as a sort of rag-a-muffin go-with-the-flow flip-flop wearing beard-o.  I took showers for granted until our latest adventure where I successfully added a 1/4 inch layer of dirt and river soot to my body over eight days floating the Green River in Utah.   Then upon arriving to our little home in Mayhill only to find the house completely drained of water, I had never felt so slimy.  To add to the days of unwashing, we had only been home for hours when we decided to pack it up and drive another 400 miles to reunite with the family in Heber, Arizona and to, thankfully, bathe ourselves at two in the morning.  Can you imagine how our car must have reeked with two grown stinking adults and a two-year-old that poops in the same seat in which he sits?  Let the good times roll...

Twenty days ago, we arrived at the put-in near Myton, Utah.  To get the negative of the trip out of the way, let me just say that the mosquitoes, the first two days, were swarming so thickly that I had over 30 bites on one calf before the first night was over.  I could be exaggerating a bit there, but really, the bugs were out en masse.

Upon arrival, Skip the Ranger came down to the boats, shared a slice of watermelon, and entertained us with his captain-like chivalry.  Bob's boat busted at the zipper seams, but Skip's optimism, and Rob's help, kept him from packing it in and driving back to Tucson.  I'm glad, it just wouldn't have been the same trip without him there.  Bob is an attorney and a photographer.  He was the first one with his camera out when a little overzealous water snake tried to swallow an entire catfish we had on the line waiting to be eaten.  I forgot that catfish had these sharp bones on the sides by their gills that, if not handled properly, would stab easily right through skin.  Needless to say, my left hand took a stab and swelled up a little.

After the three rafts were loaded, Bob pitched a tent, and the rest of us went into a little screened patio area to sleep.  The mosquitoes were swarming the patio, it was too hot to get inside a sleeping bag, and the snoring was out of control.  Sleep did not come easy that night and I eventually got up, bathed myself in repellent and stared wistfully over at Bob in his tent cozy and isolated.  

Tim and Nicole arrived late in the night, so in the morning while Bastian sat in the truck, unacclimated to the new adventure, watching a DVD, we got the final things loaded and helped Tim get his raft into the river.   This was going to be the longest day of rowing, 18 miles, so once Skip the Ranger checked our gear and signed our permit, we were off.  Wil gave us a lesson on safety and a speedy intro to rowing, which would serve as my foundation for the rest of the trip.  Alli, Bastian and I were in one boat, Wil and Rob rode together, Bob had his own, and Tim and Nicole followed us all in their raft.  A storm picked up at about midday that started pushing our raft upstream.  The rain was coming in sideways and Alli's hat went flying, so I "Forest Gumped" it into the river to go after it.  We tied up to shore thereafter for a short break while the weather pushed on through.   Later on, we found a cozy sand bank to camp on the first night and ate pasta while we all talked and got to know each other a little better.

The next morning, Tim and Nicole cooked biscuits for breakfast.  I, then, had a couple of chances to get better with the little rapids that were there before lunch where hummus pockets were served.  The food on this trip was absolutely over the top gourmet.  After dinner, we watched Bastian begin to adopt Wil as his personal idol.  

Though the name Desolation Canyon was given, this was anything but desolate.  As we rode the water we saw Beavers, billions of bugs humming collectively that gave the listener the odd sensation of being out in the middle of nowhere, but hearing airplanes.  We saw antelope, big horn sheep, a black bear, and camp was invaded almost nightly by ring tail cats.  The canyons were busy with sedimentary layers, rocks that looked as if they were teetering on their axes, and windows that would just let you see a little bit beyond those giants rack faces.  

The next morning I took a turn on the IK, which is an inflatable Kayak.  I found a new love.  One of these days I would love to take an IK packed with two days worth of gear and just go get naked somewhere remote.  That afternoon we saw some ruins that, funny enough, were built nearly ten years after the house in which we live now.  That night, Wil, Bastian, Rob, and I tried throwing rocks across the river, but were left with a considerable distance to make up.  It's a wide river?  I'm not weak?  Watching Bastian chase Wil around and dance to his hootings in the pot pans and water containers was hilarious.  They really became the entertainment for the trip.   After we ate garlic soup and lasagna, prepared by Alli, we drew pictures, played guitar and just stayed up enjoying the beautiful starry night.

For my skill level, the next day was exciting.  The rapids definitely poured over the sides a few times and doused the books were had brought aboard for Bastian and the two Harry Potter books we were reading aloud to each other.  The next day we started the fourth book, The Goblet of Fire.  We're such geeks.  Bastian tried following Wil up the side of a mountain at camp and then sat down later that night in a chair for hours and "talked" with all of us before he went to bed at 11.   

The next day, I was so hungry by lunch time that I made a sandwich out of french dip, potato chips, melting cheese, and pickles.  And if you've made it this far through this boring recount of an exciting trip, then let me just take a moment to tell you how much I love you.  You're a great person and if you ever need someone to read something boring that you wrote, then count me in!  

The last two days were easy.  If you told me that we went further than eight miles a day, then I'd probably say that you're nose was growing.  At the take out, we all got an earful from the cranky old man that figured we were robbing him of all his space and then said a really, really sad goodbye to Wil.  He was not headed back to Mayhill, and we hope that it will not be for long.  He really added life to this place and besides missing that, he made a great role model for his little follower, Bastian. 

Once lunch was over in Green River, Utah, we headed home and would have made it in good time had it not been for a double blow out on the dual-axel trailer.  We slept nervously on the freeway until morning when Discount Tire would open.  And then finally, after 24 hours of travel and with dirt and grime caked on the body, we arrived at our little slice of heaven parked up 6400 feet in the Sacramento mountains.   Man I love it here.  I can't say that enough and to leave right away was not going to be easy.  But I can honestly say that I have never had so much fun than I did, not to mention clean fun (as in shower clean), than I did at the family reunion the following days.  Yeee-haaaaaaaaa!