Green River in Utah

[Baja Trekker]

Hey everyone,

Thanks for the great comments! It was a great trip for sure, though it'd be nice to have a friend or three along next time.

Lets see... River miles, about 104 from Ruby Ranch to Spanish Bottom, not including zigzagging from one side of the river to the other to check things out.

I really loved the canyon wrens too, though now I think the hermit thrush tops the list - so moody, that call. As Chuck mentions, lots of bird calls, but they were really hard to see in the dense riverside willow and tamarisk so they were difficult to ID. I'll have to listen for that yellow-billed cuckoo - I don't know many bird calls from that area...

Paddling upstream to Potash is doable (I did 15 miles last summer - floated down 15 from Potash then paddled back up in my sea kayak - as a test), though you'd probably have to portage the Slide, about a mile up-river from the confluence. The only things is, you have to be committed: When you turn upstream and start paddling there's that oh, sh#t moment where you might think what the hell did I get myself into... It's hard work.

Regarding running out of beer... I asked the jetboat driver about people’s reaction to jetboats (They are really loud and create big wakes - the jetboats, not the people. Well, on second thought ...) on the river after we passed a group that gave us the cold shoulder. He said, after 20 years on the river, he's seen everything - from being flipped off to girls playing Mardi Gras. The most classic scene he described was being flipped off by some rafters as he went downriver for a pickup and then being flagged down as he went back upriver and asked by the same rafters if he'd bring them more ice and beer the next day...

The reality is that without the jetboat service on the Colorado from Potash to the Confluence/Spanish Bottom, there'd be no way for many of us to float and enjoy the flat water stretches on both the Green and Colorado.

As far as I know, the jet boat services only take canoes or kayaks, though I suppose if you have a raft and you could deflate it and fold it up you might be able to get a shuttle to pick you up. Canyonlands National Park won't issue you a permit until you have a shuttle scheduled...

I had hoped to go in the spring, but work and ‘commitments’ kept derailing my plans. I finally realized that if I did not make it happen another year would have passed and I would not have been able to have such a great trip. Sure, I had a lot of catching up and problems to deal with when I came home, but they were nothing compared to exploring such a beautiful place. So… if you continually fantasize about an adventure – make it happen! Most often, you’ll never regret it.

Thanks again for all the great feedback…

Happy adventures,

greg

Sea kayaking on the Colorado last summer:

[kerry]

Technically, the jetboat shuttle is not the only way out. A few years ago a friend of mine was mountain biking on the rim above the confluence. He met a European couple who had just finished portaging their canoe up to the rim and were walking to where their truck was parked (on the White Rim trail??). Definitely not for the faint of heart but apparently doable.

[Baja Trekker]

Technically, the jetboat shuttle is not the only way out. A few years ago a friend of mine was mountain biking on the rim above the confluence. He met a European couple who had just finished portaging their canoe up to the rim and were walking to where their truck was parked (on the White Rim trail??). Definitely not for the faint of heart but apparently doable.

Ok, I guess you're right Kerry... ;0) My older brother described to me that back in 1980 he and his buddies, who were going to school at NAU, floated from Moab to the Confluence and then hiked out via who-knows-what-trail. What caught my attention is that his friend Gary packed out the raft. Somewhere exists a photo of Gary hiking up the trail, only his skinny legs exposed below the heavy mass of the folded raft strapped to his back...

Anyone know what trail lets you escape the Confluence of the Green and Colorado?

[kerry]

I hiked up to the rim on the west side, just a few miles above the confluence thru Water Canyon. Did you do that hike? Great pools. It was in March but warm enough that we had some great skinny dipping.
For some reason I'm under the impression that my friend met the portagers at the rim on the east side. I could be mistaken.