Green River, Day Two—Into Labyrinth Canyon

We pushed off early this morning into a relatively smooth current.  Having learned from our incident last night, we piled more gear onto the inflatable kayak, which I manned.

I found it difficult to steer and the boat dragged from being so heavily-laden. A large cooler sat at my back, and the jumbo food pack at my feet. I used my sleeping bag, which was supposedly in a water-proof bag, as a seat.

After several miles I finally learned how to keep the nose forward without floundering and how to drag the oar to correct my direction.

Jayden at home on the kayak.

Our goal today was to get some distance, and that we did. For miles we pushed along past banks choked with tamarisk and willow, past low-lying hills of rock. Wade spotted a mine shaft. We saw deer coming down to drink from the water. Further down someone spotted a turkey on the bank. Occasionally we would see a blue heron take off and glide over the water. Beneath the overhangs of the rocks the swallows had built their nests of mud.

We passed a prominent rock on our left that had an interesting construction of layers in the shape of a nipple. This is known as Dellenbaugh Butte, named after a young artist on John Wesley Powell's second expedition of 1871.

Dellenbaugh Butte.

Past here the river becomes wide and very still. I thought I could hear some cattle beyond the banks, but wasn't sure.

In one place we attempted to go ashore, but Dave capsized his canoe near the edge. It wasn't as bad as yesterday and he was able to stable himself near the shore and tip the water from the canoe.

The San Rafael River comes in at the right, barely noticeable, punching through the tamarisk.

We found a small sandbar where we pulled ashore and ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. We used a small aluminum table.  This sandbar sat in the middle of the river, with very little vegetation, providing the perfect place to eat. With the high level of the water, islands of sand, such as this one, have been almost non-existent.

Eating PB&J for lunch on a sandbar.

Wade and Jordan on the canoe.

From here the cliffs gradually grow taller as we enter Labyrinth Canyon. Now I moved to the canoe with Dave at my rear and we glided at a quick pace. All I had to do was row and he would do the steering.

When we planned to stop at Trin-Alcove Bend, we told Christian, who was on the inflatable kayak, to hug the right shoulder. He was far behind us, but stayed on the right bank as he should. We had found a small sand bar where the rest of us had already landed and when Christian moved in he did a perfect job steering, landing exactly on the sand bar.

Tason adroitly paddles the stand-up paddleboard.

Trin-Alcove Bend is where three canyons come together. I think it must look more spectacular from the far side, as we were up close. Much of our view was choked off from growth. A small inlet leads toward the canyons, up which Jordan and Tason took a canoe. We could hear people making noise from there, but the rest of us chose to stay at the sandbar. Any walking route to the alcoves was too choked with vegetation.

From Trin-Alcove Bend, we only had a few more miles to go to reach our camping site. The river makes a large curve. From our perspective on the river we could see canyons coming in and countless miles of cliffs that were essentially blocked off from the average river goer by the thick stands of tamarisk. I wonder what is out there to be discovered? I'll bet that a lot of this area seldom sees a soul.

Christian wanders on the inflatable kayak.

Coming around the bend, the winds began to pick up. As we were within sight of our camping spot, a strong gust blew into our face, leaving our canoe wobbling and turning sideways. We paddled even harder and struggled reaching the shore. At last we made it, but I worried for the others, especially Jordan on the inflatable kayak.

Luckily, we all made it, and just in time. The winds became stronger and I imagined one of our canoes capsizing had we still been on the river. Rain began pelting down as we pulled our vessels onto terra firma, and strapped down anything we didn't want to blow away.

Today we traveled 26 miles, making a total of 33 on this journey.

Taking a break at Trin-Alcove Bend.

Our camping spot is on a long bench of tamarisk and cottonwood. The mosquitoes live close to the shore and are fierce. I immediately killed a couple dozen that had landed on my arms and face. They were even biting through my shirt.

We built a fire to help smoke out the bugs, and began cutting up peppers and onions for dinner. As we unloaded the boats, I was disappointed to learn that my waterproof bag for my sleeping bag wasn't sealed off all the way. My sleeping bag was completely saturated with water! I spent the rest of the evening draping my bag over trees or rope to dry it off.

[As I write, it is now dark and the others are beginning to sleep, and a frog is just now hopping over my sleeping bag. I am shining the light on him and he is moving toward the fire.]

Our campsite is at the foot of a canyon and after dinner I got out to explore a portion of it. It goes back quite a ways and perhaps a person could hike completely out. I climbed onto a shelf where I could double back and get a view of the river.

On my way back I discovered an arch high on the rim of the canyon. I doubt it has a name, so I decided to dub it “Lacy Arch.” I've never had an arch named after me, so I might as well take the opportunity.

Our final adventure of the day came shortly after my hike. Dark storm clouds moved in and for thirty minutes we got pelted with rain. We all huddled beneath our tarps and waited it out. A few small waterfalls cascaded down the cliffs.

It is getting late now. Someone is snoring and occasionally I hear a crackle from the fire. Birds are whistling in the dark distance, some sounding close. Perhaps one is a blue heron. I can hear crickets and sometimes the churning of water on the river.

* * *

John Wesley Powell moved down the river at much the same pace as we did. Just as each bend of the river brought a new panorama for myself, around every corner brought a new vista for Powell and his expedition, who were nearly the first Europeans to explore this river:

“July 14, 1869—This morning, we pass some curious black bluffs on the right, then two or three short canyons, and then we discover the mouth of the San Rafael, a stream which comes down from the distant mountains in the west. Here we stop for an hour or two, and take a short walk up the valley, and find it is a frequent resort for Indians. Arrowheads are scattered about, many of them very beautiful. Flint chips are seen strewn over the ground in great profusion, and the trails are well worn.

“. . . Now, we enter another canyon. Gradually the walls rise higher and higher as we proceed, and the summit of the canyon is formed of the same beds of orange-colored sandstone. Back from the brink, the hollows of the plateau are filled with sands disintegrated from these orange beds. They are of rich cream color, shaded into maroon, everywhere destitute of vegetation, and drifted into long, wave-like ridges.

“The course of the river is tortuous, and it nearly doubles upon itself many times. The water is quiet, and constant rowing is necessary to make much headway. Sometimes, there is a narrow flood plain between the river and the wall, on one side or the other. Where these long, gentle curves are found, the river washes the very foot of the outer wall. A long peninsula of willow-bordered meadow projects within the curve, and the talus, at the foot of the cliff, is usually covered with dwarf oaks. The orange-colored sandstone is very homogenous in structure, and the walls are usually vertical, though not very high. Where the river sweeps around a curve under a cliff, a vast hollow dome may be seen, with many caves and deep alcoves, that are greatly admired by the members of the party, as we go by.

“We camp at night on the left bank.

“July 15—Our camp is in a great bend of the canyon. The perimeter of the curve is to the west, and we are on the east side of the river. Just opposite, a little stream comes down through a narrow side canyon. We cross, and go up to explore it. Just at its mouth, another lateral canyon enters, in the angle between the former and the main canyon above. Still another enters in the angle between the canyon below and the side canyon first mentioned, so that three side canyons enter at the same point. These canyons are very tortuous, almost closed in from view, and, seen from the opposite side of the river, they appear like three alcoves; and we name this Trin-Alcove Bend.” ♠

The Standup Paddleboard
Green River Trip, Day 1
Green River Trip, Day 3
Green River Trip, Day 4