JFR Trip Report Teaser - 9/2 -9/8/20

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JFRCalifornia

JFRCalifornia

Keeper of San Juan Secrets
Just got back from a houseboat week on the lake which featured a little of just about everything except fishing. The fish were safe from us. :) This is just a quick teaser for a much longer report I'll eventually post, or at least a link to it...probably will end up being 50 pages with who knows how many photos. But the short story? We got up into multiple canyons, either on foot or kayak or both, including Cascade, Twilight, Secret (Oak), Anasazi (Lehi Bridges), Reflection (to the top of the cliff, looking down), Bowns (to Bechan Cave), Wetherill, and even had time for Rainbow Bridge. Stayed in four different houseboat sites, from Friendship Cove up to an awesome spot in always-overlooked Indian Creek... So yes, there's a lot to cover... but for now, a few sample photos...

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Tiff Mapel said:
You are livin' the dream!! Great pics! Did you see the fossilized mammoth dung in the back of Bechan Cave?

Tiff
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Thanks! It is livin’ the dream! As for the mammoth dung, I think the researchers cleared it out long ago... but that is one impressive cave! Must be 150 feet deep and probably 100 feet wide or so, maybe 30 feet high. The hike there was in the brutal 100-degree sun (with no real shade along the way), but the cave was pleasantly cool. The weird thing is that there were mosquitoes in the cave, the only ones I saw anywhere all week...

In a lot of ways that cave reminds me of the similar ones in Fifty-Mile and Willow, but way more usable flat space... no wonder the mammoths liked it...

Will post more details and photos of that hike separately soon...
 
I am envious - those are all great canyons to explore! I especially like your 1st photo from Cascade Canyon, but all your photos are great and I appreciate your posting them. I haven't been able to get to the Lake since late June - a few unforeseen circumstances interfered. But I plan on heading there in about 2 weeks.

And like others have mentioned I too am eager for your additional post from the trip.
 
great pics and commentary of your adventures
when you write up the Reflection one, could you show where you parked boat and the path to get to the flat area? we think we had it figured out last week but opted instead to see how much farther the hike into West Canyon is at present water level
 
tamariver2 said:
great pics and commentary of your adventures
when you write up the Reflection one, could you show where you parked boat and the path to get to the flat area? we think we had it figured out last week but opted instead to see how much farther the hike into West Canyon is at present water level
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Will do! How was the West Canyon hike? My guess is that it was about 3 miles to the swimming slot... in early August when I was there the pools were partly filled with sand, so you could wade through without swimming! But a lot of quicksand along the way!!
 
wow you know that place really well It was over 3 miles to the first slot and it required a short swim to get to waist deep water in that one. We turned around there so we could get back to NOT catching stripers! I have never worn shoes on that hike once getting to the spot behind that giant rock just after the the dead tree, but there was so much round river rock and fine gravel that it was much slower going. Just couple other points- no quicksand at ALL/ no beaver dams/ the place you have to go around or climb up the sand (which you guys probably do enjoy!!) was completely level/ bigger fish all the way in the deeper pools. IT has always been smooth fine packed sand and 'quicksand' on the curves. Finally, the debris caught in the trees just below the first slot was about 12' high and we just figured quite a 'flow' had come through there to scour down to round cobble.
If anyone goes now - the mud is only a couple hundred feet and not really bad at all to get to well worn 'trail'
 
tamariver2 said:
wow you know that place really well It was over 3 miles to the first slot and it required a short swim to get to waist deep water in that one. We turned around there so we could get back to NOT catching stripers! I have never worn shoes on that hike once getting to the spot behind that giant rock just after the the dead tree, but there was so much round river rock and fine gravel that it was much slower going. Just couple other points- no quicksand at ALL/ no beaver dams/ the place you have to go around or climb up the sand (which you guys probably do enjoy!!) was completely level/ bigger fish all the way in the deeper pools. IT has always been smooth fine packed sand and 'quicksand' on the curves. Finally, the debris caught in the trees just below the first slot was about 12' high and we just figured quite a 'flow' had come through there to scour down to round cobble.
If anyone goes now - the mud is only a couple hundred feet and not really bad at all to get to well worn 'trail'
Click to expand...
That’s a great report and great details! Yeah, it’s changed a bit even in the past month with regard to the quicksand it seems. But yes, lots of debris and river cobbles that aren’t usually there, so it was slow going for sure. That first pool was a plunge as you say, but felt great on a hot day. There was also a huge logjam/scum field on the surface maybe 100 yards from the end, so we had to maneuver carefully to the end just to tie up the boat. I’d never seen that in West Canyon, but there it was! Sounds like that was gone too when you were there... It felt like on my hike there must have been some pretty recent flash flood through there with all the logs, quicksand, debris, and partially filled pools in the slot...

but still great!
 
WOW. Great photos. I’m glad you’re such a prolific traveler and poster. Love reading about your Lake Powell travels. Thanks! Mike.
 
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