BreteThomas
Active Member
I've just entered my second year on Lake Powell and I'm still just as blown away as any wide-eyed newcomer. My gosh, maybe the most extraordinary place I've ever been, and I've been to a few. I've put nearly 1,000 miles in over the last year on Powell and I couldn't be more in love. However I've been known to two-time at Flaming Gorge ;-)
A little over a year ago I was first exposed to LP by riding the Halls Ferry. I'd never owned a boat in my life, in spite of being a veteran outdoorsman (mountain biking had been my thing for nearly a decade, preceded by archery hunting, fly fishing, and endless miles of backpacking.) While on the ferry, with my jaw dropping to my middle-aged tummy, I knew I had to explore this place. I HAD to! But in what kind of a boat? I don't want to spend too much in case I get bored with boating. And, it has to be portable. Like REALLY portable. I want to be able to launch off the beach by myself. Solo. On the other hand, I wanted a little speed and a lot of range. Was I asking for too much?
Now for the research. I soon discovered that inflatables had come a long way in terms of seaworthiness. This opened up the idea that I might not even need a trailer, or a boat launch. Hmmm .... so I took a little plunge and bought an 11' inflatable that even had an inflated floor, rather than the old-school plywood or aluminum floors. The whole craft weighed 100 lbs. and had fold-down launch wheels. I can drag the boat up onto, or off of, most any beach. Add a used 15hp 2-stroke and I was in business for about $2k. Plus the boat deflated and folded up underneath the bed in my campervan! The fuel and outboard strap to a cargo tray out back of the van.
Having been warned about the weather and dangers of LP, my first journeys were pretty short. Crosby Canyon to the dam and back. Then CC to Navajo Canyon and back. I got more experience and courage with each adventure. Next month was Bullfrog to Hite and back and eventually (this May) Bullfrog to the San Juan and up to Big Bend and back with a night on the beach. Secretly I'd been dreaming of doing Hite to the dam, but needed someone to drop me off at Hite and and pick me up from Wahweap. That's a five hour drive, not including the trip to-and-from SLC -- and I had no takers. I felt like I might have to put that dream on hold until I sat down and did the math.
So this last week I did it. I parked the van on the beach at Stanton and launched the 11' Zodiac (actually made by Saturn) on Friday morning (6/28/19) and made the 105 mile trip to Hite and back. I took the chance to travel up the Colorado River beyond Hite for a dozen miles or so. It's flowing pretty heavily and made for an interesting leg. (I want to return and make it to Dark Canyon when the runoff slows a bit.) Had some fun chatting with the river guides who had just finished floating down the Colorado from Moab through Cataract Canyon. Some of them have craft so large they have to motor back to Bullfrog to take out -- at least until Hite opens again. One of the river guides had the audacity to call my boat "cute"!!! The nerve. Punk kids. I had the last laugh as I got back to Bullfrog two hours ahead of them. Having had a shower and dinner long before they even arrived, I got to wave (and snicker) as they puttered by Stanton.
Saturday morning marked the beginning of leg two, which felt a lot more ambitious. Legs 2 and 3 were joined by an overnight stay on some as-yet-undetermined beach. This required a lot more gear, food and water, which is challenging in an 11' craft. The plan for Saturday was to b-line it from Stanton to the Dam. Full throttle for 7-8 hours straight and I just might make it -- presuming the headwind wasn't too bad. Beautiful blue skies, not much wind -- it was glorious in spite of the fact I had no time to explore. I stopped at Dangling Rope to refill my one spent tank (I carry three 6-gallon tanks on long journeys giving me a 180-mile range in good weather). A gentleman about my age came up to me in the store and asked "Are you the guy in the Zodiac?" I answered "Yes." He shook his head and said "Balls of stainless steel." I confess. A bit of sheepish pride welled up in me. I tried to keep it cool though. Secretly I see myself as a misunderstood superhero ;-) We had a nice chat while he enjoyed a famous Dangling Rope rootbeer float.
So off I went to make the final push to the dam. I ran the math and figured I could make the dam and then back track a bit towards Padre to find a camping spot all before dark. Things looked good for a lot of miles, in spite of some looming black clouds on the westerly horizon and a slight increase in head winds. My neighbor in SLC is a meteorologist for NOAA, and I've picked his brain. He's said that their models can predict big fronts with ease, but micro bursts are near impossible. So, just because WX1 says "all clear" doesn't necessarily mean you are. Today was a great example. My neighbor explained that, in dry climates, heavy rain evaporates before it hits the ground thus rapidly cooling the air. This cool air slams down on the ground and can create 50mph winds out of nowhere. So, if you see those dark rain streamers in the distance, but they don't make it to the ground, BEWARE. Add lightning to this and it's time to head for cover, now. This knowledge may have saved me this day. I saw it coming, beached the boat and took cover under a rock shelf. Within minutes the gusts were reaching 40mph. And as fast as it came, it quickly faded away. Within 45 minutes I was back on the water and eventually made it to the dam in time to watch the locals swimming and cliff jumping in the 100-degree evening sunset.
I even had a little time to spare on the way back up so i explored Antelope canyon before finding a camping spot for the night (pictured). On Sunday, The trip back to Bullfrog was overcast and I made the silly mistake of thinking I didn't need the sun hat. I'm still paying for that error. Then the winds kicked up even worse than Saturday while I was trapped in a sheer-walled canyon. I found a 20-foot crack/cove to hide in for an hour, while I watched the 5-foot waves slosh by, and then made the rest of the journey back to Bullfrog.
Mission Accomplished! Lake Powell top to bottom -- and back -- in an 11' inflatable -- in 3 days. I like the idea of stainless steel balls, but I suspect it's mostly being clueless and lucky, rather than brave. Spectacular trip, nonetheless.
A little over a year ago I was first exposed to LP by riding the Halls Ferry. I'd never owned a boat in my life, in spite of being a veteran outdoorsman (mountain biking had been my thing for nearly a decade, preceded by archery hunting, fly fishing, and endless miles of backpacking.) While on the ferry, with my jaw dropping to my middle-aged tummy, I knew I had to explore this place. I HAD to! But in what kind of a boat? I don't want to spend too much in case I get bored with boating. And, it has to be portable. Like REALLY portable. I want to be able to launch off the beach by myself. Solo. On the other hand, I wanted a little speed and a lot of range. Was I asking for too much?
Now for the research. I soon discovered that inflatables had come a long way in terms of seaworthiness. This opened up the idea that I might not even need a trailer, or a boat launch. Hmmm .... so I took a little plunge and bought an 11' inflatable that even had an inflated floor, rather than the old-school plywood or aluminum floors. The whole craft weighed 100 lbs. and had fold-down launch wheels. I can drag the boat up onto, or off of, most any beach. Add a used 15hp 2-stroke and I was in business for about $2k. Plus the boat deflated and folded up underneath the bed in my campervan! The fuel and outboard strap to a cargo tray out back of the van.
Having been warned about the weather and dangers of LP, my first journeys were pretty short. Crosby Canyon to the dam and back. Then CC to Navajo Canyon and back. I got more experience and courage with each adventure. Next month was Bullfrog to Hite and back and eventually (this May) Bullfrog to the San Juan and up to Big Bend and back with a night on the beach. Secretly I'd been dreaming of doing Hite to the dam, but needed someone to drop me off at Hite and and pick me up from Wahweap. That's a five hour drive, not including the trip to-and-from SLC -- and I had no takers. I felt like I might have to put that dream on hold until I sat down and did the math.
So this last week I did it. I parked the van on the beach at Stanton and launched the 11' Zodiac (actually made by Saturn) on Friday morning (6/28/19) and made the 105 mile trip to Hite and back. I took the chance to travel up the Colorado River beyond Hite for a dozen miles or so. It's flowing pretty heavily and made for an interesting leg. (I want to return and make it to Dark Canyon when the runoff slows a bit.) Had some fun chatting with the river guides who had just finished floating down the Colorado from Moab through Cataract Canyon. Some of them have craft so large they have to motor back to Bullfrog to take out -- at least until Hite opens again. One of the river guides had the audacity to call my boat "cute"!!! The nerve. Punk kids. I had the last laugh as I got back to Bullfrog two hours ahead of them. Having had a shower and dinner long before they even arrived, I got to wave (and snicker) as they puttered by Stanton.
Saturday morning marked the beginning of leg two, which felt a lot more ambitious. Legs 2 and 3 were joined by an overnight stay on some as-yet-undetermined beach. This required a lot more gear, food and water, which is challenging in an 11' craft. The plan for Saturday was to b-line it from Stanton to the Dam. Full throttle for 7-8 hours straight and I just might make it -- presuming the headwind wasn't too bad. Beautiful blue skies, not much wind -- it was glorious in spite of the fact I had no time to explore. I stopped at Dangling Rope to refill my one spent tank (I carry three 6-gallon tanks on long journeys giving me a 180-mile range in good weather). A gentleman about my age came up to me in the store and asked "Are you the guy in the Zodiac?" I answered "Yes." He shook his head and said "Balls of stainless steel." I confess. A bit of sheepish pride welled up in me. I tried to keep it cool though. Secretly I see myself as a misunderstood superhero ;-) We had a nice chat while he enjoyed a famous Dangling Rope rootbeer float.
So off I went to make the final push to the dam. I ran the math and figured I could make the dam and then back track a bit towards Padre to find a camping spot all before dark. Things looked good for a lot of miles, in spite of some looming black clouds on the westerly horizon and a slight increase in head winds. My neighbor in SLC is a meteorologist for NOAA, and I've picked his brain. He's said that their models can predict big fronts with ease, but micro bursts are near impossible. So, just because WX1 says "all clear" doesn't necessarily mean you are. Today was a great example. My neighbor explained that, in dry climates, heavy rain evaporates before it hits the ground thus rapidly cooling the air. This cool air slams down on the ground and can create 50mph winds out of nowhere. So, if you see those dark rain streamers in the distance, but they don't make it to the ground, BEWARE. Add lightning to this and it's time to head for cover, now. This knowledge may have saved me this day. I saw it coming, beached the boat and took cover under a rock shelf. Within minutes the gusts were reaching 40mph. And as fast as it came, it quickly faded away. Within 45 minutes I was back on the water and eventually made it to the dam in time to watch the locals swimming and cliff jumping in the 100-degree evening sunset.
I even had a little time to spare on the way back up so i explored Antelope canyon before finding a camping spot for the night (pictured). On Sunday, The trip back to Bullfrog was overcast and I made the silly mistake of thinking I didn't need the sun hat. I'm still paying for that error. Then the winds kicked up even worse than Saturday while I was trapped in a sheer-walled canyon. I found a 20-foot crack/cove to hide in for an hour, while I watched the 5-foot waves slosh by, and then made the rest of the journey back to Bullfrog.
Mission Accomplished! Lake Powell top to bottom -- and back -- in an 11' inflatable -- in 3 days. I like the idea of stainless steel balls, but I suspect it's mostly being clueless and lucky, rather than brave. Spectacular trip, nonetheless.
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