A good trip on the San Juan, very few rain showers, good river flows (always a concern for SW river trips) and most important of all very mild winds. Nothing, but nothing will turn a nice spring southwest canoe trip into a test of endurance like wind will :- ) A 20 to 30 mph day will micro-burst up the canyons at two and three times that speed making cooking, pitching shelter just about everything nearly impossible. The week before I launched two 18ft rafts, with outboards operated by a Navajo outfitter were both pancaked, literally lifted off the river and slammed back down upside down :- ) Those guys aren't rigged for that kind of fun, they lost coolers and outboard motors and gear of all kinds, stuff floated down the rio like a big yard sale along with 16 tourist haha
I had over 1000 cfs flows the whole time, which is a lot of fun in a canoe, a lot of the unrated riffles and such get to be long wave trains with 3' waves and the Class II and III stuff start looking pretty sporty. The rapids on the San Juan aren't difficult in a technical creeking sort of way, but the speed and volume of the river creates big waves and holes. It's a different experience than splashy creek runs and for most folks used to running technical stuff the water seems 'big' to them. The other thing that that stands out to folks not used to southwest rivers is the muddy water, it hides the rocks and the depth of the holes, it really changes how you read the river, it makes it really easy to miss the pour overs and ledges. The speed and volume of the river, even in the 'flats,' make landing feel more like an eddy out, you generally don't get to meander to shore or you find your self swept into the russian olive trees or tamarisk tree's. A lot of the bank also drops off real fast, making just jumping out with a painter a sketchy move :- )
I was planning on 11 days, but a couple issues on the home front cut my trip a little short, my wife got a serious sinus infection, probably caused by mold on a remodel job we are doing and was in a bad way :- ( we don't have family in AZ so I cut my trip down to 8 days. I camped right above Government Rapid and ran straight though the lower section that requires campsite reservations and took out early.
I put in at Montezuma Creek, UT on and camped at Recapture Creek the first night and layed over there the following day, it's above the usual Sand Island put in and not often traveled, but there's some good hiking and interesting stuff to see. A note about the upper, there aren't any rated rapids up there, but the river braids into tight channels that you can't scout, and there are many real deal, day wrecking stainers in there requiring far more boat control skills than the rapids in the two canyons.
I left there and paddled into Sand Island to do my 'check-in' with the BLM River Rangers and headed down to Butler Wash for some more lay over days :- ) Butler Wash (google it) is classic southwest hiking goodness, lots of tinjana's (earth jar), rock art and ruins. It gets blown by most folks trips because it's only a few miles below the usual Sand Island put in and folks are wanting to get some miles after launching. Because of the that there aren't any camps shown in the guide books, but there are a couple good ones above it and i usually stay a couple days there on every trip. My idea of good layover camps are places I can hang my Hennessy Hammock, I don't live like a savage out there haha
I also camped at 'Midway' camp in the upper canyon, there's a small grainery ruin and rock art there and a side canyon that allows hiking out of the river canyon, I layed over there too, it's more 'drive-bye' country and I wanted to explore it with some thoroughness, it was very worthwhile :- )
The rest of my trip was pretty much the same, I like to camp in passed over area's and I enjoy exploring area's of archeological importance.
My Nova Craft Supernova in Ex. Tuff Stuff worked like it was made for Class III river trips and I like that boat more every time I use it :- ) very dry, stable and maneuverable in big waves and holes even if I don't always do my part haha I was loaded fairly heavy with a #4 Granite Gear pack, smallish dry box, day pack and a small 'soft' cooler with some solid frozen meat and too large frozen Nalgene bottles, to round out my meals, it works well for the first week of a trip and I replenish the ice at Mexican Hat and drink the water. I like outdoor cooking and my kitchen is based around a 10" anodized aluminum dutch oven (2.6 lbs), I plan about 50/50 meals that take prep and those that don't. When the wind is howling, I'm not messing with stoves or DO cooking. When I'm doing less lay overs and more miles i back off the cooler and DO and get more 'backpacker' with my chow. All this said my gross boat weight was about 205 lbs of paddler and just over 100lbs of load including 2 gallons of water, I could cut that by 25% easily if I wanted, but hey I like baking biscuits and making sausage gravy on lazy river morning layover days haha
If anything the SN actually displays better manners with a load on. I know lots of folks fuss about moving the seat fore or aft, but loaded for a trip that seat works just right for me, though I may raise it an inch or two. I have the big pack rigged right in front of my knee pads and secured by glued in PVC 'D' rings, I kneel 80% of the time I'm paddling. I put my river toilet behind me under the airbag and my firepan under the front airbag along with a dry bag of charcoal (drift wood sucks for the DO) that is also my trash bag. I fill the rest of the boat with NRS nylon 'long' solo canoe air bags. I would take in a LOT of water without bags even when things go well and pinning solo with the flow and volume of the San Juan would probably be the end of my canoe :- ( The BLM rangers cut several canoes off rocks every year, they made sure to tell me that when I checked in haha
These are the high points of my trip and an overview of how I do it out there. No swimming this time :- ) I come close at times doing something silly or pushing the edge of my skill level and of course I left some sand colored gel coat here and there and know what nakid Tuff Stuff looks like. My wife (rafter and kayak hippy) looks at all the scratches and exposed fabric on my otherwise glossy and fair craft and just shakes her head and ask 'What was going on in there?' haha She doesn't get the whole composite canoe thing, my Dagger Genesis didn't show the abuse :- )
My loaded boat, getting that lived in look, I like all my gear loaded below the gunnels, but my hiking shoes end up drying on top of the airbags most of the time :- )
My breakfast in progress, that Rubber made box fits inside my #4 and is also my prep area.
A tom getting some springtime loving next to my camp LOL
Looking down Butler Wash towards the river
Some rock art is hard to interpet, this one not so much :- )
These steps were chipped well over a thousand years ago, they always lead somewhere interesting
In this case to this hidden tinjana (earth jar), very cool.
I had over 1000 cfs flows the whole time, which is a lot of fun in a canoe, a lot of the unrated riffles and such get to be long wave trains with 3' waves and the Class II and III stuff start looking pretty sporty. The rapids on the San Juan aren't difficult in a technical creeking sort of way, but the speed and volume of the river creates big waves and holes. It's a different experience than splashy creek runs and for most folks used to running technical stuff the water seems 'big' to them. The other thing that that stands out to folks not used to southwest rivers is the muddy water, it hides the rocks and the depth of the holes, it really changes how you read the river, it makes it really easy to miss the pour overs and ledges. The speed and volume of the river, even in the 'flats,' make landing feel more like an eddy out, you generally don't get to meander to shore or you find your self swept into the russian olive trees or tamarisk tree's. A lot of the bank also drops off real fast, making just jumping out with a painter a sketchy move :- )
I was planning on 11 days, but a couple issues on the home front cut my trip a little short, my wife got a serious sinus infection, probably caused by mold on a remodel job we are doing and was in a bad way :- ( we don't have family in AZ so I cut my trip down to 8 days. I camped right above Government Rapid and ran straight though the lower section that requires campsite reservations and took out early.
I put in at Montezuma Creek, UT on and camped at Recapture Creek the first night and layed over there the following day, it's above the usual Sand Island put in and not often traveled, but there's some good hiking and interesting stuff to see. A note about the upper, there aren't any rated rapids up there, but the river braids into tight channels that you can't scout, and there are many real deal, day wrecking stainers in there requiring far more boat control skills than the rapids in the two canyons.
I left there and paddled into Sand Island to do my 'check-in' with the BLM River Rangers and headed down to Butler Wash for some more lay over days :- ) Butler Wash (google it) is classic southwest hiking goodness, lots of tinjana's (earth jar), rock art and ruins. It gets blown by most folks trips because it's only a few miles below the usual Sand Island put in and folks are wanting to get some miles after launching. Because of the that there aren't any camps shown in the guide books, but there are a couple good ones above it and i usually stay a couple days there on every trip. My idea of good layover camps are places I can hang my Hennessy Hammock, I don't live like a savage out there haha
I also camped at 'Midway' camp in the upper canyon, there's a small grainery ruin and rock art there and a side canyon that allows hiking out of the river canyon, I layed over there too, it's more 'drive-bye' country and I wanted to explore it with some thoroughness, it was very worthwhile :- )
The rest of my trip was pretty much the same, I like to camp in passed over area's and I enjoy exploring area's of archeological importance.
My Nova Craft Supernova in Ex. Tuff Stuff worked like it was made for Class III river trips and I like that boat more every time I use it :- ) very dry, stable and maneuverable in big waves and holes even if I don't always do my part haha I was loaded fairly heavy with a #4 Granite Gear pack, smallish dry box, day pack and a small 'soft' cooler with some solid frozen meat and too large frozen Nalgene bottles, to round out my meals, it works well for the first week of a trip and I replenish the ice at Mexican Hat and drink the water. I like outdoor cooking and my kitchen is based around a 10" anodized aluminum dutch oven (2.6 lbs), I plan about 50/50 meals that take prep and those that don't. When the wind is howling, I'm not messing with stoves or DO cooking. When I'm doing less lay overs and more miles i back off the cooler and DO and get more 'backpacker' with my chow. All this said my gross boat weight was about 205 lbs of paddler and just over 100lbs of load including 2 gallons of water, I could cut that by 25% easily if I wanted, but hey I like baking biscuits and making sausage gravy on lazy river morning layover days haha
If anything the SN actually displays better manners with a load on. I know lots of folks fuss about moving the seat fore or aft, but loaded for a trip that seat works just right for me, though I may raise it an inch or two. I have the big pack rigged right in front of my knee pads and secured by glued in PVC 'D' rings, I kneel 80% of the time I'm paddling. I put my river toilet behind me under the airbag and my firepan under the front airbag along with a dry bag of charcoal (drift wood sucks for the DO) that is also my trash bag. I fill the rest of the boat with NRS nylon 'long' solo canoe air bags. I would take in a LOT of water without bags even when things go well and pinning solo with the flow and volume of the San Juan would probably be the end of my canoe :- ( The BLM rangers cut several canoes off rocks every year, they made sure to tell me that when I checked in haha
These are the high points of my trip and an overview of how I do it out there. No swimming this time :- ) I come close at times doing something silly or pushing the edge of my skill level and of course I left some sand colored gel coat here and there and know what nakid Tuff Stuff looks like. My wife (rafter and kayak hippy) looks at all the scratches and exposed fabric on my otherwise glossy and fair craft and just shakes her head and ask 'What was going on in there?' haha She doesn't get the whole composite canoe thing, my Dagger Genesis didn't show the abuse :- )
My loaded boat, getting that lived in look, I like all my gear loaded below the gunnels, but my hiking shoes end up drying on top of the airbags most of the time :- )
My breakfast in progress, that Rubber made box fits inside my #4 and is also my prep area.
A tom getting some springtime loving next to my camp LOL
Looking down Butler Wash towards the river
Some rock art is hard to interpet, this one not so much :- )
These steps were chipped well over a thousand years ago, they always lead somewhere interesting
In this case to this hidden tinjana (earth jar), very cool.
