The Grand Time
Tom's Journal
May 29, 2007 - Day 14
Today was spent in Moab getting provisions and readying the raft for the upcoming section through Cataract Canyon.
To save time, my plan was to kayak the seventeen miles from Moab to Potash-the normal launching point for Cataract-but it became obvious during the day that I wasn’t going to make it before dark.
Lars (as in Lars Hard) who is wise beyond his young years, pointed out that if we got an early start from Potash our whole trip would go more smoothly.
Once in a blue moon would I do what became obvious I needed to do, so at 10:10 pm Lars dropped me off at the Moab boat launch, just above the Moab bridge over the Colorado River. At this point, the river adjoins Arches National Park, the second of four National Parks along the way.
I soon found the full blue moon made it easier to see the river’s current than in the daylight-which matters in this sort of flat water-but when the river took me into the dark side of the moon (a.k.a. shadows of towering cliffs) things got a little weird.
I was repeatedly (about 20 times) startled by the loud bang made from beavers slapping their tails on the surface of the river, most likely because they were startled by me. No matter how I tried, I could not ready myself for the loud slaps, so I just called them names in a loud voice in response to their slaps.
The upstream wind made its presence felt for the first hour or so and it was difficult to deal with in the dark, but it subsided leaving my mind free to wonder about the next “beaver attack”.
Like the trooper he is, Lars waited for me at the Potash ramp until I arrived at about 1:30 in the morning. By this time I was punchy from all the beaver slaps and I was having a hard time keeping my balance because of something similar to vertigo, so I was happy to get off the water.
Since we are on the topic of water, it seems to be rising. While the cause could be a combination of factors, I like to think it is because the weather has warmed to near normal temperatures-90s in this area-and the snow at high elevations is melting again.
The journey is now on schedule and thanks mostly to Lars we are stocked up with equipment and provisions for the remote and beautiful miles through Cataract Canyon and into Lake Powell.
To save time, my plan was to kayak the seventeen miles from Moab to Potash-the normal launching point for Cataract-but it became obvious during the day that I wasn’t going to make it before dark.
Lars (as in Lars Hard) who is wise beyond his young years, pointed out that if we got an early start from Potash our whole trip would go more smoothly.
Once in a blue moon would I do what became obvious I needed to do, so at 10:10 pm Lars dropped me off at the Moab boat launch, just above the Moab bridge over the Colorado River. At this point, the river adjoins Arches National Park, the second of four National Parks along the way.
I soon found the full blue moon made it easier to see the river’s current than in the daylight-which matters in this sort of flat water-but when the river took me into the dark side of the moon (a.k.a. shadows of towering cliffs) things got a little weird.
I was repeatedly (about 20 times) startled by the loud bang made from beavers slapping their tails on the surface of the river, most likely because they were startled by me. No matter how I tried, I could not ready myself for the loud slaps, so I just called them names in a loud voice in response to their slaps.
The upstream wind made its presence felt for the first hour or so and it was difficult to deal with in the dark, but it subsided leaving my mind free to wonder about the next “beaver attack”.
Like the trooper he is, Lars waited for me at the Potash ramp until I arrived at about 1:30 in the morning. By this time I was punchy from all the beaver slaps and I was having a hard time keeping my balance because of something similar to vertigo, so I was happy to get off the water.
Since we are on the topic of water, it seems to be rising. While the cause could be a combination of factors, I like to think it is because the weather has warmed to near normal temperatures-90s in this area-and the snow at high elevations is melting again.
The journey is now on schedule and thanks mostly to Lars we are stocked up with equipment and provisions for the remote and beautiful miles through Cataract Canyon and into Lake Powell.
Mile 374