Tuesday, December 10th, 2013
This was another cold clear morning below freezing but at least my water bottle didn't freeze in my tent. Since our crew was on breakfast, I got up at 6 am. Working in the kitchen was cold on the hands. However, by 9:30 am as we finished packing the rafts, we were in sunshine.
The canyon has opened up considerably so we're getting a lot more sun now. We ran Kolb (6) and some smaller rapids through the day. We traveled 10 miles, camping at Granite Park campsite by 1 pm. This is a big sunny flat at Mile 209.
I pitched my tent on top of a small sand dune where I could enjoy the sun and the view.
In the afternoon, I hiked a little way up the side canyon but not too far. I thought that some trout may have gotten trapped in the cut off section of river in the picture when the water level went down a couple of weeks previously. Later, Zack and I tried fishing there but didn't get anything.
The sun went down about 4 pm but this is a great site for winter camping.
Wednesday, December 11th, 2013
This was a cool morning with only a bit of ice in the water pails.
Dawn from my tent. It's always great waking up to scenery like this.
All through the trip, Jeffy has been doing a great job setting up the "groover". He picks a private spot near camp, with a scenic view whenever possible. On the path, he leaves a series of canoe paddles stuck in the ground so everyone can find the bathroom in the dark. If a paddle is laying across the path, that means the groover is in use. Near the groover is a wash station, as in the picture above. It's very important to have clean hands after using the groover and before eating. An outbreak of an intestinal virus could sweep through all 16 people and ruin a few days of the trip. It's happened to other groups.
Finally, the groover is a large square ammunition can with an extension for greater height so we can fill the actual can to the top. There is a toilet seat, a small canister for toilet paper and a big bucket for urine. Only solids go into the can because we have to pack all the cans out. It's strictly no trace camping. The urine bucket is dumped in the river.
A typical morning in camp. Coffee is the first objective followed by breakfast. Anyone not on the kitchen crew that day usually packs their personal gear with a coffee in hand.
We were in full sunlight by 9:30 am, which always feels great. Duane joined Zack and I in our raft today and we "drafted" quite happily in the sun. "Drafting" is drinking and rafting. Beer isn't just a breakfast drink. In the picture we're approaching Pumpkin Spring which is a mineral spring pool right beside the river. The sides look a bit like a pumpkin. It was "hippie day" so many people dressed up. I never dressed up to look the part 45 years ago either. It just comes naturally.
Pumpkin Spring from above. Apparently it has high arsenic content so is not recommended for drinking.
By 3 pm we had arrived at the middle campsite at Mile 220. The Idaho group is camped for a layover day at the upper campsite a few hundred metres from us. Clo, Zack and Dan are enjoying a beverage in the sun. It always makes a father proud to see his eldest son in a blond wig. Later, Matt cut up some old jeans to make a pair of assless chaps that he wore throughout the evening. I think he confused hippie day with male stripper day.
Like the previous campsite, this one has lots of flat spots for tents. After we got all set up we found our way up to the Idaho campsite where they had built a sweatlodge on the river bank. Supper on this night was basically leftovers since PRO had confused how many days we would be on the river. Nevertheless, the ladies put a meal together out of what they could find and it turned out well. I think a lot of people went back up to the Idaho campsite for a party but I went to bed. Another great day on the river.
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