Green River Canoe Trip 2008 - part 3 of 3 -- Questions you've been wondering about.

In this post, I hope to answer those nitty-gritty questions you've been wondering about regarding a long river trip.

Question #1: How do you attend to the necessary bodily functions? Easy. Everyone urinates into the river. (If that grosses you out, consider if the thousands of users of the river instead went on the sand beaches and what a mess and smell that would create! The solution to river pollution is dilution!) Solid waste is much trickier a proposition, so all groups are required to rent and utilize a "groover" as seen below. The ziplock bag contains toilet paper (which can be inserted into the groover) as well as sanitizer after you are finished so no diseases are passed around. The groover is placed in a level area away from all viewers (but with views of the river and/or cliffs for personal contemplation during the process) and the paddle is placed upright in the sand, in view of the camp area. If the canoe paddle can be seen, it is the signal the groover is available. You then take it with you so it no longer is in view, thus insuring your privacy. For a poetic rendition of this explanation, click here.



Question #2: How does one bathe? Easy. In the river, using special bio-degradable soap, which is good for skin, hair (not that I have to worry about that!), and even dishes. Sure the water is a tad on the cool side, but on a 95 degree day, it feels great! And if you choose not to bathe, not to worry, because everyone else has a bit of a smell, too. Of course, the Green River is silt-laden, so all have a sand layer on the skin, and washing in the river doesn't remove that.



Question 3: Where do you take breaks, have lunch, and camp? Answer: On the sand beaches, of course. Each has its own personality and size, and you find one that suits you as you travel downriver. All also offer outstanding views in all directions, and some offer hiking possibilities, too.


Question 4: Do you always paddle and hike, or do you take rest breaks? Of course you take breaks, generally in the shade and near beautiful sites, as seen here as the group rests alongside an Anazasi ruin. (Pictured, l to r: Ellen, Pete, Mike, Joel, and John.)



Question 5: How do you get a photo of the entire group? Easy. When we were visiting Robber's Roost, a reputed hideaway for outlaws including Butch Cassidy (in the background of this photo), a crew of rangers was present beginning rehab work on the structure, and their leader agreed to take the photo. Here we all are:



Question #6: Who cooks meals? On our trip, it was our inimitable leader and friend, Greg Pflug. (No, he is not the wild man he appears to be in this photo -- at least, not always.) His meals are varied and delicious, and it is amazing what he can can concoct within the limited resources of little refrigeration.



Question #7: Where do you sleep? On the ground! That can be either in a tent or under the stars. In our case, we sleep in the tent, but without the rain fly covering us, thus allowing views of the magnificent starry skies through the netting. Yes, we use air mattresses. Yes, we put the rain fly on if the weather is threatening, which happened only 1 of the 8 nights.



Question #8: Can you have campfires on the river? (Or rather on the shore.) As long as there is no fire ban imposed by the Bureau of Land Management or the National Park Service on their respective portions of the river, yes you can, but the fire must be within a metal fire pan. And when your campfire is out, you must take the ashes and unburned material to the water, carefully dump it in, and pick out whatever floats and put it in your trash to be carried out. If it sinks, it can stay.



And finally, question 9: After paddling 120 miles downriver, how does one get back to your starting point -- in this case, Moab, Utah? Here's the answer: A jet boat comes to pick up the group, along with their 11 kayaks and canoes and all the gear needed to equip, feed, transport, and house 16 people for 9 days away from civilization:

... and it makes the trip going upriver 45 miles on the mighty Colorado, and does it at 25 mph, whizzing us through more of Canyonlands National Park's majestic towering cliffs. A truly wonderful end to the adventure! Thanks to Tex's Riverways, our outfitter and provider, which is celebratin its 50th anniversary this year. And thanks also to Greg of Adventures in Florida who put this trip together for us all.

Part 1 of Green River Posts

Part 2 of Green River posts