Three-day adventure on the Colorado River
What an adventure! We survived an AMAZING 3-day trip down (and up) the Colorado River. Day one brought an 8-mile upriver paddle that turned VERY challenging at mile 6 when the water rose nearly 3 feet from the Hoover Dam release (the highest our guide Robbie had ever seen).
What a gift to have our kids with us. It’s worth noting, they worked for it, too. Ash was my right-hand-man in the only canoe, lugging large coolers and bigger gear that didn’t fit well in kayaks. Lil and Phoenix switched between being my middle paddler and Sue’s double kayak partner. So much work, and oh so much fun. Really, really proud of them.
The easy upriver paddle on day one…
Playing a bit after stopping for lunch.
This is where the challenge began. This may not look like much, but that water coming downstream was cookin’. Super challenging to cross and get just up around the bend to base camp. Outflow from Hoover Dam had risen from 5,000 cfs to 34,582cfs.
Day two gave us an awesome morning hike to Arizona hot springs, followed by an upriver paddle to hike Goldstrike hot springs and explore Sauna Cave; along with another good workout paddling upriver to the base of Hoover Dam. Enjoyed super scrumptious meals and lots of laughs around the campfire from our excellent guides at Desert Adventures.
Morning of day two. The water receded, giving us more than 15’ of shoreline, and a stunning reflection.
Exploring Sauna Cave was a lot of fun, and the name speaks for itself, holy moly did it get hot! The cave goes back quite far - headlamps are a must.
Headed back downriver to base camp. Those canyon walls, though…
So many laughs around the campfire, nestled in the canyon at base camp.
Day three brought a nice calm morning that quickly progressed into 40mph headwinds and 3-4' swells as we paddled to the finish line. We all had our reserves having to leave the canyon.
Love this crew!
If you see any of these folks around town, give 'em a high five, a hug, or a "way to go!!" cause they deserve it!! This adventure was not without A LOT of hard work, and they should all be very proud of themselves for diggin' in and making it happen. Can't wait to get back to good ole Warren, PA and hug a silver maple. Cheers, friends!