San Juan River

The map shows the San Juan river route from Bluff, Utah, west to Clay Hills.

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20210713

Participants: Roger Faaborg, Richard, Sonia and Don, Becky and Kelly, Eric, Nick, Lance. I slept in the Honda CRV with the windows partially rolled down because of the heat. I awoke at first light but didn’t rise until maybe 6AM. Coffee, dried apricots, and oatmeal were breakfast. Around 7:30 I drove over to the boat ramp, inflated the boat and loaded it. Val the shuttle person arrived at 8AM. We paid her and confirmed what was intended for the keys and vehicles. I was ready to launch probably by 9AM, but others were moving slowly. We didn’t put on the water until 10:30. There were maybe four groups leaving. We were quickly past by three or four duckies that paddled strongly. A group of four 15 foot rafts left before us. We spent the day leap frogging. Three horses crossed the river. I believe both these groups camped further down river this first day. There was another group but once we shoved off we never saw them. We paused in our tepid paddling to view the Toe holds. Eric was convinced we had traveled six miles. Don and I convinced him and the others that we had only traveled 2.6 miles. We missed Butler Wash was because there wasn’t an obvious place to pull off the river. The banks were thick with tamarisk or Russian olives. I paddled back up stream 150meters and confirmed where the trail up Butler Wash was, but nobody else was interested in exploring the area so I rejoined them. We had lunch and proceeded. I pulled over for the Butler Wash Panel petroglyphs. After waving at Nick and Eric from the shore, they all stopped to see them with me. We continued on. I was concerned that we were gong to miss the River House Ruin as well pulling over to look for a trail. All I found were cow trails and the group was well ahead of me down river. Fortunately they had stopped on a nice sandy beach and were hiking over to the ruin. I joined them as we climbed up the steps to the ruins. Roger and Nick explores more and found more steps cut into a rock face. Richard expressed concern that at our pace we might have to exit the river at Mexican Hat. We paddled on to Big Stick campground where Roger asked for a show of hands to stop for the night. Nick and Eric were ready to continue another hour. Richard said if Roger wanted to stop we should, so we did. Three burrows and two deer ate along the opposite shore. We could hear braying of burrows on our side of the river not far away. A nasty dust storm came up as a group of us sat talking. Becky and Kelly were napping on the beach during this. We had a light rain right after I climbed into my tent.

20210714

The rain fell intermittently through much of the night. Slowly waking I heard many coyotes across the river yelping and howling. The skies were clear by morning leaving damp sand and a wet rain fly. Everyone was moving about when I rose around 6AM. I started tackling the many small chores to be ready to launch: coffee, breakfast of cheese and Asiago bagel, drying and cleaning the tent, filling the water bottle, pooping into the wag bag, dragging the boat to the water and loading it. Nick and Eric in the raft were the last to be ready as we pulled away at 8:45AM. We paddled past burro’s ear where Kenny said there is a wonderful deposit of garnets. And then we entered the San Juan canyon in earnest as we passed through Comb’s Ridge. The river turned sharply back and forth with small rock strewn rapids that the raft frequently bounced or dragged through. We scouted 4 foot drop rapid from the top only and easily ran it. The rapid at mile 16 was the most challenging of the day, but easily run. We passed an Oars commercial outfit stopped on river left at the top of 8 foot rapid. Eric was in Kenny’s nine foot pontoon boat and didn’t even pause charging down the rapid. One couldn’t argue because there was only one channel to take. We all easily cleared it then pulled over on river right on a rock ledge that would be under water at high water enjoying lunch in the shade. We continued on enjoying the red valley staircase walls and occasional rapids to arrive at Lime Creek camp. It was around 3PM so we managed some floats down the river and a hike up Lime Creek. For a short distance. The left slope of the river made up of steep slopes and three cliff bands was loaded with Big Horn Sheep grazing. Several brief rain squalls passed during the late afternoon forcing me to retreat to the dryness of the tent. Sonia shared some candies, Becky shared more wine, and Rodger encouraged folks to drink the margarita mix he’d brought. There was plenty of stories and conversations before people wandered off to their tents around 9PM. I’d apparently stepped on something while barefoot leaving my foot in pain for hours. The day wasn’t ready to end when I was awakened by people shouting and moving with headlamps. In the background was a loud rumbling sound of splashing water. Lime Creek was filled with water and debris in a flash flood. Nick and Sonia were the first raise the alarm. We watched at the confluence of Lime Creek and San Juan somewhat helplessly as the small beach area we’d parked our boats on was under several feet of raging water, mud , sand, and debris. Richards canoe was just being kissed by the flooding waters unreachable by us on the opposite side of the creek. Roger’s, and Sonia and Don’s boats were pulled to the end of their ropes holding them to the bank. Nick’s pontoon boat also tied to the shore was Bobby in the newly formed eddy of the confluence. Lime Creek had a series of 6-12 inch standing waves. We pulled Becky and Kelly’s boats to higher ground safe from the roaring waters. As the waters slowly receded and the boats were made secure, we headed back to bed. There were occasional flashes of lightening suggesting more rain and thus more runoff to come. Fortunately the peak excitement was passed and no equipment was lost.

20210715

Folks started moving about at first light. By 8:10AM we were on the now partially muddy San Juan River made so by the much reduced but still flowing Lime Creek. Roger noted the smell of sulphur at about mile 22,5 indicating the presence of sulphur springs. About an hour in, the Mexican Hat formation came into view. Somewhere along the way, Sonia lost one of the lenses to her sunglasses; she looked funny! We pulled over at the BLM boat launch site. Roger, Richard, Eric, Lance, Kelly and Sonia hiked up to the town of Mexican Hat and the new Exxon gas station. Richard handed over $0.27 for 10 gallons of water. The clerk gave us a key to unlock the pump and we filled water bottles. Kelly raced back with two containers of water to deliver ice cream to Becky. We availed ourselves of the toilet at the boat launch then continued on our way. Almost immediately we had to negotiate the rapid around the first right hand corner. rapids. We passed some workers up on a rock ledge just before the highway bridge finishing up the drilling of a water well; they were very friendly natives. Our next stop was a few hundred yards up river from the Mendenhall Cabin situated on the throat of an oxbow. We had lunch and hiked up to the dilapidated rock cabin. There we met three men from Las Vegas also paddle nag the river. We paddled steadily onward Neil we reached the camp at mile 37. The camp has two trails up through the willows to small tent sites surrounded by stickers plants and plenty of ants. It was very hot in the narrow canyon. Sonia and Don set up there shade. I was rather tired today. I wanted to close my eyes while visiting several times. I had a brief chat with Nick about his taking over his father’s kitchen and bath remodel business and his struggle to get pregnant with he and his wife’s second child.

20210716

This turned into our longest day. We traveled 20.6 miles on the river. Everyone was up well before dawn. Paddles touched the river shortly after 8AM. The canyon wells became increasingly vertical and the canyon narrower. We arrived at Honecker Trail at 11AM putting 8 miles behind us. We allotted 30 minutes for those that wanted to hike up the trail before turning around. Don, Sonia, and Lance went 35 minutes to arrive at the “diving board”. This is a flat 12foot we ridge line pentacle jutting out toward the river hundreds of feet below. It was arrived at up the trail following shelf’s in the step canyon walls with some stretches of man made stacked rocks to climb a few short cliff faces. It was well worth the climb in the ridge shade for the views. Eric and Nick took longer to make the round trip such that we weren’t back on the water until after 1PM. The river moves faster here than near Sand Island so we were making about 3 mph. We stopped to scout the rapid at mile 48.4. It was straight forward at the water level being more splash with very little steering. Immediately after Ross rapid we pulled off river right to check out Ross camp. Rodger called for a vote and most people wanted to continue to reduce the miles required the next day. We became a little strung out with Don and Sonia hanging back to cool off in the river and then Eric and Nick in the raft becoming hung up on a shallow ripple section. We all regrouped at False John Camp. This lovely camp is large with scattered sandy tent sites and close to the river. Kelly caught and released five catfishes in the small rapid. Don, Sonia, and Lance scampered up the wash a short distance until it cliffed out.casual conversations carried until shortly after the bats started feeding and the light faded.

20210717

Today was a slow start. We didn’t make onto the river until 9:15AM. It was a sunny day, but we were pleasantly shaded by the canyon walls. A mile and half we pulled over to hike up to the upper pour off of John’s Canyon. It required hiking downstream from the pour off at river level to find one of two 12 foot climbs up a cliff band before hiking back upstream along a narrow trail. Don, Sonia, Richard, Nick, and Lance made the hike. The tricky part was the short up and down climbs. Nick and Lance did the 15 foot down climb to the upper pouoff pool platform. This pool held dark water. If one jumped into this pool, the slick rock sides would require help to get out. The drop to the river level pool is not for one afraid of heights! Roger had allotted an hour and I think we took longer. We stopped near Art Rock campsite for lunch. It was just a short paddle before scouting Government rapid. Kelly ran it first followed by Lance, Roger dragged his boat over some rocks on river left and then was able to easily descend on the left in the boat. Nick and Eric ran the pontoon raft bouncing over the rock rapid right and partially down that hangs boats. They then tried to come back to river right and drove up on a rock river center. The rock lodged them there sticking up through the plywood flooring. By loosening the flooring and securing a throw bag line to the frame and being pulled by Lance from river right the boat was freed. Two kayakers provided backup support. Richard hit the first culprit rock sideways but managed to stay upright long enough for the water to carrying his boat off. His balance in the canoe is impressive! We paddled the remaining distance to Slickhorn Camp C. Kelly and Becky pulled out in the shade on river left. The rest of us baked in the heat on river right. Eventually we all gathered for some happy hour snacks and. Drinks next to the river and our parked boats. Thunderheads threatened so I pitched the tent. None to soon! We were rained on as we ate dinner. I’d left the rain fly open resulting in a puddle of water on a small area of the floor of the tent. Two separate groups made the hike up Slickhorn canyon to the first pool. The pool was dry, but the stair step rock formations as the hike progresses upstream is beautiful. The possibility of a flash flood was not far from our thoughts as we made the hike. We looked for escape routes as we hiked. It was almost dark by the time Kelly and Lance arrived back at camp. Don and Sonia enjoyed their evening coffee and I headed for the tent. I’m increasingly tired. I’m not keen on the wag bags, but am getting better at using them. My feet laced into soggy boots for days has resulted in new planter warts on my right foot.

20210718

The days distance on the river today was short. Some folks hiked up Slickhorn Canyon to the upper dry pool. I took my time. I found myself sitting along drinking coffee under the tarp Don had put up by myself. I walked up the road made by the oil and gas exploration company and looked at the abandoned wells and equipment. Everything felt sandy and dirty this morning. Roger commented that sand was in everything. Loading the boat was trickier this morning because the boats were parallel parked abutting each other side by side. I launched and pulled over downstream to give Don and Sonia space to load. The river was flat and the color of a latte today. There will be no more rapids. Rather the skill was to avoid the hidden sandbars. We all tried to find ways to read the water surface for clues of water depth. The best places were typically right up agains the tall grass and willow lined bank. We enjoyed a stop at Grand Gulch. We arrived at Oljeta Gulch a few hours later after passing through the Cedar Tree Sandstone formation canyons. Rodger and I did a short hike up Oljeta gulch. It’s a winding canyon with occasional trees and beautifully dried mud patches. There was a pair of Canadian geese making the mouth of the canyon their home. The evening brought on a spectacular lightening storm lasting an hour but never dropping any moisture on us. I placed my bedroll next to the base of the cliff on a point pushing into the river with views up and down stream. The night was hot with no covers desired. I awoke for a spell to admire the abundance of stars.

20180719

Today arrived with a rose colored sky. We paddle the last eight miles to Clay Hills today. The raft will likely struggle at times as the river dropped a couple more inches last night. The river is creamy and increasingly viscous. It leaves a light brown spot on things.