Green River and Wild Canyon Winds
SUP-ing the Utah Desert
“I haven’t seen a soul for two days. As I paddle in silence, the flow of a muddy river carries me deeper and deeper into a desert where any signs of civilization totally cease to exist. There are no access roads, no cell phone service, and no drinking water available anywhere along the way. My four-day, solo and self-supported standup paddleboarding (SUP) adventure, 120-kilometer trip through Labyrinth Canyon on the lower Green River in Utah, is well on the way. Action!” (my travel journal entry on September 3, 2015)
Up to the Brim
One would never believe what I can pack on an inflatable SUP board when my survival depends on it. Let’s start with a tent, sleeping bag, compulsory portable toilet, 2 paddles, fire pan, pump, repair kit, 15 liters of drinking water, food for 4 days, clothing, tripod, camera, laptop, marine radio, SPOT Messenger, a bottle of whiskey, and many other small items such as a head lamp, ropes, knife, sunscreen, bug spray, etc. When the guy who dropped me off at the starting point saw my board and all of the items that I was going to carefully organize and tie to my “life raft,” he shook his head, said that he had never seen anything like it, wished me luck, and left. My prearranged pickup location and time was 68 miles down the river, four days away, exactly at noon.
Turn Up the Heat
The sun and the dry desert air were relentless. With daily temperatures well over 30 degrees Celsius and the canyon walls towering right along the river banks, I was essentially paddling in a hot oven. It quickly became apparent that 15 liters of drinking water would be barely sufficient in those conditions and so I started to conserve my supply right from the start. I had to keep my clothing wet to regulate my body temperature and reduce sweating. Soon, however, I became comfortable with my harsh surroundings and I started to enjoy every stroke of my paddle in this uniquely breathtaking landscape.
Violent Canyon Winds
As it turned out, the heat and unforgiving remoteness were not the only elements that Mother Nature had in store for me during this trip. The myriad of deep and narrow canyons carved into the Colorado Plateau can create wind surges and gusts of such violence that they can literally throw a person “overboard.” Not only did I experience an unexpected “wind slap” that threw me off the board and made me swim, but I also managed to break my carbon-fiber paddle while battling these short-lived hurricanes.
In the narrower sections of the river where the high canyon walls rise on both sides, the wind comes literally out of the blue. The typical desert stillness and stifling heat is temporarily violated by a sweep of wind that rushes through the canyon at over 30 miles an hour, wreaks havoc for a few minutes, and then, as quickly as it came, it subsides as if nothing happened; the desolate nothingness resumes its peace and the chop on the river disappears in the calm flow.
These wind surges don’t affect the canoeists as dramatically as they affect a person standing on a board fully loaded with gear. Even though the river has a decent flow, forward movement becomes temporarily impossible. The options are either to sit down on the board and enjoy the phenomenon or to roar your lungs out, grip the paddle tight, and face the wrath of the titans. Unfortunately, during one of these clashes, I broke my paddle in the heat of battle. I didn’t think it was possible to break a carbon-fiber shaft just by simple paddling but I was wrong. It snapped suddenly mid-stroke when I was putting it through the heaviest strain in order to keep the board into the wind and chop. As it did, I lost my balance immediately and this particular battle was over. It happened only a few times that the wind was at my back and it would push me with the flow. On these few lucky occasions, I screamed down the river at 13 km/h. Giddy up and action!
Grand Arrival
On Friday September 4th at 11:15am, I made it around the last curve of the river before I could see Mineral Bottom, my prearranged pickup location. There were a few canoeists already waiting there. When I drew closer to the finish line, I had their full attention. Pulling up to the shore, they were cheering as if I had just won a marathon. It was a very warm welcome back to civilization.
I may have very well been one of the very first people who had ever paddled this portion of the river alone on an inflatable SUP. I am sure however that many more will follow as this adventure was nothing but pure fun. The soul cleansing landscape and serenity, lightly peppered with moments of adrenalin rush – unforgettable and wow!
TRIP STATISTICS ____________________________________________ Total trip distance: 121.89 km Distance by day: 29.82 km, 37.58 km, 46.51 km, 7.98 km Maximum speed: 13.7 km/h Avg. speed by day : 4.2 km/h, 4.0 km/h, 4.5 km/h, 4.3 km/h Calories burned: 5868 kcal Calories by day: 1604 kcal, 1792 kcal, 1868 kcal, 604 kcal Inflatable SUP Board: redpaddle Race 12.6' Safety Equipment: SPOT Satellite Messenger, PFD Required Equipment: two paddles, portable toilet, fire pan ____________________________________________
