Escalante River - Day Four
Day 4 starts out easy enough, but it is today we enter the Whitewater section below Scorpion Creek. The Canyon of course never ceases to amaze.
Another dome feature.
Paddler in awe.
Typical rapid below Scorpion Creek. Note that the Scorpion Creek Rapid, listed in the Nichols guidebook as runnable on the right was a portage in 2005. The sneak channel has become blocked with Russian Olive cuttings. Although the removal of this invasive is complete from the lake upstream to Moody Creek cuttings are really only a problem until about the 2nd portage. Flash floods have cleared the lower river, which was cleared first, in earlier years.
Tom Clemo in another typical rapid. Note that although these are definitely small drops, there is still quite a bit of maneuvering. I was reminded frequently of training for whitewater slalom in my younger days. At this point in time the river was just below the recommended flow. There were certainly a few rapids that were going to bite - as mild a bite as it was. It is in this stretch where I flipped for the second time.
All in all the river is a good training ground for a less experienced paddler with multi-day stamina.
There's always time for one good side canyon hike - especially if its 25 Mile Wash.
25 Mile Wash and spring clouds.
25 Mile Wash
25 Mile Wash
25 Mile Wash
This is the lead-in to the portage listed in the Nichols guidebook. It is a typical good rapid in the last 20 miles.
The portage rapid. As it, and the toughest rapid on the river, are both located right next to this formation associated with Uranium, (and Uranium Mining) I'd propose calling this rapid U-1. The next major rapid below would then be U2.
Here's a better shot of the Uranium Horseshoe formation. Note that the river flows on both sides of this formation - including before the background cliffs here. I noticed the two biggest rapids (U1 and U2) immediately followed this type of formation - though I have no idea why.
Wrong side of the River for the Portage? Oh Well...
If you do flip - or more likely, get stuck on a rock - you'll end up in similar situation; needing to step out of your boat into the shallow water.
We decided to camp at the rapid - a good camp, but it probably would've been best to have made a shorter day of the last - in order to hit the Coyote Gulch hike-out a bit fresher.
