Canoeing in March.... a Little Cold!

Desolation Canyon!

Paddling Desolation Canyon on the Green River is generally floating down warm water in the desert sun.... that is what it was like when I paddled last fall in September, this time it was much different.

Working for NOLS is a pretty fantastic gig! I get to travel to numerous wonderful places in Canada, the USA and potentially around the world. NOLS offers semesters in a number of locations in Canada, USA, Mexico, NZ, Australia, India, Norway, Tanzania, Chile and Brazil. NOLS runs a variety of 30 day courses, Semesters and Outdoor Educator courses in these locations.

The course I'm going to tell you a bit about is the first Outdoor Educator River Section of the Rocky Mountain Outdoor Educator Semester.

Our students had just finished there winter section and where ready for a new and warmer experience. After issuing them there gear and loading the boatings and dry bags into the truck we headed to the Ouray, Utah to put on the river.

Our first few days involved traveling on ice because the river hadn't fully thawed. On our second day on the river we decided to look for camp early due to the ice actively breaking up and moving down stream. It was an impressive sight to say the least. Fortunately the ice had fully broken up that day and we where able to continue moving down stream. After 4 days of nice weather, flat water, teaching strokes and basic maneuvers we entered Desolation Canyon.

Students paddling through the ice

Walker and Emily loving the ice

As you enter Deso the sandstone canyon walls grow higher and higher to just above 5000ft which is deeper then the Grand Canyon.

Sand Wash the put-in for most Desolation trips by public... this was day 5 for us.

Deso offers a great white water canoe progression. It starts with small riffles and rapids that gradually build throughout your travels. The action picks up as you get further downstream where long class 2-3 rapids become a common occurience.

As we moved down the canyon we got hammered with winds, rain, hail and snow. While getting this weather both instructors and students taught classes on Environmental Studies (Fauna and Flora, Geology, Oil and Gas and Cryptobiotic Soil), Leadership, Communication, First Nations of the Area, Hydrology, Risk Management, River Management and Rescue, and Canoeing Skills.

Scouting class by Emily at Little Rock House Rapid

Kristin paddling on day 6 and first day in Deso

The students were put in teams of 3 and designated to lead for 2 days each. An instructor would coach the designated leadership team and help them to come up with safe risk management and river travel plans.

Scouting Steer Ridge Rapid

Audi watching friends paddle a rapid

There is a tremendous amount of history in Deso! This is part of what is left at Rock Creek Ranch

A pair of boots at the Ranch

Students made decisions on running, portaging, lining rapids, choosing campsite locations, meeting times, class times and making sure all our gear was organized and tied down as well as managing themselves. It is easy to say all these things and not as easy to do. I'm sure if you ask all the students they would agree managing 13 people and themselves is a tough task. Everyone had many learnings and did extremely well.

Top: Matt and others lining Threefords Rapid
Bottom: Audi and Kristin running Range Creek Rapid

On March 25th we made it to our take out. During the trip we had 5 boats flip and people swim, 4 fully swamped boats and still make it to shore and ran, lined and portage numerous rapids. We traveled down river in true canoe tripping fashion!

Thanks to Janie and Emily, my co-instructors, and our students Eric, Miller, Matt, Walker, Beebs, Kristin, Audi, Will, Kevin, PJ and TC it was a great course!

The top of Swasey Rapid just above the takeout

Dubois Wyoming Ice

Looking west in the Northern Wind River Range Photo by Max Fisher

Today was a good day!

I have been visiting family and doing first aid for the past 10ish days, which has been great..... it is rare for me to go 2 days without getting outside and doing something so I've been itching since the first aid course finished Saturday.

Fortunately my good buddy Nick Storm was getting into Lander and we had tentatively made plans to do something today. Storm called me and we planned to meet at 7am and head to Dubois WY to climb Lake Louise Gully a classic WI3 150m.

Dubois is a small town that is 70miles or 112km from the closest town so pretty remote for the Lower 48. Dubois is in a rain shadow and supposedly gets 300days of sun a year. Lake Louise Gully is set back in the Northern Wind River Range located in the Fitzpatrick Wilderness Area. There is also another classic route beside LLG that is called Golden Tears but hasn't formed to the ground this year.... it goes at WI4+ 150m.

So as planned Nick picked me up and we headed for some ice. The weather wasn't suppose to be great and on the drive the roads weren't great. Once we pulled into the parking lot the sun can out, 300days of sun a year! and we where on our way. After a bit of route finding do to recent snow we found our way to Louise Lake and our route.

We swapped leads and made good time climbing this beautiful route!

Nick hiking in Photo by Max Fisher

Nick walking to the base of the route Photo by Max Fisher

Max heading up Photo by Nick Storm

Nick rapping off the top Photo by Max Fisher

View from the top Photo by Max Fisher

If anyone gets to this area to climb it is well worth it! Also you are a few hrs from Jackson Hole WY which has great backcountry skiing, Cody WY a North American ice climbing destination and if you want to venture a little out of the way you could get to Hyalite Canyon in Montana in about 8 hrs.

SW Climbing

February was a pretty great month all in all. I spent 8 days in Cochise Stronghold doing a NOLS climbing seminar, 7 days in Red Rocks getting on some great routes and got to meet a number of great new people.

So after I left the Tetons I ventured to Vernal Utah to watch the Superbowl with friends and drop my paddling gear of at the NOLS branch. Got up the next day and drove down to Tucson for the seminar.

The seminar consisted of 12 NOLS instructors wanting to get more experience climbing, with the motivation to become a climbing instructor for the school. There where 3 senior climbing instructors teaching us the curriculum.

View from "Mystery of the Desert" on Mutton Head

Nick Cross climbing pitch 2 on "Mystery of the Desert"

Nick on pitch 2

Over the 8 days we did lots of cragging at numerous areas we would take NOLS students, went over the climbing curriculum and progression, multi-pitch climbing considerations and had discussions on risk management issues with students. I had a wonderful seminar and look forward to working NOLS climbing courses.

Thanks Nick, Jared and Lauren and all fellow instructors!

After the seminar, a few of us headed up to Red Rocks for the NOLS climbing symposium. There was about 20-30 people that came to the event and a lot of great climbing was accomplished!
We arrived Saturday night and it rained that night so Sunday involved getting groceries, computer time and looking at the guide book.

Day 1 Jared, Sydney, Anna and I headed for the Eagle Wall to climbing Eagles Dance. It was sunny with cold winds so we all climbed in our puffy coats.

Day 2 Mark, Chris, Mark Spain, Daren and I went to the Brass Wall for some trad cragging. Got on some classic like Straight Shooter and Mushroom People to name a few. The cragging was nice and warm t-shirt weather.

Day 3 Charlie, Joe, Chris and I went in to the Eagle Wall and climbed Levitation 29. What a great route! Joe and Charlie climbed both Eagles Dance and Levitation 29 on that day which was pretty impressive.

Day 4 Chris and I climbed Cat in a Hat

Day 5 Went cragging with the whole crew at Panty Wall.

Day 6 It rained so I said good bye and headed for Salt Lake City.

Slacked of on the pictures, sorry friends

Overall climbing has been great! Now I'm in Salt Lake visiting with some family before heading to Lander for a first aid course and then off to Vernal for some white water canoeing.