Cataract Canyon (Oct '10)

After getting off the Grand, I drove straight from Flag to Hite, where I met Bo and Rich at the takeout for setting up our shuttle to do Cataract. Back-to-back river trips without a break! Oh well, at least I'm already wet from my first trip. This trip was more relaxing though, and had picture perfect sunny weather without a wisp of a breeze all week. We drove up the next morning to Moab and met Mike and Rocky at Potash, where we loaded up coolers and gear in canoes and in Rich's cataraft. After five days of easy paddling the Colorado River through a beautiful meandering canyon, we got to the confluence with the Green, and camped across from Spanish Bottom. We spent most of a day hiking up to the Doll House in the Maze, all the way out to a nice overlook above the confluence. The next day we said goodbye to Rocky and Mike (since they were getting a jet boat ride upriver to Moab), and the three of us continued down through the rapids of Cataract. Bo and I rode our little packrafts, with Rich rowing the cataraft. We had a blast spending two days running 28 rapids (class 3s and 4s), and portaged around the three Big Drops. Rich nearly flipped in Big Drop 3 (a class 5), and Bo and I both swam a couple of rapids in the packrafts, but all was well. Once the current died, Rich broke out his little motor and it took us about 9 hours to cruise out to Hite.



First night camp





Bowknot overlook








Doll House hike










Near the Confluence Overlook








Cataract Canyon






Big Drop 3









No current here as we motor out









Helmet cam video of the packraft going through one of the longer rapids