For all you Forrest Gump fans out there (and really, who isn’t?) I had a “Lt. Dan” moment. As the sixth thunderstorm in a row came rolling through, I channeled Lt. Dan as he swung from the rigging of Forrest’s shrimp boat during a hurricane. “You call this a storm? Is this all you’ve got!” I stood getting soaked, almost knocked off my feet by the wind, and screamed at the storm. For the record, I believe I was justified. Thunderstorm #6 blew down the rain shelter and flipped my kayak 20′ up the beach! All of this after the prevailing winds had not prevailed at all during the first four days of the trip…I’d had just about enough!
It wasn’t meant to be like this. Sharon and I were meant to be making final preparations for our epic Norway/European bike trip. Covid-19 meant everyone around the world has pretty much hung out the “Closed” sign. Fortunately, it only took about five minutes to come up with plan “B” and about five days to get food and gear together for a trip from Wahweap Bay to Hall’s Crossing…about 95-ish miles depending on the source. Sharon graciously dropped me off at Wahweap and I set out for a long, solo trip up the lake.
I guessed that it would take ten days, but I brought food for fourteen. I’ve paddled plenty, but never this far or for this long. I honestly didn’t know what I’d be able to do each day. I also didn’t know what the weather would do. I had hoped for prevailing winds from the southwest to provide a gentle assist as I made my way north and east. As noted earlier, the winds were seldom gentle, even on the final days when they finally decided to offer some assistance. But hey, its spring in Arizona – I should have known to expect the unexpected.
Camping
One of the huge benefits of camping in AZ and UT is being able to sleep under the stars. Although I did need to make some accommodation for the wind on a couple of evenings, it was absolutely glorious sleeping out. I was able to watch as the moon gradually waned over the eight nights. Each night was I able to lay in my bag and stare up at starry night sky.
Practical Matters
This was actually a fairly simple trip to pull together from a gear perspective. I had the kayak. I added a few bits of minicell foam just before the trip to protect my heels and knees and I’m glad I did. The best piece of new gear was a deck bag from Seattle Sports…but really anything on the market would probably work. It was sooooo nice to have water, food, maps, camera readily available. Hands down, the best gear was a decrepit old tarp we’d had around forever. Paired with some hiking poles and bits of string, I had shade in five minutes. Several nights I had protection from the wind. It served surprisingly well as protection from the thunderstorms and vicious winds that came along for the ride. I had food for fourteen days – just in case I got really adventurous. Our platypus gravity water filter provided all the water I needed. All the gear was stowed in eight different 10L dry bags. All told, I had just under 50 lbs of gear stored in the kayak, with room to spare.
Exploration
If you’ve never been to Lake Powell, it is hard to overstate its beauty. Just paddling the main channel all the way to Hall’s Crossing would be a worthy goal. I read somewhere however, that if you include all the side canyons, Lake Powell has something like 2,000 miles of shoreline. All along the main channel there are side canyons begging to be explored. I didn’t have the time or the energy to do them all, but I did sample a fair number of the side canyons I passed. All told, my exploration added about 35 miles of paddling to my trip. Here is a small sample.
As on a Colorado River trip, its not just about the water – it is also about the places you can get to from the water. I was able to take some amazing hikes and take in some incredible views as well. I did have to keep in mind that I was in a very remote place, with no people around. I didn’t get as adventurous as I might otherwise have…plus I carried a Garmin Mini with me at all times.
Profound Moments
I had a great deal of time on this trip to just … ponder life. I had what for me were a few rather profound thoughts. Early on I had a hard time getting my head around the scale of the place. Lake Powell is MASSIVE! The whole first day, fifteen miles of paddling, I was able to see the butte where I eventually camped…for the WHOLE day. It never seemed to get any closer. In some stretches, you can see two, three, four miles ahead. That is an hour of paddling. I found that if I focused on the point four miles in the distance where the lake made a bend, I got frustrated that it was taking so long to get there…especially with a headwind. If I focused just on my surroundings, my paddle stroke, the color of the water, the sun reflecting off the ripples, the cliffs to my left and right, the clouds, the miles took care of themselves and the time passed pleasantly. Seemed like there might be a life lesson in there. If we’re always looking ahead and trying to get to the “next thing” we miss out on the beauty all around us.
The second thought occurred to me after my “Lt. Dan Moment” mentioned earlier. After four days of angry headwinds, followed by a parade of violent thunderstorms on my off day – I was getting pretty frustrated. After the last thunderstorm passed however, I was treated to a calm evening and beautiful sunset. I came to think of that moment of calm, and all those that followed over the next several days as “moments of grace.” The biblical definition of grace is an undeserved gift of God. I realized that I had expected beautiful calm weather for my trip. Without the storms, I probably would not have had the deep, profound sense of gratitude for the moments of calm when they came. I likely would have taken them for granted. Instead, whether I was paddling or spending time in camp, I was very aware of those calm moments. Again, that seemed like something I wanted to hang onto after the trip was over. The realization that headwinds and storms eventually pass, and the importance of appreciating the “moments of grace” when they occur.
This was a special trip. Going solo, I think, made it a much more profoundly satisfying experience. Having said that, now that I’ve had “my” trip, I would love to do this again in the company of family and/or friends. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. In the meantime, seize the carp!
