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DESTINATIONS
HISTORY:
The Glen Canyon National Recreation Area was formed in 1972. Damming
of the Colorado River formed a little less than 200 mile long lake with
1,960 miles of shoreline, engulfing 96 canyons, great expansive bays,
picturesque coves, side canyons, slot canyons, and Red Navajo Sandstone
Formations of every size and description your imagination can create.
This, for the next week, was going to be our “Paddler’s Paradise”.
Our theater of operation was formed 310 million years ago. In the past
11 million years, the Colorado and San Juan rivers, along with their
tributaries, carved out the canyons and mesas. Indians roved and lived
here at the end of the ice age followed by the Anasazi, Paiute, Ute
and Najavo tribes. This will be, over the last 12 months, our third trip on the mighty Colorado. Two previous kayak trips sent us through the Black Canyon just under the Hoover Dam - but that’s another story. Day
1- Wed Oct 16, “The Put in” Day
2- Thu Oct 17, “Under the drip line, safe haven or ???” Late that afternoon the rain stopped. The late sun was casting its deep shadows and we proceeded to explore by kayak the depth of the canyon. That evening’s campfire was truly magical, the fire glow lit up the sandstone overhang and the moon beamed a mellow light on the water, adding deep shadows on the canyon walls. Zipped in my tent, I was ready for a good nights rest after a perfect but slightly challenging day. Being the only two humans in this small canyon, the only sound was our own. Just before dozing off, I heard footsteps passing by my tent. Since my tent was close to the wall, the only passable path was between my tent and the drop off, a mere 5 feet. Listening
more intently, they sounded muffled, like steps made by well placed
moccasins. Walking along the edge during the afternoon, I was stepping
more cautiously, slipping occasionally, stumbling on debris and generally
stepping with my toes to get a foothold; yet these were deliberate,
well placed like by someone who was used to being here. I figured it
was Ed, getting up for a nature’s call but I then heard Ed rustle
in his tent. Then it hit me - WAS THIS A SACRED PLACE? - HAVE WE CROSSED
THE LINE? - ARE THE “ANCIENT ONES” DISPLEASED? -“Oh hell”,
I thought, I’m too tired and content to speculate and drifted off
to sleep. The next
morning while sipping our coffee, Ed asked the usual morning topic,
“Did you hear any critters last night”? “Only a lizard”,
I replied, “How about you”? He said, ”heard nothing,
except some footstep-like sounds just before I passed out”. We
had fun with that subject for the balance of the day.
Day
3 Fri Oct18, “Heading east to go down West” Dead ahead lay a possibility, but too far ahead to adequately decide. From afar it appeared to be too steep, with a massive “schlepping:” task involved. Upon approaching the spot, we glanced to the left and noticed a tucked away slot canyon, enterable by boat. We were on our way in, forgoing the campsite decision. We paddled as far as we could, being stopped by debris at the mouth.
Next, check
how far you must carry your gear. Are you protected from the sun, wind
and rain? Is there any firewood? And of course the last, but not a priority,
since sleeping on your kayak is out of the question, is the esthetics.
At this time of the year sunset occurs about 6:30, but deep in a high
walled canyon your light starts to diminish long before that so waiting
to find refuge reduces your chances, increases your paddle time, and
causes backtracking. Day
4 Sat Oct 19, “Up the river”
They were right - it had everything. Great sandstone formations along the way, small groves of cottonwood trees, patches of greenery on ledges, wild flowers in bloom, mossy rocks, and a shallow meandering creek of cool clear water. About half way up was a pool of water resembling “the old swimming hole”, and close to the end, an abandoned Navajo Hogan. After our morning’s paddle amongst steep walls, slipping into side canyons, discovering slots and crossing coves and bays, plus a mid day hike, it was time to kick back and watch nature unfold; i.e. take a nap.
Day
5 Sun Oct 20, “Face is da place”- “Bays, Coves, Sides
and Slots”
Day
6 Mon Oct 21, “50/2 - 2/50 Theory” After another 7 hour paddling day, we found a small but comfortable site just inside the bay - nothing spectacular but certainly deserving of two weary bodies. At campfire that evening; Ed expressed his 50/2-2/50 theory, a philosophy that has helped to guide his life’s discipline. Man is expected to work long, hard hours for 50 weeks and take the 2 week vacation reward: well, not good enough. Work the 2 and take the 50, says Ed.
Day
7 Mon Oct 22, “Bungeed to a Wall” Entering Navajo Canyon, the weather started to change; again the typical forerunning wind then followed by rain. We kept on paddling but soon realized this very long canyon was almost void of landings, never mind campsites. The rain at this point was heavy and we could see up on the walls and ledges, the rain water was starting to run forming small waterfalls and streams. We fortunately found a wide and deep overhang, protection from the rain and out of the drip line, but it was difficult to keep our craft up close to the wall. We grabbed a bungee cord, found a fissure, hooked one end to the wall, slid Ed’s kayak against the wall, stretched the bungee, and hooked it to my kayak. The rain and wind continued for half an hour. Then came the break we were waiting for. At this point, due to lack of landings, length of this canyon, weather conditions and time of day, we bailed and headed for the main channel to seek out refuge. Our cop-out was soon rewarded with a secluded inlet, devoid of any hazards. After setting up camp, we went in search of firewood and again the kayak Gods bestowed upon us massive amounts of fuel. After dinner, I had made two cups of tea and was just settling down in front of the fire, when it started to rain along with thunder and lightning. We ran for our tents, tossing the hot tea aside and were confined to our dripping nylon enclosures for the next 12 hours. It was 6:45 when we bedded down and didn’t have any rain relief till 7:00 the next morning. Annual rainfall for this area is 6 inches. Four fronts passed through that night, certainly contributing to their averages and our confinement.
Day
8 Tue Oct 23, “The Slot”
Rounding the final bend and looking at the marina, it hit me that this was the last few miles of our kayak adventure. Sadly I stroked, reminiscing of all the wondrous sights during the past week when that burning question entered my mind again. A dilemma through the trip, I have been unable to resolve: "Should Glen Canyon Dam be destroyed and allow this area to return to its natural state?" Without hesitation and selfishly I quickly responded, “Not until we do the Escalante Arm in Oct 03”.
Related Article: Keeping A "Ship's Log" For Kayakers - Documenting Your Kayak Adventures To Re-Live & Learn LINKS TO PURCHASE WATERPROOF TOPO MAPS DETAILING THE AREAS IN THIS STORY:
Books: Adventure Kayaking: Inland Waters Of The Western US The National Park Service Website with downloads for info and maps: About the Author - Bill Timothy: "Being raised on Long Island Sound, my love of the water has engulfed my life even while serving Uncle Sam by teaching swimming, diving and water safety. It wasn't till after retirement ( early BTW) that I took up kayaking. From the very first launch into the surf at San Simeon Bay, Ca. I was hooked. The serenity and solitude gliding across the open water is truly a spiritual feeling. Short paddles lead to longer excursion to where the need to consider multi-day journeys became obsessive. There is a massive list of wonderful kayak destination within my dreams and plans. Right now I am focused on completing the major portions of the Colorado River from it's headwaters high in Western Colorado including the two important tributaries (San Juan and Green) 5 more portions of the Glen Canyon NRA, a portion of the Lake Mead NRA, The Black Canyon under the Hoover Dam and finally through the Cibola and Imperial Wildlife Refuge prior to crossing the Mexican border and ending it's snowflake beginning as a drop of water in the Sea of Cortez. My first kayak was a Cobra Fish-n-Dive, then added a Wilderness System Tarpon and at some point in the future I'll be looking for more speed and handling espically against the wind and in rougher waters."
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Rounding
a bend, I saw Ed’s kayak beached. He was standing 70 feet above
the water on a 300 foot long slightly sloping ledge with a 20 foot wide
overhang. Climbing up the sand and stone outcropping posed no problem
- a safe haven. We set camp, leveling pads for our tents. The fire pit
was set under the drip line like the rest of our camp, and all was well
as the rain turned from a drizzle to a downpour. We gathered enough
firewood to have a small “Indian Fire” to remove the evening’s
chill and salute the rising moon.
Highlights:
We were on the water by 9 am and after paddling, exploring and stopping,
we arrived well within West canyon; a little later than expected due
to the low level of the lake. We were required to paddle around Gregory
Butte, which normally is well out in the main channel. At this point,
we were starting to tire and were having trouble finding a campsite.
Continuing,
our sites were set for the night’s camp, when we glanced to the
left and saw another slot canyon. At that time we thought it best to
find refuge and investigate in the morning. The site was very steep
and rather inadequate but it appeared that a paddle around the bend
might just be more forgiving, we were right. Great landing, lots of
flat space, and what turned out to be an incredible campfire site. Ed
built our night’s fire out on a rock formation, looking across
the canyon with the moon rising on our left. First thing in the morning
we would explore the slot situated right next to us.
At
about mid day we ended up at the very end of the canyon, facing West
Canyon Creek. The mouth resembled more of a river than a mere creek.
Right beside and a little to the left rose a tremendous sand and rock
outcropping with a “kevlar” landing. We could camp here, have
our jerky/energy bar lunch and could hike over the outcropping for a
walk up the river bed. We were told that this hike is the best in all
of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. 
Face
Canyon had so many neat bays, coves, sides and slots that our time was
quickly consumed and again it was late in the afternoon before we searched
for our night’s lodging. Rounding a bend, we spotted a unique slot
canyon tucked into a cove, plus a perfect campsite. So good was our
find, we couldn’t decide which had the priority, hike the slot
or set camp. As the sun started to set, from up on our campsite we could
see the pool of stagnant water at the opening of the slot. The last
rays of sun were shining on the pool and you could see the hatch rise.
For the first time on the trip we were slightly bothered by bugs - this
time a couple of mosquitoes. No sooner then one or two swats were administed,
a lone bat swooped down and delivered our abatement program.
Highlights:
The slot in Antelope Canyon is probably the most photographed place
after Rainbow Bridge. It can be entered by the highway out of Page by
merely paying $5.00 entrance fee to the Navajo Nation. This slot canyon
with its soft pink, water sculptured walls is breathtaking but our quest
was to enter this canyon from the water side, hike up to and into its
majesty. We were only able to go up a few miles. We were blocked as
we came to a pool fed by a waterfall with walls sleek and straight up.
The other factor that adds to this slot’s notoriety is it is one
of the deepest - the walls are equally as picturesque. Getting there
was a challenge. Once we paddle to the mouth; we first had to maneuver
through a quagmire of slimy goop, and then cut a floating path through
debris, till we found enough solid ground to step off our kayaks without
sinking up to our knees in stinking smelling muck. Accomplishing this,
we then proceeded to hike, a relaxed 3 hour roundtrip. 
Our
decision at this time was to head for Wahweap Marina, grab a much anticipated
shower, and go into Page for a cold beer and a big dinner.