{"id":8704,"date":"2020-09-30T09:01:31","date_gmt":"2020-09-30T14:01:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/richard.rathe.org\/?p=8704"},"modified":"2020-10-14T16:59:56","modified_gmt":"2020-10-14T21:59:56","slug":"lake-powell-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/redmangrove.org\/rathe.org\/richard\/2020\/lake-powell-2020","title":{"rendered":"Lake Powell & Beyond 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Six Night Lake Powell Trip (Click Map to Enlarge)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It had been ten years since I last visited Lake Powell<\/a>. This year I went with my college friend Al and his partner Marian. [Full Gallery<\/a>] Not having our own boat, we decided to rent a houseboat from the Bullfrog Marina<\/strong>. This turned out to be a great idea! With a few exceptions it was clean and well maintained (certain lights and the gas grill did not work). The main problem was how late in the day we got started (nominal “check in” time is 10am, we did not leave until after 3pm<\/em>). For various reasons the day we left was very crowded (COVID19, low water facilitating small boat campers, last big week-end of the summer, etc.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On Our Way!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the few hours we had on the first day we headed north to Forgotten Canyon<\/strong>. It was packed with small boats and large groups of people camped on the beaches exposed by the low water level<\/a>. We retreated and found a small anchorage on a large bend near a side canyon (which we explored by kayak first thing the next day).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Our First Kayak Excursion<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Alcove with 100 Foot Dry Waterfall Above
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On Day 2<\/strong> we moved back up the canyon so we could be closer to activities on land. [We were treated both nights to inappropriate music, bad karaoke and loud boat engines. I put in my earbuds and listened to Earth Spirit<\/a><\/em> by R. Carlos Nakai (Native American flute) while sleeping out under the stars.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Defiance House Petroglyphs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

That evening (after most of the day’s heat was gone) we made the first of two visits to the eight hundred year old<\/em> Defiance House Ruins<\/strong>. These are very well stabilized and open to the public. (Kudos to the Park Service<\/a>!) The first thing you notice are the large petroglyphs<\/strong> on the canyon wall. There is no ambiguity as to their meaning\u2026 three warriors with shields and weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Defiance House Main Structure
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The site consists of two major rooms<\/strong> with doors facing in opposite directions. The largest is approximately 8-10 feet on a side. There is a patio beyond the structure with a vertical entrance to the Kiva<\/strong>. (Large Panorama<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Defiance House and Kiva Entrance (Click to Enlarge)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Kiva Ceiling with 800 Year Old Soot from Campfires<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We returned the next day (Day 3<\/strong>) and I took some additional 360\u00b0 panoramas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Defiance House Ruins (Click to Enlarge)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We then proceeded about two miles up the canyon. We saw many interesting things including ravens<\/strong>, flowers being pollenated (or eaten?) by large black hornets<\/strong> with orange wings, and what I think were three-toed dinosaur tracks<\/strong>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The day was very hot so we took a siesta near a grove of small oak trees<\/strong> before we headed back to the boat. In spite of my best efforts I got dehydrated<\/strong>. The temp was in the low 90s with very low humidity. It just sucked the water out of me!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Day 4<\/strong> we left that area to do more exploring. We ended up in Lake Canyon<\/strong> (which apparently is a very hard place to find anchorage with higher water). It was less crowded and the people were more considerate, which was a plus. We again used our inflatable kayak<\/strong> to explore a side canyon in the late afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Day 5<\/strong> we headed up the main canyon in what turned out to be a delightful wet-boot hike<\/strong>. It was very pleasant to have running water available at all times!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Upper Lake Canyon<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

There were lots of trees and flowers in bloom. We saw several critters including a toad (red-spotted?) and a bat (dead?). We also passed a small ruins high on the canyon wall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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On Day 6<\/strong> we again picked up our anchors and moved to Iceberg Canyon<\/strong> with its cyclopean rock walls\u2014Truly Magnificent!<\/em><\/strong> Here we finally found some real solitude in our own little side canyon where we swam and relaxed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Iceberg Canyon Campsite<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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We took out the kayak and explored the three arms<\/strong> of the upper canyon. We had to maneuver around hundreds of dead trees<\/strong> protruding from the low water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The south arm has a rockfall<\/strong> that created a separate small lake. Compare with these photos [1]<\/a> [2]<\/a> I took in 2010 to see how much lower the water is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The next day we headed back to Bullfrog<\/strong> and civilization. Click on the video below for clips from each canyon we visited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Leaving Iceberg Canyon<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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