July 6, 2023: Dry Creek Canyon
It rained a bit overnight, so our laundry was perhaps wetter than when we hung it up. We packed it up, with plans to dry it out at the next campsite. The sun is so strong, so late into the evening, and so early in the mornings, that it will surely have a chance to dry, although today started out overcast. I packed a sleep mask for both Miles and myself, and we've needed it - it never seems to get dark, even in the middle of the night - just slightly less bright.
We made an earlier start on the river, with our amazing passage through the vertical walls of The Gate, and on through Third Canyon. Much of the rock is black, in layers, looking almost human-built.
Miles and Kendra rode in the front of Maegan's boat, and she took them through as many waves as possible. Andy taught them how to make a high-five slap with a paddle, which was very popular.
Then it started to rain. We had a downpour for about an hour, which was surprisingly chilly. We hadn't put on our wetsuits because there wouldn't be any big rapids - I don't know why it didn't occur to us that the overcast skies might mean rain. At the snack break we layered on fleeces/puffy vests and added on our rain pants over our now-wet quick-dry pants.
But when we stopped for lunch, the sun came out, Andy found mother moose and calf prints to show us, and Miles discovered that the river rocks were perfect for skipping. Then we were back in the boat for another long stretch through Second Canyon (with the tallest cliffs - up to 1,300 feet) under perfect skies, and on to our campsite after the river opened up wide in Deadman's Valley.
We had an evening hike to Dry Creek Canyon (still under full sun). Miles loved seeing and trying to crack open the many rocks tumbled in the creek bed. The kids were excited to find some fossils (mostly coral), and we got into bed late and ready for sleep.
Comments
Post a Comment