THE ROUTE
The
expedition began in June at the headwaters of the upper Colorado
River, on La Poudre Pass in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. We
hiked, packrafted, kayaked, and rafted for the next 50+ days, all the way
down to Lee's Ferry, Arizona, then floated the Grand Canyon for good measure.
Section I: Headwaters
On June 15, we began our journey in Rocky Mountain National Park on foot. The first five days were spent exploring some of the major trans-basin diversion projects around the park, photographing the alpine highlands, and interviewing experts on the area. When we found enough water to float our packrafts, we paddled downstream towards the Class V whitewater of Gore Canyon and the scenic flatwater canyons below.
Section III: The Desert Canyons
After Frutia, Colorado, the river passes into the wild sandstone country of Horsethief, Ruby and Westwater Canyons. Following a brief roadside section above Moab, Utah, the river winds its way deep into the folds of the Colorado Plateau and plunges into the roaring whitewater of Cataract Canyon. A week on the wilderness river of Canyonlands National Park was followed by six days crossing Lake Powell, the largest reservoir in the Upper Colorado Basin.
Section II: Along the I-70 Corridor
Once we reached the confluence with the Eagle River near Dotsero, Colorado, we followed Interstate-70 for more than 100 miles. This section of river took us through the rapids of Glenwood Canyon, the manmade kayak park in Glenwood Springs, the hotspot of natural gas drilling around the Roan Plateau, and through the city of Grand Junction.
