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Rafting Through the Earth's HistoryThe Yampa & Green RiversBy Valerie SummersRanking in spectacle along with famed outdoor recreation areas such as Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce, Dinosaur National Monument, carved out by the Yampa and Green Rivers remains relatively unknown. What is known about the area usually deals with the striking finds of fossilized dinosaur bones, recognized worldwide as one of the highest concentrations of bones from the Jurassic period. However, a ride down the Yampa and Green Rivers cradled by towering cliffs marking the earth's history and dwarfing the time frame when dinosaurs roamed provides the opportunity to experience the solitude and wild beauty of a wilderness river.
Breaking for lunch each day, the multi-talented river guides miraculously turned into chefs, preparing fresh salads and/or providing a buffet of sandwich fixings. Hearty evening meals featured wild Alaskan salmon, steak, curries or fajitas along with a variety of veggies and topped off by homemade brownies, cheesecake or strawberry shortcake. While the OARS staff prepared the meals, river guests searched for cozy places to pitch their tents on fine white sandy beaches or amidst the trees and bushes behind them. Several jumped into the cold river to freshen up, but I relied on a handy box of Pamper Wipes for my ablutions during the trip. A much appreciated porta-potty system set up at each campsite, provided privacy and the best views imaginable in this situation. At the beginning of the trip 22 adventurers came together, most of us strangers, ending up as friends. Eight 40-something men from four western states met up for a guys' outing. The parents of twins from Massachusetts gave them the trip as a 21st birthday celebration. A buff mother from Michigan and her fit daughter from California met up for a week of bonding. A geologist from California, joined by his companion from England, celebrated the anniversary of the catastrophic forces of nature which changed the Yampa. My adventuresome companion who loved his first rafting experience and the five excellent river guides rounded out the group.
For information: Best Western Dinosaur Inn: features large, comfortable
rooms, washer and dryer for the use of guests, continental breakfast, free
wireless internet, complimentary newspapers, swimming pool, indoor Jacuzzi and
playground. The gift shop includes a variety of well-priced crafts, toys,
jewelry and clothing. Salmon Air: scheduled commuter flights |
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TM
My adventure began in Vernal, Utah, where I
arrived via an eight-seat Salmon Air flight from Salt Lake City. Next morning,
my companions for the next five days and I piled into a bus for a two hour ride
to the take out point on the Yampa River led by members of Outdoor Adventure
River Specialists (OARS). It was mid-May and chilly, but I understood that this
last major free flowing tributary to the Colorado River offers access by raft
only from May until July. Bundled up in waterproof gear, we donned bright
orange life jackets and six of us jumped into the paddle raft along with our
guide, Ben, and grabbed an oar. Other members of the party piled into the four
remaining rafts to be rowed by other OARS staff members. Two adventurers
situated themselves in rubber kayaks, affectionately known as duckies. The
final two members of our group, geologists from England and California, brought
their own kayaks. For the Californian, this trip celebrated the 40th
anniversary of an unforgettable experience where he witnessed a dramatic change
in the course of the Yampa.
The river flowed fast from the run offs of
the melting snows of the Rockies as we paddled towards the first rapids of the
trip. Although our watery route is dubbed a class three, during most of the
trip we floated down river, relaxing and marveling at the scenery. However, our
guides gave ample warning when we approached the churning white waters of rapids
with swirling holes and giant boulders which we skirted around in the bucking
yellow rafts. We burst through Moonshine, Teepee, Big Joe and inappropriately
named Schoolboy rapids while waves of cold water exploded over the sides of the
raft drenching us. At Warm Springs rapids, geologist Bruce Julian recounted his
experience on June 10,
1965 when, in less than an hour, a flash flood carried
tons of rock down into the river changing its course and choking it to less than
half its original size at that juncture. Just prior to entering the Warm
Springs Rapids, we encountered the sheer cliffs of Tiger Wall, so named because
of its huge black stripes caused by desert varnish. The myth behind the Tiger
Wall states that all who navigate the river must kiss the wall to insure safe
passage through Warm Springs. Sure enough, guide Leah, pulled us over to the
wall where all aboard puckered up.
Rafting downstream on one of the earth's
original thoroughfares, the scenery in the canyons, some with cliffs soaring as
much as 2,600 feet high, became more and more spectacular. We stared in awe at
the massive sandstone and limestone shapes holding secrets of the earth's
evolution over the course of one billion years, changing shapes and colors from
red to black to green to sand as we floated along. Erosion and the rivers
carved out spires, pinnacles, caves and chasms through millions of years. We
spotted a group of Rocky Mountain bighorns while a lone bald eagle flew
overhead. At the confluence of the Yampa and Green Rivers, we entered Echo Park
where our guide demonstrated why this area is so named with an ear splitting
crash echoing four times through the canyon. The enormous variety of vegetation
along the river included junipers, prickly pear cacti, the brightly colored
green leaves of the cottonwoods, Mormon tea plants with their yellow buds,
horses' tails, one of the oldest varieties of plant life on earth and a variety
of colorful wildflowers. The appearance of wildlife added to the excitement of
the trip as elk, moose and a variety of feathered inhabitants including
peregrine falcons, mallard ducks and great blue herons came into view. Riding
the river with the articulate and well-informed guide named Zeke added to our
knowledge of the surroundings while he also amused us with original songs and
poetry.
Each day, we explored the area on foot
after going ashore for lunch and/or stopping to camp for the night. One hike
through fields of colorful wildflowers and along narrow cliff paths took us
through a scenic box canyon where we visited the giant Mantle Cave which still
contains masonry storage bins and pits, providing a glimpse into the lives of
the area's inhabitants eons ago. During an overnight stop at Jones Hole Beach,
our group headed out on a six-mile hike through meadows, spotting a family of
deer nibbling the long green grass, then along a boulder filled creek with some
serious white water crashing through it. We forged on to Ely Falls where
several hikers jumped in to cool off since the weather had continued to warm up
each day. Further along the path, we arrived at Deluge Shelter where a cliff
wall served as a canvas for an awesome display of petroglyphs and pictographs.
Perhaps it is a bonus that the rivers of
Dinosaur National Monument are not so well known. The area remains fairly
isolated partly due to the highly restricted policies of the Parks Department so
we rarely encountered other rafters. We left the cares of civilization behind
and relaxed into the pristine beauty of this very special, ancient aquatic
wilderness.