Off with a group of seven from all over the country to paddle the Lower Canyons of the Rio Grande. The picture is from my last trip to the Rio Grande in 2011 with Larry Rice, Fran Rulon-Millen, Cliff Jacobson and Darrell Foss. My Wildfire at the beginning of Mariscal Canyon, the last of the Upper Canyons, and close to our take-out. This time it’s the Lower Canyons – full of mystery, magic and mystique. (and hopefully enough water to float our canoes).
I have been kicking myself all week because water levels have been up on the Rio Grande and wishing we had scheduled the trip for this week. Then I just read that winds were out of the southwest Wednesday at 60 mph, higher in the canyons! That’s quite a wind. The wind has come down a bit today but still a sand blast going on. So maybe next week is perfect, even though the water level is dropping again. Here is the bottom line. We are going on a wilderness trip. It is impossible to know in advance what the exact conditions will be. We will prepare as best we can and then adjust according to the conditions and our capabilities. I have precise information on where we will find reliable water and some recommended campsites marked on my gps. Beyond that there is some mystery. Guide books are dated. Floods and droughts have altered the course of the river. Travel on the river has dramatically decreased, hiking trails, even campsites may be overgrown with cane or Tamarisk. That will be part of the adventure. Half the rivers I have run in the Arctic I have done without even a reliable map or any trip notes. Two of these were first descents. We will put our heads together and solve any problems as they arise. Paul, Dutch and David have travelled with me before on remote wilderness trips and the Rio Grande is all of that. These are not one of a gazillion raft trips down the Salmon River where guides go from camp to camp on a rigid itinerary, set up your tents and feed you 3-course meals. This Rio Grande trip is more of an expedition into territory with a lot of unknowns and participatory problem solving. Dutch and Scott want to hike up some side canyons, there may be some opportunities for that. I had to really campaign with our canoe rental company and shuttle driver to assure them we could cover 85 miles in one week, they wanted us to take ten days. I will be surprised if we do not finish a day early, I have trouble wrapping my head around an 85-mile canoe trip taking 7 days, but we shall see. I cannot give my readers a precise itinerary or even a clear idea of the challenges we will face or even when we will return. I can promise, it will be an adventure.