Day Four on the Green River

Another group, with a commercial outfitter, camped on the far end of our sandbar last night. It felt intrusive particularly with the potty issue.

People using the river are required to carry all of their waste out with them. This is leave-no-trace camping. I went down part of the Colorado in the Grand Canyon in the 70s. There was human waste and flies everywhere. It was almost as much poop as you'd see while walking down a sidewalk in Milan. (a different story) Things don't biodegrade in the desert climate, so it takes a flood to wash away anything that doesn't belong there. I don't mind the requirement to carry a toilet that can be sealed up.

When you camp next to the river there are several things to consider. The mouth of a canyon or drainage has the potential for flash flooding so that's never done. Mud is a consideration since you have to unload and load the canoe and the stuff is heavy. (The toilet is heavy to begin with but it gets heavier and heavier with each passing day.) Dry sand or rock is good to camp on. If possible, a campsite should be in a wide area so there's lots of morning sun. Cold deserts, like the Colorado Plateau, have extremes of temperatures, often in the same 24-hour period. There needs to be enough space, obviously, and a beautiful view makes it all worthwhile.

So our steel/aluminum (?) toilet is a box with a lid. When the seal is removed, a toilet seat is put on. It is often in plain view of god and everyone. I carry an umbrella for creating the turtle effect. If I can't see you then I can pretend you can't see me. So sharing a sandbar with strangers does make using the toilet more awkward.

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No sun until the afternoon on Day Four. I know it's becoming repetitious, but it rained on us again. But it was a light rain that persisted. The water looked lovely with the drops dimpling the surface, and the sound was soft and soothing. The absence of wind made a big difference. The best part of the rain were the waterfalls. A rare occurrence and much appreciated. The desert has to gather up a lot of raindrops to  get enough to send a waterfall down to the river.

There were large paw prints in the sand during one of our rest stops today. Coyote? Where there are deer, there are usually coyote, and we've been seeing deer.

We stopped a little earlier when we found a sandbar with a view. But that part of the canyon was in shade by 3:30 then a breeze kicked up. It was pretty chilly. 

Camp was by the Hey Joe Uranium Mine so there's a road behind the campsite but it's behind a thick stand of dead tamarisks and willows. The mine is probably not being worked right now. I should have taken pictures so I could share what passes for a road in Utah. 

We're at the beginning of Labyrinth Canyon now. The walls are much higher and dramatic.