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Green River Gates of Lodore White Water Dory Trip

Lodories

Author: Brad Dimock

It was another in a long series of preposterous ideas pursued by Dory Moon Expeditions. The Canyon of Lodore–the steepest, rockiest stretch of the Green and Colorado–in wooden dories full of gear and people. A stretch of water usually so desiccated by Flaming Gorge Dam’s paltry releases that it is all but impassable to hard-hulled boats. We tried it once in 1991, gambling on the annual Memorial Day (-ish) fishery releases, but lost the bet and had to switch to rafts and rumble through on under 1,000 cfs. We tried again in 1995 and won, rowing dories through on a falling release of about 3,500 cfs with only minor damage. But we hadn’t had the nerve to try it again in over two decades.
With several of our core dory crew now in our sixties (we like to call ourselves sexagenarians), we figured there’s not much time to left to do goofy things. So after last year’s wacky Rogue River dory trip’s success (we only crashed three or four boats), we held our breath and gambled on another Memorial Day release, hoping for at least 2,500 cfs to bash our way through.
Imagine our surprise and delight to see the Upper Green River Basin fill to over 250% of normal snowpack over the winter, and find the river running at nearly maximum release throughout the spring. Jackpot.
I headed north, picked up Coop and his dory in Dolores, and headed for Dinosaur. Coming over Douglass Pass we were astonished to see an enormous cinnamon-colored bear tumble into the road, regain his composure, and scramble up the embankment back into the forest. A good omen no doubt. As we neared our goal and the evening light grew richer, we stopped to soak in the glory.
Green River Gates of Lodore White Water Dory Trip
Blue Mountain and whitewater dory boats.
We found Andy and Kate and two more dories doing the same. RJ and Bruce, coming in from other directions, soon joined the sunset party.
Green River Gates of Lodore White Water Dory Trip

The next day at Dinosaur River Expeditions we sidled the top boats over for loading.

Whitewater dory boats
Whitewater dory boats at the Dinosaur River Expeditions boat yard.
And the following morning drove to Flaming Gorge Dam, bursting with the water we had so been looking forward to getting. The gage held steady through our trip at over 7,000 cfs. Woohoo!
Flaming Gorge Dam
Flaming Gorge Dam

And away we go. Eighteen innocent clients (well, kind of innocent), six dories, and three rafts full of extraneous gear.

Flaming Gorge Dam

Down through Red Canyon.

Red Canyon
 Red Canyon

A side hike up to Shorty Burton’s old cabin. A log has fallen on hole #2 of his double outhouse.

Shorty Burton’s old cabin

And the main cabin could use a bit of maintenance.

Shorty Burton’s old cabin

Camp at Red Creek–such a spectacular place. A wind storm and rain welcome us to the wilds.

Red Creek

Overnight Red Creek went into flood upstream, giving us a two-tone river. The good news is that Bruce, unlike the last two times we camped here, did not have a malarial attack. I think it was because of the large quantities of preventative quinine water and juniper juice we drank that evening.

Red Creek campsite
Red Creek campsite on the Green River

At Taylor Flat, the old low bridge was finally blown away by the high water of 1983. So what did they do? Replaced it with another low bridge–too low to get the dories under at this high flow. Out come the roller tubes.

Green River Gates
Green River Gates
Green River Gates

After careful measuring, we lined the rafts beneath the bridge with four inches to spare. As a reward, the bridge grew us a tasty morel for an appetizer.

Green River Gates
We were back afloat in under two hours, but with a headwind and a long haul across Brown’s Park ahead of us. Here is the old Swinging Bridge. It was always a thrill to drive across as it swung and rippled. You always wondered if it would hold. (Like Amil Quayle’s poem, Stairways–“It feels risky and nice. I’m sure it’ll collapse someday. Somebody might get hurt. I always wonder if this will be the time.”) Well, a few years ago a tractor got the booby prize, and the bridge was formally closed to vehicles. The remains tell the story.
Crook Camp

A beautiful evening at Crook Camp.

Crook Camp

Best cook crew ever.

Dinosaur River Expeditions
Dinosaur River Expeditions

Lodore School–a remnant of more populous times.

Dinosaur River Expeditions

And the Gates of Lodore open to accept us–one of the more amazing views on any river trip. We’re going in there?

Gates of Lodore

Scouting Disaster Falls, where Major Powell lost the No Name. It goes on and on.

Disaster Falls

Go that way. But watch out for that.

Disaster Falls

The mid-section of Disaster was completely huge, but we all bounced through. Camp at Pot Creek.

Pot Creek Camp
Pot Creek Camp
Pot Creek Camp

Leah finds a friend.

Pot Creek Camp
Morning story time. We each tell the intertwined sagas of our dories’ lives.
Harp Falls
Harp Falls rocks and rolls.
Triplet Falls

Triplet Falls. More scouting as ice balls fall from the sky.

Triplet Falls
Triplet Falls

Melissa shows us the way, pausing to blow us a kiss half way through.

Triplet Falls

And finally, the crux move. Hell’s Half Mile. So well named. Routinely portaged at great labor until 1922 when Bert Loper said “to hell with it!” and ran it. Fast, powerful, studded with boulders and logs, and endless. A long, busy, difficult run.

The raftsmen show us the way, and Bruce tries to convince us it works for a dory. Wowzers.
Green River Gates of Lodore White Water Dory Trip
White water dory in Hells Half Mile rapid Green River Gates of Lodore Dinosaur National Monument
And we make it through with only one minor flesh wound. A late but exuberant lunch at Rippling Brook and a walk to the falls.
Rippling Brook
Rippling Brook

Evening festivities at Wild Mountain.

Wild Mountain

A morning hike to a vista above Alcove Brook.

Green River Gates of Lodore
Limestone hike overlook, Green River Gates of Lodore

And Lodore comes to a dramatic end as we hit the Mitten Park Fault and enter Echo Park.

Green River Gates of Lodore
Mitten Park Fault Dinosaur National Monument
Green River Gates of Lodore

A visit to one of  Pat Lynch’s monogrammed caves.

Green River Gates of Lodore

Cooling off in Whispering Cave.

Green River Gates of Lodore

Kate’s sore knee hitchhiking back to the boats.

Green River Gates of Lodore
Steamboat Rock. It would have been a wee island in a large reservoir but for David Brower and Martin Litton’s leadership in defeating Echo Park Dam. Thanks again, guys.
Green River Gates of Lodore

Lunch on the backside of the Mitten Park Fault.

Green River Gates of Lodore

Geology class.

Green River Gates of Lodore
What is RJ looking at?
Green River Gates of Lodore

The Denis Julien inscription. A trapper who plied the Green back in the 1830s.

Green River Gates of Lodore

Evening light at Stateline Camp. We are cautiously optimistic about this voyage. Okay, not that cautious.

Green River Gates of Lodore

Inventing our own parking lot at Jone’s Hole.

Green River Gates of Lodore
While the others hike the creek, I celebrate four years of ukulele abuse under the tree where I first laid hands on one.
Green River Gates of Lodore

We exit Whirlpool Canyon into Island Park. The bison on the wall is there to welcome us.

Green River Gates of Lodore

So are the mosquitoes. They are drilling through Carhartts in this shot.

Green River Gates of Lodore
But the sunset is marvelous.
Green River Gates of Lodore
Beautiful evening Island Park campsite on the Green River in Dinosaur National Monument
Marching through the cheatgrass to the Wedding Panel.
Green River Gates of Lodore

Amazing petroglyphs accessible by a scary climb or via sensible binoculars.

Green River Gates of Lodore

Entering Split Mountain Canyon, the final gauntlet.

Green River Gates of Lodore

After a raucous ride through Moonshine, SOB, and Schoolboy Rapids, we stop for lunch. So do the bighorn ewes.

Green River Gates of Lodore

After cutting into Split Mountain, the river parallels the mountain crest, then turns to cut out the far side.

Green River Gates of Lodore

At Split Mountain boat ramp, where most people, eyes looking downward, scurry to pack their boats away and leave, we camp and admire the uncommon beauty.

Green River Gates of Lodore
Green River Gates of Lodore
Green River Gates of Lodore
Green River Gates of Lodore

We spend one final morning cruising the Big W–a winding stretch of river below Split Mountain that offers magnificent views of the cliffs we just exited.

Green River Gates of Lodore
Green River Gates of Lodore

And life-size petroglyphs.

Green River Gates of Lodore

And lichen art.

Green River Gates of Lodore

As we turn south into the gray Mancos Shale, our passengers depart and we push the remaining six miles to Jensen Bridge.

Green River Gates of Lodore

Against odds, the ancient mariners made it through again. We’ll be back in another twenty-two years.

Thanks to Tyler and Jen Callantine of Dinosaur River Expeditions for supporting this madness. And our support crew: Brett Smith, Sweet Melissa Frogh, and young Jacoby. And our stalwart dorymen Andy Hutchinson, Kate Thompson, RJ Johnson, Tim Cooper, Bruce Keller, and myself.


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