Nature's Way of Feeding Mosquitoes

Well, sorry for the delay folks, but I (Dar) think I've found some time to tell about the two camp outs that I just went on. Several weeks ago I went with the scouts in our previous ward in Orem (Cherry Hill 3rd Ward, we miss you guys!) on a canoe trip down the green river. The second trip was with the scouts in our current ward on a backpacking trip up in the Wind River Range in Wyoming.

Green River

On the Green River, there are many exciting places to put in (meaning get on the river). On our trip we started in Green River, Utah and headed down through Labyrinth Canyon until we hit Mineral Bottom 68 miles later where we got out. The river was flowing high and fast since it was early summer and we had been receiving plenty of rain. Our first stop on the river was Crystal Geyser, a cold water geyser that is right along the bank of the river. It was originally a location where oil was being drilled. A pocket of groundwater fills the cavity with CO2 dissolving into the water. It erupts much like a soda can shaken up when too much CO2 saturates the water.

Crystal Geyser

A little too close when it started erupting again

This shot reminded me of Super Mario Brothers:
A mushroom coming out of a pipe

Just a shot of the pretty travertine deposits from the geyser

It was a few miles after this stop that we had an accident. We came upon some rapids, that are usually pretty minor, but with the river being higher, the rapids were also higher than I anticipated. Me, being one of these crazy fun types, I steered us to go straight into them. After we hit the first rapid, I thought, "Oh crud, bit of more than I can chew." Our canoe happened to be extra tipsy with 40 gallons of water in it, and as soon as we hit the second rapid, we lost our balance and tipped over. My first shock was I thought all of our gear was going to sink to the bottom of the river. Surprisingly almost everything floated. In fact, the only thing lost was my fleece pullover. The water jugs floated (though we lost the water inside), our bags floated, a tent, my camel pack which had my camera, and other minor gear. The other scouts scrambled to gather it up, while one of the canoes pulled us over to shore. I was struggling to keep the canoe upright to bail out water as fast as I could with a small bucket. I knew the canoe wouldn't sink since they are made to float, even when capsized. What a tremendous rush. Another loss was Brother Mullins camera that he had in his pocket when we tipped. It wouldn't turn on. His wife told him before the trip that if anything happened to the camera, he would have to buy her a new one much nicer. Well, I guess she gets a new camera! I beat myself up over it though, blaming the whole incident on me because I steered us toward the rapids.

After we got back on the river and several miles later, we stopped at our first campsite. Just before arrival, a storm blew through and started pouring rain and freezing wind. We huddled under a tarp for a while until it blew over. It started clearing up and then we got to have some fun playing in the mud, going on some hikes, and games in the tents when it started to rain some more.

Stuck in the mud

I made myself some mud claws like Sabertooth on X-Men. It was a very fine clay-like deposit.

I gave a little lesson on erosion for the boys and they dove right in, making miniature canyons.

Some of the canyons that were made

A view of our camp and the river from the hill top

The next day was excellent weather. We pushed about 40 miles that day which was quite an accomplishment for the boys. We saw some wild life, floated along as a group tied together, and had a couple of swims. Lunch was at a place called Trin Alcove or Three Canyon. The mosquitoes really came out for lunch as well, but it's a beautiful place to stop. The scenery is excellent, and if you follow the little tributary up the right fork canyon, you can see some hanging gardens, a place where plants are growing from horizontal cracks in the rock where water is seeping through the sandstone. While we were there we saw a baby fawn that we totally walked right past without seeing it on the way up. Another thing at lunch that was hilarious, was that one person dared a scout to eat a cicada. He said he wouldn't eat it, but would put it in his mouth. So he did, and then it started to walk to the back of his mouth that made him start gagging. We were laughing so hard. I don't have the video of it now, but I'll see if I can get it and post it on here later. By the end of the day, when trying to find a camp, the mosquitoes had gotten vicious. Every stop on the river was a mosquito farm. Just trying to get spray on resulted in 20 mosquitoes landing on you before you got your spray out. As the night waned on, frogs started to croak their melody, however, the sound that came from these frogs sounded more like a baby screaming or crying. It was pretty freaky to go by the river and listen.

Me taking a swim in the Green (brown) River

The baby fawn we walked right past without seeing

This is a Great Blue Heron. We would see these all the time along the river but they usually flew off before you could get a decent shot at one. This time I got lucky.

Greg's mosquito bites. God put them on Earth to test our patience.

Boys will be boys

Overall it was an amazing trip. This is the third time I've done this run, and it stays absolutely beautiful. It even changes as the river deposits and washes away sandbars. I hope you all get a chance, at least once in your life to take a canoe trip down the Green River.

Wind River Range

The Wind River Range is in Wyoming, approximately in the west central part of the state, southeast of the Teton Valley and Yellowstone. It was a backpacking trip, so unlike the Green River trip, we had to carry all of our gear on our backs instead of in a canoe. A much different experience. We got up early and headed out. Along the drive, one of the scouts fell asleep and the scout masters thought it would be fun to play a little joke on him. On the count of 3 we would all scream as the driver slammed on the breaks. I thought this kids eyes were going to pop out of his head. It was pretty funny, but I thought the scout was going to start crying because he kept rubbing his eyes. He was a good sport about it. On the flip side, a downer to our drive was that we hit an antelope on the way up the mountains. We went right over it. It's probably fortunate that it died rather than live and suffer, but it is always sad when something like that happens. The landscape was absolutely gorgeous. It's probably the scenery that keeps people going, because it take a little while for the body to adjust to an extra 50 lbs on their back as well as depleted oxygen in the air. We started hiking at about 9000 ft and almost got as high as 11,000 ft in elevation. The difference in oxygen is astounding to the point you can feel it. Simple hills will put you out of breath quickly. Utah Valley sits at about 4500 ft in elevation. That change in altitude makes a 3.5% drop in oxygen by volume or about 17% drop in oxygen overall. Huff puff! Well, at any rate, we hiked over 7 miles to our first camp by Hobbs Lake. Even at the beginning of July there were many patches of snow lying around so the lake was essentially snow melt. We set up camp and hit the hay right after dinner. That night I realized how much more I miss K than I used to on trips. I would have short spurts of anxiety because I would rather be with her than in the middle of nowhere without her.

The gang: 2 scouts, 2 leaders, and the tag along

A beautiful vista

The next day the boys went fishing. The fishing wasn't the greatest, but one scout caught a couple that we had for lunch and dinner, and boy was I surprised at how good it tasted! I had plenty of time to enjoy the scenery and to catch up on some homework as well. While doing my labs, a little chipmunk nearly climbed up my back. After an afternoon nap, more fishing was to be done, but no luck. I sat high above the lake on a rocky outcrop soaking in God's creations. The sun was setting and I could see the wind move ripples across the lake. That night we had an excellent fireside and we stayed up chatting until about 2:30 by the fire. In the morning one of the leaders and scouts thought they would take a dive into the lake to wash up a bit. No, thank you! I washed my face earlier that morning and my hands were frozen. Kudos to them. We decided to hike to another lake, Polecreek Lake, 5 miles away to see if the fishing was any better, but again, no luck. The hike was long, exhausting, and we went through a lot of snow, getting our boots wet and muddy, but the view was worth it. The following morning, I got up early as we planned to so we could hike out early. I spent about an hour enjoying the view sipping my hot chocolate while the others continued to sleep. Watching the sun coming up over the lake was beautiful, just one of those had to be there moments.

Mark unhooking his fish

Hobbs Lake

Two loony birds jumping in ice cold lake water

Just as fast as they went in, they got out

Eric's reactionZac's reaction. He said, "Aaaaaaaaaah." But I think he meant to say, "Holy gizards, that's a cold lake"Some of the snow patches we hiked throughMore beautiful sceneryReflection on Polecreek Lake in the morningThe sun shining through a spider webWe decided to blitz the hike out and only stop once every hour for a break. The 9 mile hike out seemed to go by fast the first 5 miles, then dragged on the last 4. I had 3 things repeat over and over in my head while I was hiking. A quote from Meet the Robinsons, "Keep moving forward," a quote from Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Gimli says while running all day, "Keep breathing," and the song "One Step at a Time" by Jordan Sparks. Alas we made it back to the truck, feet and shoulders aching, but the burger and milkshake waiting for us back in Pinedale was wonderful!

This spot is called Photographers Point as you can clearly see why. Unfortunately you can't see the panoramic view which is breath taking.

If you look carefully, you can see salt deposit lines on my back where I had sweated profusely and then it dried out

Of course I have to do a science demonstration where ever I go! :o)