Since Josh had been doing a lot of kayaking in the Philly area (even in the winter), we figured we'd arrange a kayak trip while he was here. Nancy and I had not yet made it out to Lake Powell and I was able to find someone to take us on an overnight kayak trip up there - so we had a plan.
I don't know if it is good living or what, but this trip was marked by a good amount of luck. Our initial try at a date was 4/26, but that was not available. So we pushed a week to the weekend of 5/2. Turns out we had a freak storm roll through AZ on the weekend of 4/26. It brought cold weather, high winds and rain/snow. That would have made for a pretty miserable kayak trip. Instead we got amazingly perfect weather on the weekend of 5/2. Although the threat of high winds hung over us on the last day - it didn't appear until we were about 20 minutes from finishing our day.
So we started out Friday by driving up to Page. A couple of miles out of town is a short hike and an amazing view of Horseshoe Bend on the Colorado river. Apparently, this view is an international sensation. Of the groups I heard talking on the hike out and back, about 10% were speaking English. Anyhow, the view was spectacular. As always, a camera can't really capture how BIG this feels.
We overnighted at the Knight's Inn in Page - it was pretty awful. Not recommended. Had a great dinner at El Tapatio. Josh recommends the giant burrito
Next day we met our host, Jim, at the marina. He and his wife run Kayak Lake Powell (http://kayakpowell.com/). Jim does the tours, his wife runs the office.
A 30 minute power boat ride got us out to the starting point on the main part of the lake.
Gear was stowed, basic kayaking instruction given, then out on the lake we went.
From there we followed the shore into Labyrinth Bay. We meandered through the bay, exploring anything that looked interesting.
The walls got closer and closer together. Finally, we came to where the water ended.
Time to start hiking. From here the walls really started to close in and we got into the type of slot canyon that I've always wanted to explore. It is hard to overstate how cool this was. Might be an issue if you are claustrophobic.
After about a mile of walking, the canyon opened up into an area that was perfect for a lunch break. We had some sandwiches and played around a bit.
We then headed back to the boats. This section was so fascinating that I was sad to leave it.
Back in the bay, looking at the scenery from the other direction. So much cool stuff to see.
When the bay opened up again we headed down the other shore and found a little inlet where we stopped to stretch our legs. Turns out this inlet was a perfect place to play. The water was slightly warmer than in the main part of the lake and it was still deep enough for jumping into.
Jim had been checking his weather radio and told us that the forecast was for the wind to pick up with some strong gusts (30 mph). It was supposed to start that afternoon and continue all day the next day. However, it was still really nice out with very little wind. We crossed our fingers and headed out.
Next we headed out to a shore on the opposite side of the lake. Another opportunity to get out and climb a little hill for an overview of the surrounding area.
Back in the boats and heading out along the shoreline - checking out interesting features along the edge.
We headed into Gunsight bay to find a place to camp for the night. A couple of good looking places were already occupied by houseboats, so we ventured further in.
Eventually we found a small inlet with a perfect spot for camping. Set up camp. Played around a bit and chilled.
Dinner followed.
The forecast was still calling for big wind, but we had completed our first day with little or no wind. How long would our good luck hold? The wind did start to pick up around dinner time and blew pretty good overnight. However, by morning, it was calm and there was a good layer of cloud cover. The cloud cover was actually welcome since the previous afternoon was quite warm.
In the morning we headed further into Gunsight Bay. Jim had not been there in a couple of years so it was a bit of exploration for all of us. We dinked around, checking out anything interesting and heading toward the end of the bay.
We got as far as we could on the water and headed in further on foot. The ground was boggy and surprisingly green - at least surprising for the desert.
Headed back to the water and wandered through the bay.
Found a little cave.
Claimed a few islands as our own.
And then headed out to an interesting area for some lunch. Jim had caught a nice sized striped bass in the bay - so we had some VERY fresh fish tacos for lunch. Awesome.
Forecast still called for heavy winds - but it was still really nice out.
After lunch we played around some more in the kayaks. It was just so much fun paddling around, looking at the rocks.
Eventually we needed to head back across the main part of the lake to our pick up spot. As we headed out across the open water the wind started to pick up. It got windy, but not crazy windy. So the last 20 minutes or so of our trip were into the wind. As we got on shore it started to pick up a bit and started really getting down to business as we headed back to the marina. Our luck had held.
This trip was an amazing adventure. Seeing the lake via kayak is really the best way to go. It was so nice being able to poke around anywhere that looked interesting and to be able to pull the kayaks out and explore whenever we wanted. It was extra great having the logistics handled by someone who knew the lake.Our guide, Jim, was great and I highly recommend using his services (http://kayakpowell.com/).
A whole bunch more pictures (and video) can be found here.
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