Kayaking the Colorado River in a storm - Glen Canyon Back Haul
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- Опубліковано 8 лют 2025
- Kayaking the Colorado River in a storm - Glen Canyon Back Haul
Kayak the Colorado website. These guys are great.
www.kayaktheco...
I am not an avid kayaker. I usually hike, backpack and canyoneer. But kayaking is fun. However, I know my lane, so when I kayak, I pick a mellow place to do it. I've done the back haul to the Glen Canyon Dam before. It's great. You float down the Colorado River about 14~15 miles to Lee's Ferry where your vehicle is waiting. You can fish, you can camp, you can check out petroglpyhs....It's absolutely amazing. And an easy adventure.
Well, under the right conditions. Mother Nature doesn't really care about your plans. The Colorado River and Glen Canyon can be beautiful, but they can also be unwelcoming. It all depends on the circumstances, especially the weather. The first time I did it, it was perfect. This time? Not as much.
Still awesome. And I still highly recommend it. I'll be back. But I'll shoot for a 0% chance of rain next time.
Music by Artlist:
G2 - Dan Ezra
Denali at Dawn - SPEARFISHER
Kharon - The Duke of Norfolk
Under My Skin - Israel Wasserman
Hey guys this is Clint! First of all, I appreciate Jerry because my mistake caught up to me quickly and while I was starting to panic when I started to feel the hyperthermia settle in…he stayed cool and calm.
This whole day was still amazing and I’d do it all over again…same weather and all. I know now, just like Jerry mentioned, that we should never avoid taking the extra precautions needed because it’s inconvenient. I had I’m my mind that even though I was getting cold I could just continue to paddle the last mile through and be just fine. That storm had other plans…
Thanks Jerry for the great time and great life lesson!
You two are so much fun to watch. I know this wasn't a "fun" video, but it's really beneficial to understand the struggles of others. I'm glad you both made it back safe.
That was insane! Glad both of you safe and that Jerry still has toes. We know that Tina is the smartest one because she stay home, warm, and dry! A good lesson from an entertaining video. 👍👍👍👍👍😀❄️
Thank you for being unashamed to show the trips that don’t go perfectly. These videos are so valuable for everyone to understand what to do when things go wrong.
Another Jerry Arizona video, another good day. Life is good.
I’ve learned that painful lesson in Marble Canyon. The weather can change in an instant. The wind can get relentless and blow you back upstream. Great video as usual. Shout out to “KYAK THE COLORADO”……they’ve saved me twice
Hi Jerry, These types of hardship experiences build character, plus they build bonds with those you suffer along with. It’s good to suffer occasionally as it tests you and makes you stronger. I suffered plenty during my U.S. Army years.
The water coming out of the bottom of that dam is freezing! It doesn't take much when it's already cold outside to turn a pleasant day into a bad one. You guys were lucky the boat captain came for you. The wind on the Colorado can really kick your butt. It's even worse on the Black Canyon run south of Hoover. Have to paddle hard just to avoid going backwards most afternoons. Props to you Jerry for getting back in the saddle pretty much every other weekend despite the physical toll.
Good tip on Black Canyon. I've had that on the list for a long time. I'll definitely learn how to prepare better for the wind.
@@JerryArizona The pro tip for Black Canyon is start early and plan to be off the river by early afternoon. Hard shell is better than inflatable (think wind sail). If you paddle south of Willow Beach, the wind is crazy more often than not.
Dude.
I'm glad you and Clint got safe. Hypothermia is the worst, I've been there, really close to the no-return point. I can remember getting off my own kayak into the freezing water, struggling to get to shore, laying in the grass waiting for the sun to warm me enough that I felt that I could get to safety.
I'm glad y'all are good. Thank you for posting this important info.
Glad you're all okay. It's good reminder for all of us outdoorsy folks, that when you're out in nature, you're at her mercy. Prepare the best you can and always have a good backup plan in case things go bad.
In my Navy days I served on a helicopter assault ship,(LHA-5, USS Peleliu). I walked the hangerbay multiple times during the day and the Infantry Marines were always standing at attention with all their gear spread out for inspection. The inspectors were picky too! Everything had to be perfect. Being a sailor, I thought it was a little ridiculous. Now that I'm older and a little wiser, I see why. Situations can turn from Calm to Chaotic, as you say, on a dime. When you need it, you need it and better be able to find it and rely on it when needed. Again, thanks for making the video.
Hi Jerry. Im one of Clints buddies. Love the video. Great storytelling.
We were at the front of that traffic jam just 1/4 mile from ElPatio and Dads exit . Motorcycle fatality. Dad passed in January and we will be moving up April 1st . Thx again for sharing the good the bad and the feet in this video! All kidding aside we all have learned something from this one ! Be safe !
From a perspective of an avid kayaker here in Florida. If there is anything more than 10% chance of rain... I do not go. Don't ask me what cured me of doing that. Florida receives absolutely gnarly squalls even deep inland. They come with lightning bolts hitting everywhere, 60mph winds and alligators if you fall into water. I got caught twice. First time it was just plain scary. Second time it was also very incredibly stupid. Glad you got off the water there.
Please try again ? My Grandsons and I are stuck in Kansas . I'm in a wheelchair and can't take them camping any more. So we go on adventures thru others. Would love to see more of the Colorado River.
If you scroll back in my videos, my wife Tina and I completed this kayak route a few years ago. Just had bad weather luck this day.
We used to fish up there where you guys started at near the dam. February and April every year 8 of us boated up to those sand bars and camped over a long weekend. Gorgeous up there and the best trout fishing ever.
Loved that little wall waterfall in the beginning, the deer petroglyphs, the potty stint-lol, and your always interesting music. Good lessons for all of us too--thanks for this story.
You are totally a hoot. Great vids always.
We always have a good time!
I've fished Lee's Ferry dozens of times and love that area.....it is beautiful!!! Hiking Havasupai falls next month or at least I hope so! Timmy C Arizona
Best of luck. I hear they just got some major flooding.
I did this kayak trip last week. Started from the dam and it took me 4 hours. It was frigging kickass!! Timmy C Arizona
Wow. Arizona. If you don't like the weather, just wait. Glad you two made it out OK. Lesson to put in my notebook: As conditions worsen, little oversights can become major mistakes exponentially fast. Thanks for making the video Jerry.
If you don’t like the weather just wait SO true here in AZ! Well put👍
I grew up in Page all my life and spent lots of times around Lee's Ferry and Marble Canyon area. I wouldn't be kayaking that river until it is warm, like May. Weather is too unpredictable when winter is transitioning into Spring.
I had a similar experience a few years ago on a backpacking trip. Started out from see canyon th with the goal being the bear canyon drainage. Weather turned sour when I hit the 7,000’ contour and the the temperature dropped nearly 25 degrees and it began to snow. Luckily I was never in danger all that much but I did make some stupid decisions of pushing on when I should have called the trip. Hypothermia is no joke. Scary stuff man. Thanks for the upload.
Quite The Adventure , Life Is Good!!!!
excellent video on how one needs to be prepared thanks again
Yeah. Rough conditions. I had a similar experience backpacking the Grand Tetons. It was suppose to rain for an hour. It rained for 8 hours and turned to sleet. We kept hiking. I should have setup the tent. Lesson learned. Good call in calling a boat. I hope to kayak that stretch in May.
Hope you have better weather. When I went with Tina it was perfect conditions. Hopefully you get the same.
You made contingency plans and did your best to stay informed about the weather, so you controlled the variables you could control and just got unlucky with that turn of the weather. Thanks for another great video…glad you and Clint made it out safely! Hope your feet have survived to hike another day. 👍
Thanks for showing all facettes of being outdoors! It is a good thing you display it exactly as it went and make your viewers learn from your experience and your mistakes. I hope your feet are okay and you are already planning the next trip :)
Facets
@@joansidor5191 Thanks, it's only my second language and I thought it was spelled just like the german or the french original word.
Thanks. My feet recovered fully. And pretty fast, actually.
Wow
The beginning of the video I was so jealous of you guys on that trip, the end….
Glad it worked out for you guys
I still recommend it. Go when the weather is mellower. And account for wind. This is the second time I've experienced it kayaking and even though I DID check this day, it happened anyway. So I need to figure out how you deal with a strong headwind moving forward.
Beautiful but BRRRRR....glad your all ok.
Love that float. The predictable unpredictable tricks from Mother Nature. Sounds like you were well prepared with the tent and all. Glad Kayak the Colorado got you picked up! Try again another time!
Glad you bort are fine and have a story to share. 🙌
Holly cow........ that's cold; I'd say you guys were lucky you got a hold of the boat.... dang.....
It definitely would not have been a fun night in the tent on the side of the river. So glad they came back and got us.
Backpacking and hiking in the PNW Cascades - yeh, you can encounter hypothermic conditions any time of the year. Preparation, layers, and knowing when to use your equipment is vital. Glad to see you guys got out of there in one piece.
Have you ever thought about writing a book on your experiences? But you must include Tina shooting you the finger. Tina rocks! Oh and Mexican Food. I am glad you and Clint are OK. Looking forward to your next adventure.
Writing isn't my thing. I like videography. I have been trying to figure out how to get a graphic of Tina giving me the finger to put on a hat though.....
Good to see your safe the weather has been crazy. You did the right thing to call the boat. Stay safe my friend and keep exploring
I just found your channel. I'm glad you guys ultimately make it out unscathed.. We must have just missed each other on the river.. Well maybe a few weeks? We were up there with a group early March and the weather went from clear to raining all weekend. Luckily we didn't have the cold or with wind... Just the rain and even some hail. We usually do this trip in later March to avoid the bulk of the storms but they seem to have lingered longer this year. The wind is I think one of the biggest reasons people camp so they can be off the river before those afternoon winds pick up.
I'm definitely a novice kayaker, so I didn't even think about the wind. Pretty dumb of me, now that I know better. Still such a fun section of river. Except for the last couple miles where the current slows down. I'll definitely be better prepared next time.
Wow! I'm so glad you've got the breadth of experience to get yourselves through it. Gnarly.
Love your videos. Joan in Page, AZ...
Lol.
Thats how it is in Colorado...wait a few minutes n the weather will change in a moments notice.
Looks like you had a great trip, Jerry! Keep on truckin'.
Yeah! The boat came back! You did that trip in March? Lovely, but too cold.
Wow! Glad y’all are ok. My friends and I went in September and found Kayak the Colorado was great even on a clear day. I hope you can go back and film this place during good weather because it is just amazing.
A few years ago Tina and I did it and conditions were perfect. Warm, sunny, no wind. I'll be back.
What day were you there? I was there Friday and was told doing down the river was suspended. The wind never stopped, Saturday was beautiful of course. I’m glad the two of you were ok. 👍
Haha, glad to see that we can blame Clint for our weather issues !
Haha I know right! We went from this trip to shivering under a narrow overhang in the rain at 4am at the Wave….adventure!
Clint always brings the weather. From rain in the Grand Canyon to snow in Zion....and actually snow in the Grand Canyon and rain in Zion too. He's a bad weather magnet.
Wow.
This '23 Winter/Spring has been an Ass Kicker for all of us who do our thing outside. . .. Wet and cold with A LOT of mud/ sherbet! Come on SPRING!!!
I found this quite interesting. I'm glad you and your friend survived! I love that area; it's so scenic. I have a question for you: I would like to get an inflatable kayak for myself to use on our local reservoir when the water is smooth. Can you tell me the pros/cons of your Explorer K2? I'm leaning towards a "2 person" so that I can take the grandkids out with me.
Pros: Not very expensive, sturdy (we've had these for 3 or so years with no problems), 2 seater, stable. Cons: More surface area versus a solid kayak when it comes to wind. I'm not much of a kayaker though, so I'd recommend asking around with people with more experience.
Had hypothermia years ago on South Rim of Canyon, scary, glad you guys are OUT of there! I was shivering just like Clint. The boat service is impressive, they went above and beyond, what is the name again? I would like to use them. Thanks Jerry.
Kayak the Colorado. They're great. He was checking on people all day as he hauled more people in. And then came and checked on everyone before leaving for the day. All above and beyond.
Hi Jerry, glad that you both are safe! Looking back on the situation now, what gear would you have packed for this type of emergency? When you do this trip next time will you bring different gear? ... like whiskey instead of beer? :)~ I am definitely adding this one to my bucket list! I look forward to seeing your next adventure!
If this is who I think it is, you're living MY bucketlist right now in New Zealand. And next time I do this I'll bring Tina instead of Clint so the weather doesn't suck.
Late March through mid-May in northern Arizona, weather -wise, sucks. Period. Been at the bottom of GC during similar conditions (snowed on the way out) and I've never wanted to be out of that place as much as I did then.
The weather is always so crazy in the Grand Canyon. And then we have monsoon season to deal with later in the year as well.
Be safe my friend, Be Safe
Holy &#@! Glad y'all are okay. Great lessons here, but still hard to be prepared for every unexpected thing. This days when you see safety within sight, but yet it's actually so far away given the unknown time you've got till the S#%! hits the fan. How's that foot? Did all the piggies make it to market? Get that? LOL
All piggies are accounted for. Just took a soak in warm water to bring them back.
By chance, what would Clint's UA-cam channel be? Again, thanks for making this video.
Hey you can find me at the NotLostNomad!
@@TheNotLostNomad Thank You Sir. I'll check out your channel. Looked like a hell of an adventure on the Colorado.
Clouds look ominous.
What an adventure! So glad you're both ok. How is the foot?
Full recovery. A few minutes in warm water was all it took. Quite the adventure.
Hell of a story, Glad you two are all right. Ive had those uncontrollable shakes, not fun .
Yeah. I went through it several years ago in Bear Canyon. It's no fun when hypothermia really kicks in.
Hello! Cool video. Can you share what time of year this was? We have this tripped planned the end of April and I’m low key nervous about April showers 😅 thank you!
Late march I think. Keep an eye on the forecast. Then again, that’s what we did. But you can ask your boat captain to keep an eye out for you if you’re nervous. At least Kayak the Colorado. He said they don’t leave until everyone is off the water.
Swimming pool toy kayaks
Wow, that would have been a lot more fun on a warm day.
“We’re too stupid to do that”… Super cloudy and you didn’t think it would rain long and hard?? 😆
Well, in our defens......nevermind. We can be idiots.
I launched at Havasu landing, and was in the middle of the lake, when we saw a black wall down stream ( south) moving toward us. Went back to the ramp and my buddy jumped out to get my truck and trailer. By the time he got back, the ramp was completely covered by trucks and trailers, but I was the only boat there and ready to load. Then it hit. Three foot waves, 50 mph wind, and rain drops the size of golf balls. Not an exaggeration, 40 years ago, and I still haven’t witnessed anything like it. I was four wheel drive, so my buddy backed down the grass and gravel next to the ramp, while I did circles off shore fighting the squall. It was so rough the float in the boats carb broke and flooded the engine as I made a run for the trailer. It took eight guys on the upwind side of the boat in the water to keep it straight enough to winch on to the trailer. Scared the fuck out of me, though my boat was gone. 10 minutes after we pulled it out, the blackness passed over and blue sky came back out. Palm frons everywhere, tents in the camp ground blown to shit, and complete chaos on the ramp. Event duration, 20 minutes. So ya, it sure as fuck happens
Mother Nature has a way of reminding you who's in charge. For sure.
One question, one comment.
Do you have to have a permit to kayak that section of the Colorado?
Also, invest in a pair of waterproof socks. When I have used them, I don't use shoes. Just use them as pseudo shoes. Ones I have extend up to the mid calf for a couple feet of water protection.
You don't need a permit that I know of. There is a use fee that you purchase when you're heading in to the Lee's Ferry area. I forget the cost. I think you can even skip the back haul and kayak it yourself, but personally I wouldn't want to fight that current going upstream.
And definitely good suggestion about the socks. I usually use neoprene and intended to bring them on this trip but forgot them.
I've rafted the whole Colorado and Green River system from Wyoming to Arizona. Also rafted the smaller rivers that feed the system, Yampa. San Juan etc. The canyons intensify the storms and they come up so quick and the wind just stops you. You think in August or September you don't need a bunch of warm clothing. It's so bulky and takes up so much of the limited space you have. The problem is cold air flows down. The canyons can also cause a venturi effect which accelerates the wind. The coldest place to be is the bottom of a deep canyon. In August it can go from 100 degrees down to 40 degrees in minutes during a hail storm. So many trips I brought warm clothing and they just took up space. But on a few occasions I was so happy to have warm clothes and waterproof pants. This May I have a rafting trip down the Gunnison River. I have to hike down into the steep canyon, so extra clothes will be pain in the ass. But I'll bring them.
Yeah, this was such a freak storm. I'll usually throw an emergency rain poncho in my gear, but we were already loaded up and that wouldn't have helped us here anyway. Kinda jealous you've done the whole Colorado. It has to be incredible in so many spots.
@@JerryArizona An amazing stretch of canyons with great hikes is Labyrinth and Stillwater canyons on the Green river just before the confluence with the Colorado. It's the section through Canyonlands NP. It's all flat water and can easily be done in canoes. It's also relatively unknown and not crowded.
There are different places to launch and you can take a jet boat out at the end so you don't have to go down the big water in Cataract Canyon to Lake Powell. I launched at the state park in Green River, but you can also launch at Ruby Ranch or Mineral Bottom depending how many days you want to be on the river. It would be a great kayaking trip.
I did it in a raft and went all the way to Lake Powell. My trip was 12 days. We did have one motor raft and tied all the boats together and motored some flat stretches.
Oh that's not rain, remember that you're in the desert. It's a bad sign when the video starts with raincoats. There is a point where you have to stop and take shelter, or retreat. As individuals we don't have enough experience with hypothermia to know where the limit is, and if you go past the limit it is serious. Better to get out and be able to go another day.
Unfortunately, it was forecast to rain for about an hour right when we got in there. So that was expected when the boat dropped us off. It just never let up as forecast. Which was crazy because we could get signal at spots in the canyon and the forecast showed it was cloudy but not raining the entire time it rained on us.
Were Jerry's feet frost bitten?
Just cold enough for the blood vessels to contract enough there was no blood flow. Soaking them in warm water brought them back to normal though. I don't think it was quite frostbite, but it was heading that way.
8:34 am 🥳🤣🥳🤣🥳🤣
Right? Given how the day turned out, I'm glad we didn't start drinking then.
Massively aggressive. You couldn't wait another month or two for more reasonable weather?
Oh, fun!?
I'm going to put this down as "an epic". So yeah, it's fun now that I'm not freezing at the river's edge.
Some people should not go out unsupervised..
Where's life preservers?
It looks cold right at the start. Hmm.
It was in the fifties. Going in we were expecting a light rain for about an hour when we started, so we weren't concerned. But it just never let up. Freak storm, but it happens.
Whoa, your feet look awful, that happened fast.
They came back surprisingly fast, but yeah. They looked crazy. Never seen that before.