Two in Blue: DAY 3 – WALKING THE BOAT

Wanagan Landing to Felt Bridge - approx 5.5 RM

Today was quite the day for walking.

After a short wind through somewhat clearer grasslands (OMG, the FLOWERS), our first portage took us around Vekin’s Dam (an early-twentieth-century wood dam, built for logging purposes). The portage was a trail through the woods, where we carried all the equipment, including the boat; then had lunch before repacking and shoving off again. It took somewhat longer than an hour and was energy-intensive, but not entirely unpleasant.

After the dam, we encountered a long stretch of “rapids” with low water. The boat kept grounding on sandbars, so we had to lift ourselves out of the boat and drag it, bumping into rocks and submerged logs. For a brief time this seemed fun; African Queen slogging through ankle-deep then thigh-deep clear bubbling water--after all, people spend a lot of time and money to hike the length of the river narrows in Zion! But energy was already at a premium, and it took a lot of focus to maneuver. B1 was getting particularly bunged up and clumsy with exhaustion (although both of us were bruised). Occasionally optimism set it and we’d climb back into the boat, only to grind to a halt a couple of turns down the river. Grrr. The afternoon was getting along when we spoke to a man on the bank, and he recommended a camping spot quite a few miles before our planned take-out. Relief again to have a place to pitch our tent on this strange river trek.

We found the Felt Bridge (a reproduction nineteenth-century wooden design, no longer connected to a regular roadway) where we tied up to a signpost, let the boat float against the abutment, and passed the gear directly overhead from boat to bridge. We set up early enough that b1could get some much-needed rest and we could cook a “real” dinner on our awesome stove. We feasted on mashed potatoes with bacon, cheese and chipotle, with a dessert of oatmeal. It’s amazing what boiling water can accomplish. (It’s also amazing how little we were actually eating, considering the extent of our physical accomplishments.)

Quiet splashing at the river in the night after bedtime--maybe otters.?