RAPIDS RAPIDS RAPIDS
WHITE WATER RAFTING ON THE COLORADO RIVER
175 miles 5 days and 4 nights. Raft : Havasu and J Rig Power : Oars and Motor
Offers : 37 class III-V rapids, unique geology in two distinctly different canyons, ancient Indian sites, major wilderness immersion, everything that Cataract Canyon offers plus Westwater Canyon
£658 per person double or single; £619 youth 12 – 16 sleeping bags £16 and tents £19 are same price. Rain coatsand wetsuits May and June £11.
Meet at 07.00 at Moab, Utah
2008 Dates 3,10,17,24,31 May; 7,14, 28 June ; 12 July; 2,9,16,23,39 August;2,9,23,30 September 6, 13 (Saturdays)
This full-tilt rapids expedition is the ultimate whitewater
package. Two canyons and two boats deliver BIG adventure! In Westwater, you can
feel the water boil and churn beneath you. This trip follows the course of the
Westwater Canyon tour .
After an overnight in Moab, where
you’ll have time to watch the sun set at Arches National Park or do a little downtown shopping,
you’ll depart the next morning for legendary
Cataract Canyon. Cataract is the grand adventure of American whitewater. These
rapids are as intense and powerful as those found in the inner gorge of the
Grand Canyon. You move through a vein in the earth for 100 miles, sometimes at a
heart-thumping pace, sometimes lazy as the
sun moving across the sky. You’ll
encounter the 25 named rapids of Cataract Canyon, legendary names like Satan’s Gut, Little Niagara and the world-famous Big Drops 1, 2 & 3 !
This canyon is where the Colorado River gets
in a wild brawl with itself as it drops more steeply than anywhere else in the
United States. Over five days you’ll encounter 37 rapids and explore two very
different canyons. Hiking, swimming, camping, and surprisingly delicious
shore-side meals are also part of this ultimate whitewater expedition
ITINERARY
Day 1 – Lunch & Dinner
Your exciting expedition
begins at the Tag-A-Long Expeditions office in Moab, Utah, at 6:30 a.m. We’ll
drive you to the river "put in" where your oar-powered rafts and guides are
waiting. After a thorough safety orientation, we launch! This is a good day to
scout the skies and shorelines for birds. It’s also a good day to marvel at the
unique geology. Your journey takes you through black, Pre-Cambrian rock, some of
the oldest found anywhere on earth! Today you hike side canyons and see ancient
Indian writings. Another stop will take us to historic Miner’s Cabin, an
abandoned gold mining camp. After a delicious meal served with a view of the
Colorado River, you’ll camp tonight under astonishing starry skies!
Day 2 – Breakfast &
Lunch
After a good breakfast, we
launch and descend toward the upper section of the wild rapids of Westwater
Canyon. Your guide shares folklore and stories about Cowboy Cave and other wild
west legends. We stop at the confluence of the Little Dolores River for a short
walk and lunch. Afterwards, your guide prepares you and the boats for the next
stretch of the river. Then hang onto your hats, Ned and Nellie! The rapids come
fast and furious with names like Sock It To Me, Funnel Falls, Skull Rapid, and
Bowling Alley. You’ll pass by the Room of Doom and Magnetic Wall and hear how
they got their names. Happy and invigorated, your day on the river ends about
5:00 p.m. After a ride back to Moab via bus, you’ll have time for a hot shower
and a nice meal in one of Moab’s many restaurants. You might want to go out and
paint the town red, but beware, you have three more BIG days ahead of you! Sleep
tight!
Day 3 – Lunch & Dinner
We pick you up at your
motel at 7:45 a.m. to begin the next exciting chapter of your expedition. A
short, scenic drive takes us to the river "put in" where your guides will give
you a thorough safety orientation before boarding the J-rig raft. Today we enjoy
the calm waters of the Colorado as we pass beneath Dead Horse Point and Thelma
and Louise Point. Towering red rock walls stand in stark contrast to stunning
blue skies. Watchful eyes can occasionally spot eagles, bighorn sheep, mule deer
or a lone coyote. At lunch time, we’ll stop along shore and take a brief hike.
Toward late afternoon, we stop to make camp for the night. Self-erecting tents
make camp life easy so you can spend your time playing horseshoes or relaxing
with your toes in the sand. In the meantime, your guide is showing off superb
culinary skills by preparing a delicious meal, complete with dessert! And you
won’t be eating off driftwood logs and rocks. Tables and chairs are normal fare
on Tag-A-Long’s Cataract Canyon trips. After your satisfying dinner, relax near
the campfire and enjoy the amazing star show overhead.
Day 4 – Breakfast, Lunch
& Dinner
After breakfast we
continue down the mighty Colorado River through Canyonlands National Park. Along
the way you’ll see prehistoric Indian ruins from the Anasazi culture. Some of
you may take the optional hike over "the Loop" where you’ll get a spectacular
hawk’s eye view of the Colorado River. After lunch, we approach the confluence,
a magical merging of two great western rivers, the Green and the Colorado. Just
a few miles more and we enter Cataract Canyon to run the first of 25 named
rapids. Tonight you’ll camp with the roar of the rapids in your ears! Sweet
dreams!
Day 5 – Breakfast &
Lunch
Eat that hearty
breakfast your guide prepares for you. You’ll need all the energy you can
muster! Today you run the rest of the legendary Cataract Canyon rapids. These
are among the most intense and respected rapids in North America. You’ll meet
Brown Betty, Capsize, and Powell’s Pocket Watch. Later you’ll encounter Satan’s
Gut, Little Niagara and the famous Big Drop. Here the Colorado River descends
more quickly than anywhere in its United States journey! These are the BIG
rapids and the BIG thrills! Today you’ll say goodbye to the river before
entering the blue waters of Lake Powell. By mid-afternoon you’ll arrive at Hite
Marina. You may choose the scenic flight to return to Moab. The flight follows
the river’s corridor over the rapids you’ve just run and gives you a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Canyonlands National Park from the air.
What a way to end your whitewater expedition!
Return options
1.
Return by land. The ride from Hite Marina to Moab takes about four hours through
the high desert country of southeastern Utah. Your arrival in Moab will be about
9:00 p.m.
2.
We strongly recommend a scenic charter flight. You fly over the Colorado River
including some of the rapids you just conquered and, from an altitude of 7,000
feet, you really see the amazing formations in the Maze, Island and Needles
sections of Canyonlands National Park. The flight is about 30 minutes making
your arrival back in Moab about 5:30 p.m.
3.
Tag-A-Long will shuttle your vehicles to Hite Marina on Lake Powell so it will
be waiting for you when you arrive at the marina early in the afternoon.