The Green River is Very Brown

It's been over a week since we returned from our last big adventure - a 5 day, 68 mile rafting/kayaking trip through Labyrinth Canyon on the Green River in Utah.

We were lucky to have great friends along: fellow Trinity biologist David Ribble and his lovely daughters Olivia and Elena (shown with him below) made the trip even more enjoyable.

One great benefit of a rafting trip is that you can pack a lot of gear, as long as you don't mind rowing a pig-like barge (Kevin's a good sport):

The result is all the comforts of car camping

with the tranquility and solitude of a remote backpacking trip:

The first thing you notice when launching a trip down the Green River is the siltiness of the water.

We tried to measure visibility but ended up unsure that we could see even a quarter of an inch into the dense water.










Scout lost a khaki hat to a gust of wind early in the trip, and seconds after it blew off it became invisible, blending in perfectly with the water around it.

Obviously the murkiness didn't deter any of us - the kids spent most of the time in the water, swimming after the raft ,

wading through the shallow sections, starting splashing wars, playing endless games involving the mud at camp each evening, and our new favorite "run as fast as you can into the river":

Wish you could have been there!