Colorado

Ran this on Sept 18 to 21. We started at 9am on Sept 18. We had 24 people and 8 boats (two small inflatable catarafts two 16 foot cats and 4 15 foot oar rigs). We had two 4 hp mercury motors. We used 3.5 gallons of gas to go 95 miles (one motor). We averaged 4 mph on the Colorado from the put in at Potash to the confluence. The Colorado was running around 2400. From the confluence with the flows up around 5000 we averaged 5.5 mph on the flat sections. We oared the rapids. The rapids at this level were only class III with the exception of Big Drop III which was a IV. The rest were just super fun. Of note since the guide books were written many years ago many more good rapids have formed as Lake Powell levels have stayed consistently low and the silt has washed out of the channel. All of the additional rapids were class III at this level with fun holes and wave trains. Lots of good camping everywhere. We camped just after Big Drop III on an unnamed beach and made it out by 3pm the next day. This kind of trip requires lots of long days motoring and would be better with 4 or 5 day trip as there is not a lot of time to do side hikes on a three day trip with low water. The most important factor in making time is the flow rate and not the size of the motor. It seems every time I do Cataract Canyon the winds are always strong right at the confluence. You would think with all the people doing Cataract Canyon they would have a decent take out but no it really sucks. Just be prepared to haul your gear up the hill or have a real 4 wheel drive to drive up the loose dirt ramp.