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Show 1 "T Tf f " ' : . 1 T - t ? IFeaaitiaire THE SAMPLER Friday, May 29, 1981 ID :i i h Green River rafting through Dinosaur National Monument ri tot os by Steven Hoover Three other major rapids followed, namely, of only 8 and a half miles seems rather puny . in this day and age, unless you are talking about rafting on the Green River through Dinosaur National Monument. More than 50 Dugwayitcs ran the rapids of the Green River during the last two weekends in May. THE DAY starts with a 25 mile ride in one of Hatch River Expeditions vans on a road rough enough to make the rapids of the' Green look rather mild. The first weekend most of the riders were forced to get out aiid push through some of the mud A trip holes. S.O.B., Schoolboy and Inglesby. One boatman spent considerable time explaining that S.O.B. stood for Save Our Boatman. He had very few believers. ALL OF these rapids were sandwiched between cliffs rising out of the water to heights of a thousand feet or more. Halfway down the run the rafts were beached and from huge rubber containers the employees of Hatch River Expeditions magically produced fried . Then after a kxik at some Indian petroglyphs your destination of Rainbow Park is reached. It is nothing more than a wide spot jn the river. With much coaxing the rafts are pushed from their trailers into the murky brown waters. Life jackets are fitted, and instructions for the ride are given. The FIRST mile and a half or so is an easy float into, the part of the Park called Split Mountain-Canyon- . Then for the first time you hear the roar of white water ahead.-Thboatman explains it is Moonshine Rapids, so named for the activities that went on there years jxist . e I chicken, cole slaw, punch and cookies. All of which was woofed down by the hungry passengers. Because of the mild winter and the very low run-of-f, the river was relatively mild. Still, each white ' water section brought expressions of concern on the faces of all those aboard. AS THE two rafts were being guided into the boat ramps at Split Mountain Camp Ground in Dinosaur Park there appeared to lie a mild mutiny on raft 2 that ended when Phil Hale became the only passenger to take a dunking. A little sunburned, a little damp, but everyone agreed they were richer for having seen the Green River as it flowed through Split Mountain. vj ' - . w Aj , s ' 7- i as- -' - 1 I v . . W . Vi a".1' JKL aw,; s ' V . - . mr l' I ' 'yssfc .. O'"j; . v 4 0 Oars up and afloat on a calm stretch. Left to right is Jennifer and Joe Buelna, Mike and Jane Moore, the boatman and aft is Kathy Whitaker, Tasha Moore and Michelle Moore. !ategs - - v,-- "TV ' l,sf. Vg v.. , ' rf " r ' - , . w -- -- '' i'. v s .A V. iii Raft ' .. i . ... . t ; '!! iy.r , ' " : I U-- . 'K "(I - r- i - . - ''Aaf'.c . t . - r (Tl t- . :. - . lait 3 1 ' t , j, v s , .. ?l 'If . 4 . . , j ' . v " . ., . r " , . . v. ftlr " 2 sets up for the first rapid called Moonshine. This is where many got their first drenching of the day. .V v. ip ?rvr. "t rg&g&gZtr .. ' -- Y I- A. . ? J -- " yfecfci' ' 'jcyr M! ?- Boatman Randy Iloutz surveys the river as Phil Hale and Dave Hartley look as though they arent too sure if there is room for the raft between the rock and the cliff. t- 'v - - . i ; a - tr-sJrfXZi- ItS? - 8P ! n CJVLT W M ' ... 'I"-- : r : ... F '- - iL' V v. i v. : - - r . I b . - V - - " w ' F. ' ' " . 1 'V v; - .- -r ' . "ai - - Kristi Hale finds that the land is much more sturdier than the raft. - s- Sfc ,S f - 'T - J. V -- a ' t r (.' tSL': .if . i ... - 'j V'1 IV The end of' the run. Dave Hartley and Jeff Droubay have Just thrown out the anchor. That anchor, named Phil Hale, has not surfaced when this photo was taken. : On a collision course. Thats Tech Librarian Joe Buelna at the helm of raft 2. |