Saturday, April 21, 2012 – a very full paddling day on the North Platte River in Wyoming. It was a training run with Rob Bean before our incoming Canyonlands trip (down the Green River from town of Green River to the confluence and up the Colorado River to Moab).

I paddled Sea Wind canoe and Rob his Kruger boat (Sawyer Loon). The weather was sunny and beautiful, but with a strong head wind during most of the day. The head wind combined with a shallow and relatively slow river (below 1000 cfs below I-80) made our run longer and tougher than expected. We started at Treasure Island about 9am after early morning drive from Fort Collins and finish well after sunset at Fort Steele (I-80 boat ramp).

Spring was still very early along the North Platte – no green leaves, but a lot of wildlife: geese, ducks, bald eagles, herons, deer, otter, and later after sunset numerous beavers. The last memorable picture: the deer silhouette high above the river on a rocky edge against the fading sky.

Most difficult part of the trip: driving home after paddling.

GPS odometer:

57.6 miles, moving time: 10:00h, stopped time: 1:32h, overall average speed: 5 mph, max speed: 10.3 mph.

Spot live trace:

I was paddling with a Spot device and was recording a live trace. Please note that the trace is displayed on two pages for some reasons.

Picture gallery:

The pictures below were shot with my Pentax Optio W30 camera during paddling except two pictures shot on land with Canon 5D Mark II near Eagle Nest Rapid. Well, you can see difference between a waterproof point-and-shoot-camera and a full frame DSLR. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to shoot more around sunset – we were running behind the schedule.

Related posts:
Sun, Snow and Wind on the North Platte River in Wyoming
Bennett Peak to Pick Bridge on the North Platte River, Wyoming
44 Miles of the North Platte River in 2 Minutes
7 Landmarks and Highlights of the 2008 Wyoming Outback Challenge
The Floater’s Guide to Wyoming Rivers: Paddle and Portage