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| Lower Salt River - Blue Point to PhonD, AZ | | -
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| | Lower Salt River - Blue Point to PhonD, AZ | | | |
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Lower Salt River - Blue Point to PhonD, AZ
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| Kayak | 6.51 Miles |
53 AEG |
| | Kayak | 6.51 Miles | 2 Hrs 16 Mns | | 2.87 mph |
| 53 ft AEG | | | | |
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| no linked trail guides |
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| no partners | | Possibly not the cleverest thing to commit to being on the water bright and early after a long hike the day before....but that's exactly what I did. This time, I misjudged how warm it would be and failed to slather myself in sunblock thinking I'd be wearing my sunshirt the whole time...oops. Flows were the highest yet this season averaging 800cfs from launch to take out.
The lot at PhonD had a few other vehicles when we arrived to consolidate for the drive up to Blue Point. Saw one other pair of kayakers prepping gear for put in when we arrived at the upper lot. After exchanging some pleasantries while I was getting my boat set up, they headed off to launch while we finished getting ready to portage our gear to the river.
The wildlife sightings started straight away with a great egret wading near the bridge and launch site with a whole bunch of turkey vultures holding the horaltic pose and sunning themselves on the opposite bank. A heron stood sentinal, watching as we all negotiated the first bend, paddling to stay out of the reeds as the current pushed us close.
The paddle down river was nice and easy with plenty of wildlife sightings. The pair that launched ahead of us may have run afoul of a sweep in the river as we saw them streamside tending to one of their boats (looked like they might have been preparing to pick it up to drain water out of the cockpit). The flow was nice, making for a smooth ride without fear of running aground - in some areas I wound up paddling back upstream, usually to try to catch a photo of some wildlife I had spotted but failed to capture to my liking...unfortunately I definitely have limitations shooting with my somewhat aged phone  ...I might have to consider refamiliarizing myself with my old Canon Powershot and its waterproof case.
There were areas of the river where the bugs were pretty thick - luckily nothing of the biting variety, but they were a bit of a nuisance - especially for my friends who sometimes were standing on their boards - sitting low-ish on the water, I seemed to be just below the edge of the cloud of insects.
wildlife: The usual suspects (egret, heron, various fish, mallards, Canada geese, redwinged black birds, phoebe, nighthawks, wild horses, and a few cattle) plus some outstanding cameo appearances by a pair of Bald Eagles (adult and juvenile), a cardinal, a harris's hawk, turkey vultures, bighorn sheep, and a river otter!
Other people: A few fishermen, a pair of equestrians, a group of photographers at the mud cliffs trying to capture photos of the local bald eagles, several other people out along the shoreline, the two previously mentioned kayakers and one other pair of paddle boarders. There appeared to be some sort of class going on at PhonD when we were taking out - there were a whole bunch of folk standing on the shoreline in red PFDs...possibly a swiftwater rescue training course.
Being out on the river early on a Monday morning was a great way to start the week, especially with all the wildlife observed! There are still a number of critters I hope to spot - I know there is a bobcat that frequents the area, in addition to racoon, ringtail, coati, and skunk....in addition to various birds that move through the area. |
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Wildflowers Observation Isolated
Tamarisk/SaltCedar are in full bloom. Saguaro blooms are starting to make an appearance as well. |
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| Happier when hiking....I may not move fast (and I'm often distracted by wildflowers), but I'll get there eventually |
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Route Editor
Route Scout
...I might have to consider refamiliarizing myself with my old Canon Powershot and its waterproof case.
