"Red sky at morning, sailors take warning", Byron says to me as we pack our tents in the predawn twilight. We both look up at the gathering clouds, those in the east glowing red and orange.

We all hurriedly broke camp in order to have an early launch. Up river winds are almost always stronger in the afternoon.

Ron and I loaded our large enamel mugs with raw 7 grain cereal, dried fruit and powdered soy milk. Once we get on the river we add water to our groats and eat in gratitude and silence. Gratitude to be nourished. Gratitude for the majestic canyon walls. Gratitude for no wind. Gratitude for the current that swept us along. Gratitude for the time we allowed ourselves to take this trip. Gratitude for our trip mates. Gratitude for the silence.

Keyenta formation began to lift up the Navajo Sandstone. Later Wingate Sandstone lifted up the Kayenta. Chinle and Moenkopi formations followed by the end of the day. All the rock was laid down 180 to 230 million years ago. The Kayenta, Chinle and Moenkopi are all sedimentary layers, laid down under a sea. All the sandstone was laid down as sand dunes.

Massive Wingate palisades stand sentry over our progress. Some walls were 1000 feet high and a mile long – a single smooth surface with no interruption. At Bowtie Bend the Green River makes a huge oxbow that loops for 8 miles and then comes back to within 400 meters of touching itself. I clamber to the top of the narrow ridge that separates the two channels. I take a few photos and sign a river register kept in a threaded PVC tube.

The day had been mostly overcast with numerous bouts of up river wind. The wind starts to pick up again and nightfall is not far away. Tamarisk chocks off most of the beaches and canyon inlets. Finally an open beach is found and we are relieved. Our 20 mile day had turned into 24 and we had started on the water 10 hours ago.