Trip Report: white water rafting weekend - green river below flaming gorge - August 21, 2026
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white water rafting weekend - green river below flaming gorge - August 21, 2026 By Mike Rush |
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| BOATING | 08/21/2026 | Class II+ |
| The forecast said rain. The skies said rain. Friday night, we were pretty sure we were going to get rained on. Instead, Flaming Gorge gave us two days of sunshine. Saturday morning, two groups put on the Green River around 8:30 AM. Brad, Greg, Frank, Chris, Bret, Irene, Alice, Renee, and Jared headed downstream for the A+B sections, while Mike, Madison, Bob, Marilyn, Alice, and Kristian ran Section A. We had a mix of inflatable kayaks and hard-shell kayaks, with Jared choosing the most adventurous option of the day: a SUP. We launched under dark storm clouds that looked ready to open up on us at any moment. Instead, the clouds parted, the sun came out, and we ended up with an absolutely beautiful day-sunny skies, temperatures around 80deg;F, and wonderfully cold river water. The Green was running around 2,000 CFS, making for a fast and fun run. The A+B group covered the river in roughly 4-5 hours, considerably faster than the expected 5-8 hours despite the headwinds. Jared provided plenty of entertainment on the SUP, putting on some impressive acrobatics and swimming only a few times as he worked his way through the rapids. Kristian, a newer WMC member who had never run rapids before, did an excellent job navigating Section A and handled the river like a pro. Sunday morning brought more of the same. After another night of rain and threatening storm clouds, the crew was back on the water around 8:30 AM. Once again, the clouds gave way to sunshine, giving us another warm, beautiful day on the river with cool water and good rapids. Overall, it was a fantastic Flaming Gorge weekend: fun people, great rapids, fast water, and surprisingly good weather. Brad even managed to capture an amazing photo of an osprey grabbing a fish right out of the Green. A special thanks to Bret, Brad, Chris, and Nate (Alice's husband) for handling the shuttles. Those behind-the-scenes logistics are what make trips like this run so smoothly, and they're very much appreciated. Great weekend on the Green-I'd call that a win over the forecast! |
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