Well, the initial tests look good so it appears I may be back on board for my trip.  There for a few weeks it was uncertain wether my "illness" was lymphoma or another cancer.  My biopsy is back and the words "non-malignant" and "benign" appear on the report, both which seem like good news. 

It has been a productive and privileged 15 months of adventures for me.  For this I am grateful and it has helped me get through my mystery illness thus far.  

I have finally realized the full dangers of digital cameras, the once a year download.  Wow, I hadn't downloaded from one card since November 2007.  While it took forever to actually transfer the files to my computer it was time well invested.  I watched as scenes and memories from recent trips slowly appeared in my photo software.  Westwater.  San Juan.  Cataract.  Middle Fork of the Salmon.  

While I firmly believe one can never have too many days on the river I do recognize the need for appreciation for the adventures we are lucky enough to experience.  Each of those trips were great and memorable in their own fashion.  That said, the moments that truly stand out are rarely the rapids.  More often than not, the hours I spend around a warm campfire watching the river with close friends are the endearing.  

So here is to all the great people I have had the opportunities to get to know thus far, and to the one's I have yet to meet.  Cheers!

After a few weeks of looking at homemade designs for river tables I finally jumped into a project of making my own.  Not having much experience or equipment for woodworking I went with a metal plumbing tube frame.  I downgraded the table from a 72" backboard table design I saw in Mountainbuzz.  I shortened it to 40" inches to fit between my cat tubes and fit perfectly over my new drop bag.  It is bonded with JB Weld.

Haven't finished the wood platforms yet, but getting there.  I will have two platforms. One for the top table and one for a middle shelf.  The middle shelf will help further stabilize the legs and provide more space for storage.  The middle platform will be stabilized by two cam straps suspended from the top.  

Here are the results thus far:

Been trying to find this for months ever since I saw it last winter.  How does the raft lose its frame???

As of today the permit is one step away from done.  We had to pay a $400 deposit by May 7th to secure the permit.   The final step in the process is a $100 per/person fee and an equipment and participant list due 90 days before departure.  Both steps are easy and we have already broke even on the deposit.  

My mystery illness has made it far too easy to research logistics.  It almost too dangerous to plan this far in advance primarily because it is way too early to be lusting for launch day.  I believe the count is down to 247 days.  I suppose that is better than most folks who have to wait an average of 16 months before they launch.  I will soon add a winter hazards and rapids sections to the pages available.

Back to reading.

Sorry to the few folks who already linked to the blogspot site but weebly.com just offered better services.  The site is still being tweaked obviously but I will continue to update it as time goes along.  Thanks for checking in and hope to be able to update with photos, logistics, and journal entries as time goes along.