I sat on the river bank, looking up canyon, until 12:15, when an Oars commercial trip came by.  I stood on the bank waving my arms and hiking sticks, acting like a complete lunatic, but not wanting them to miss me.  When they pulled up they were relieved that it wasn’t a medical emergency.  I figured I had spent 22 hours on that beach waiting for a ride.  I was beginning to get pretty worried.  I figured if I didn’t get a ride by 14:00 I night not make it to my preferred destination tonight (a spring about 3 miles up Lava Creek).  They were happy to shuttle me across to Lava beach, where they were all heading for lunch.  They invited me for lunch, but I declined as I was in a hurry.  They did give me a beer and an apple, for which I was very grateful.  The head boatman was Rondo Buecheler from Palisades, Colorado.  He owns a bike shop there.

Once I got into the streambed of Lava, I was surprised to see fresh footprints.  It looked like two people had walked up the canyon, then back down.  There was a good flow of muddy water coming down Lava.  Although warm (my estimate was low 80s), the hiking was very easy, especially considering that there was no trail.  The hiking was almost entirely boulder hopping in the stream bed.  After one mile I passed the drainage that leads over a small ridge and down into the Carbon drainage.  I stopped here to eat my apple.  Boaters often hike up from Carbon, over this saddle to Lava, then down Lava to the river where their boats await them.