JULY 15, 2014
The Snake River in northern Idaho. In some places it’s calm…in others it’s a frenzy of whitewater rapids.
WE’RE HEADED TO SOME REMOTE AREAS. Our Great American Adventure is about to get kicked up a notch! Some pretty exciting country lies just ahead. We’re going to stay here in Boise until Friday and then head to Hell’s Canyon National Recreation Area in northern Idaho. We’ve talked to some locals and also some fellow-travelers..I think we’re about to experience the most exciting part of our Journey to date. We’ve found two rustic campsites where we’ll stay…maybe a week at each. This is some wild, unspoiled and pristine area. I’m excited. I’m going to brush up this week on using our camcorder so I’ll be ready to take some good video. I’ll post it to YouTube and insert it here in my blog. Stay tuned.
The Hells Canyon area is pristine. It’s heavily regulated to keep it that way.
HELL’S CANYON WILDERNESS: Near the area where the borders of Washington, Oregon and Idaho meet lies a wild, remote area known as Hell’s Canyon. It encompasses a vast region with dramatic changes in elevation, terrain and climate. Carved over time by the mighty Snake River, the Canyon plunges more than a mile below Oregon’s west rim and 8,000 feet below Idaho’s Seven Devils Mountains. There are no roads across Hells Canyon’s 10 mile wide expanse and only three roads lead to the Snake River between Hells Canyon Dam and the Oregon-Washington border. The River boasts both world-class whitewater and tranquil stretches of glass-smooth water. We’re not going to take a fast-rapid whitewater raft trip (no surprise) but we have found a jet boat operator that will take us on a pretty quick section of the river and provide us enough excitement for some legitimate bragging rights. And I’m for sure going to use that new fishing gear of mine to catch some fish!
Whitewater rafting on the Snake River. It looks a bit ambitious for us, but it sure would have been a hoot to do it “back in the day.” We’re going to go jet-boating in the rapids near Lewiston. I’ve heard it’s plenty exciting but not so challenging.
At lower elevations on the Idaho side, dry, barren, steep slopes break over into the Snake River canyon. In the high country are the towering peaks, rock-faced slopes and alpine lakes of the Seven Devils Mountain Range…said to be named for a vision of seven dancing devils that appeared to an Indian lost in the area. the legend fits. On both the Oregon and Idaho sides, the higher elevation areas are characteristic of rocky slopes and grasslands laced with “stringer-canyons” and groves of Douglas fir and Ponderosa pine. The lower elevations are dominated by grassland benches with steep canyons and ravines dissecting the isolated Oregon side. I’m told we can expect to see Rocky Mountain elk, Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep and mule deer. We’re busy getting ready for this next leg of our trip…it promises to be one of the best so far!
