Camping Part 1: Snake River

At the beginning of July we went on a 2-week camping trip that included rafting down the Snake River over the Fourth of July weekend. Above is a photo taken from Suicide Point. I opted to take the couch potato route around the point and stayed in the raft. The Hells Canyon section of the Snake River is a pretty amazing place where the weather can change in an instant and if you keep your eyes peeled, you may see deer, sheep, bear, otters, snakes, mountain lion (we heard one across the river one morning), and a huge variety of birds and butterflies. Our camera died just before the trip, so these pictures were sent to me by JG. Thanks JG!

We couldn't have asked for better weather and there was surprisingly little boat traffic for a holiday weekend. Our guides set up camp every evening and stuffed us so full of food, we could have floated down the river without the benefit of a raft.

Here I am in a "rubber duckie" in a fairly small rapid. Even small rapids look MUCH bigger in a boat this size. I discovered that the only way I'm very effective at running a rapid is to kneel, instead of sit on the bottom. Of course, kneeling makes it more likely that I'll be sent flying from the boat, but that's so much more entertaining for the spectators!


Even in the oar boat you can easily get soaked. Our guide was an expert at finding the best places to send us through a wave, instead of over it. Fortunately it was sunny and hot, so we didn't complain too loudly. We broke up the trip with a few small hikes to see pictographs and a settlers cabin. I can't imagine living where a trip to the store takes days or weeks instead of a few minutes.

We spotted this wild sheep across the river from Kirkwood, a former homestead now staffed by volunteers. Kirkwood is a popular destination for day-trippers on the jet boats. There is a nice little museum that gives a pretty comprehensive history of the early settlers of the canyon and a good overview of the geology, flora and fauna of the area.

Sadly, about an hour down the river was our take-out point. We were having so much fun we would have liked to keep going for a few more days. Farther down from where we took out is another ranch-turned-visitor-center where we plan to spend a week or so next May. Can't wait!