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Our Vacation Down The Main Salmon River Of No Return
I wondered if anyone else on the plane would be on our trip, so I asked, “Is anyone else going on the O.A.R.S. Main Salmon trip”? Two people said “yes” and we met our first “new best friends” for the next 6 days. Paula and her son, 16 year old John, were excited about their first trip with O.A.R.S. As the plane prepared to land in Salmon Idaho we all peered out the windows, looking for the river. Not a river in sight! Mmmm.. After a perfect landing, we all climbed out and gathered our gear. We then boarded the van for the shuttle to the Stagecoach Inn, where we would meet up with the rest of the group. We had our pre trip meeting alongside the Salmon River (yes - we found the river!) behind the Inn on the lawn. We met our Trip Leader, Barry, who has over 27 years of guiding experience with O.A.R.S. Dry bags were handed out and all our questions were answered. Next up – repack our stuff into the dry bags and be ready at 9:00 am. The next morning we all boarded a bright orange school bus, giggling as old school bus memories flooded back. The back was loaded down with all of our gear. We made our final stop in civilization at the North Fork Store to pick up last minute items. Martin with his son, 12 year old Josh, and another guest Deanna wanted to learn how to fish, so the guides helped them pick out their fishing gear and get their license. On the way to our river put in, we crossed an old wooden bridge. There we surprised a marmot who tried to decide which way to run. He peered over the edge down to the river as we all hollered “NO, DON’T JUMP”! He seemed to understand and just stayed right at the edge, watching the bus creep slowly across the bridge. A few minutes later we came across several Big Horn Sheep who didn’t particularly care they were in our way. They ambled off slowly while we all scrambled for our cameras. We pulled up to the put in where bright yellow rafts, kayaks and a couple of elegant dories awaited us. We were meeting up with a group of folks who had just finished the Middle Fork Salmon and were continuing down the Main. We met the new folks and had a wonderful deli style lunch. There were plenty of meats, fresh veggies & fruits as well as lemonade and Gatorade. After lunch, it’s time to board the boats. Martin with Josh and John with Paula jumped into the double kayaks while Deanna climbed into the single and the rest divided into the paddle rafts, oar rafts and dories. We chose an oar raft with Emily. We pushed off into the swirling water and headed down stream. Emily is a fairly small girl so when the wind comes up she doesn’t have the brute strength the guys do. We sit down as low as we can to prevent creating a “sail”. She’s standing up and throwing all her weight into the oars. We finally round a bend and the wind disappears as fast as it came up. She’s exhausted but grinning and proud that she made it! Curtis is right behind us. He’ll be rowing the gear boat down the river by himself for the whole trip. You can hardly see him, the boat is so loaded down! The paddle rafters practiced a bit before they hit some rapids, while the oar rafters and dory folks just kicked back and relaxed. The sun was warm, the water clear and the adventure was just beginning! After tackling rapids such as Killum rapid (named for the nasty trail that livestock used to fall off), Gunbarrel rapids (we were afraid to ask), Rainier rapids and Lantz rapid, we pulled into our camp for the night. We had our tent demonstration and headed off to try to imitate what we had just learned. Amazingly enough, it went pretty smooth until the wind came up and tried to send one of the tents into the river. You’ve never seen so many people grabbing at a flying tent! It was saved and we loaded our tents up with our gear, thus foiling Mother Nature. Dinner tonight was grilled pork chops with rice pilaf and Caesar salad, followed by a dutch oven birthday cake. There seemed to be some mystery as to whose birthday we were actually celebrating but that certainly didn’t slow us down – the cake disappeared quickly! Night fell and found us all slipping into our sleeping bags, some of us in our tents and others setting up outside under the stars. The next morning, after a breakfast of sausage, eggs, potatoes and various cereal options, guide Mark gathered us together for “Mark in the Morning” stretch class. Between his jokes and trying to balance on sand, I think we stretched our stomachs out the most! The boats were loaded up and we were off again. Before long, we pulled over for a hike to some ancient pictographs. Barry told us he had talked with an Indian Chief and was told that everyone who may have known what they meant have passed away many years ago, so the explanation has been lost. Of course, we all tried our hand at interpretation and who knows – we may have guessed it! Back on the river, the days started melding into each other. We hiked to Barth Hot Springs for a hot soak. The water is around 105 degrees in the tub but comes from a spring around the corner that offers 130 degree water! I was wondering what happened when wildlife tried to drink it – was it too hot? Apparently not, because as we rounded the corner of the river and looked up to the mouth of the spring, there was a huge buck drinking merrily! Today we’re going to tackle Bailey rapids. Carl has decided this is his day to try an inflatable kayak and scouts the rapid with the guides. The first dory goes through just fine, followed by the oar rafts. Then come the inflatable kayaks, heading into the rapids paddling furiously! Paula & Deanna sail through perfectly and it’s Carl’s turn. Uh, oh…he’s a little too far to the middle and splash! Carl IS his own boat now and the kayak is empty! Carl and paddle pop up and the paddle raft picks them all up as they come through the falls. The kayak is also rescued and we continue on downstream. Carl decides to take a break from the kayak but says, “If you fall out of a kayak, it’s best to get back in eventually” and right after lunch, he does! I told him I thought that applied to horses…. Carl has a successful run through Big Mallard rapid and retires from the kayak happily! The next day we hiked over an old pack bridge to Jim Moore’s place. He was an early day miner and also sold beef, hides and vegetables to other river inhabitants. He spent over 15 years constructing hand hewn log buildings with a broad ax, some of which are still standing. One of the buildings still upright is a two story log cabin. Jim passed away in 1942 and is buried on his property. Some say his gold fortune is still hidden in the rockslide behind his house. Back on the river, we splash through Whiplash rapid. We came through without anybody getting a whiplash! A few more rapids brought us to Buckskin Bill’s store and museum. He was one of the more famous early settlers and was extremely skilled at crafting his own tools, guns and even cooking utensils. He was quite the crotchety old timer and apparently didn’t take to the fact that the blackbirds were destroying his field of grain. So he made Blackbird Pie. Another story is that a hawk was eating his chickens, so he killed the hawk, roasted it and fed it to his chickens! There were several amazing women who made a life on the river. One night we camped next to Reho Wolfe’s old homestead. She raised her 7 children in a very small house, while her husband worked in town. They were home schooled and each taught to play a musical instrument. After exploring all the old buildings, including an outdoor shower we hiked back to camp. While we were gone, one of our guides had set up a solar shower with 3 oars. We were able to take a nice warm shower after a swim in the river before dinner. Clean hair is sooo wonderful! We next came upon Polly Bemis’s place. She was born as Lalu Nathoy in China in 1853 to an impoverished family. Her father had no choice but to sell her. She eventually ended up living on the Salmon River and married to Charlie Bemis. Charlie died in 1922 and is buried across the river at Shepp Ranch. Polly died in 1933 at the age of 80 and is buried in Grangeville. They made a movie years ago about her called “A Thousand Pieces of Gold”. The property is now privately owned but tours are often available during the summer. Tonight is our last night on the river. Emily, one of our guides, and Josh built an amazing sand castle on the rivers edge. When the river lapped against the shore, the moat around it filled up! After dinner, we gathered around and listened to Anton, age 70, tell stories about his life in the Czech Republic and his many travels around the world. Our trip is coming to an end but we still have Vinegar rapids ahead tomorrow. We all retire for the night under a brilliant sky filled with stars. Gordon and I decide to try out the dory today. Our guide is Joel, who has over 27 years experience guiding with O.A.R.S. and has been rowing this exact dory for most of that time. We learn the boat is 30 years old and she is a beauty. She rides over the waves as if we’re riding on butter and cuts through the rapids like a knife! Gordon is not a fan of getting soaking wet and he found his perfect spot in the back of the dory. Riding up high on the stern he could see over the guide and actually stayed mostly dry! I, on the other hand, being in the front, got drenched. Much to his amusement I have to bail a lot more than he does. I think I emptied a bathtub worth of water back into the river! Vinegar rapid turns out to be the best photo opportunity as we split into two groups. One group takes pictures while the other group tackles the rapids. Steve, a guide who usually works in Utah, is pulling on yet another strange hat. It seems he has a different hat for each day. This time we watch Elvis go through the rapids! The hat is a mask with goggles and Elvis hair and sideburns. Hilarious! Martin and Josh decide to run it in an inflatable kayak. The first dory clears the whitewater, followed but the oar rafts and then it’s time for Martin and Josh. They set up perfectly, paddling like crazy and slam into the rapid just right. They get through wave one, then wave two, then wave three and we’re all cheering! Then they hit wave 4, the smallest of them all. Laughter is a funny thing – it makes you relax and your paddles aren’t digging in quite deep enough. They do a slow motion rollover and boys, paddles and kayak are now all separated and floating directly toward one of the oar rafts, waiting at the bottom of the rapid for just this reason. They’re still laughing so hard they have a hard time climbing back into the kayak but finally they scramble back in, grab their paddles and we’re off down river again. Around another bend in the river and a huge bridge comes into sight. This bridge is special for two reasons. The first is sad – this is the end of our trip. The second is kind of funny, although it wasn’t when it happened. The men building the bridge were almost finished on a Friday and packed up to go home. When they returned on Monday, the bridge was in the water! Joel said it best; “Here’s the bridge they liked so much, they built it twice”! We pulled into the boat ramp, unloaded all the boats and got into the van for the ride to McCall, Idaho. We were tired but at the same time energized from our week on the River of No Return. Besides our previous trip down the Chilko River in British Columbia with O.A.R.S., this was one of the most relaxing and inspiring vacations we’ve ever taken. I can’t wait to do it again! Gordon and Debbie, California Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Familyadventurevacations.net is experienced in offering memorable family vacations, family adventure vacations, family vacation ideas and family adventures. www.familyadventurevacations.net |
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