On this clear, cool morning we board jet boats for a thrilling journey up the Snake River and into the rugged, spectacular, and remote Hells Canyon. This is North America’s deepest river gorge, deeper even than the Grand Canyon; here the summit of He Devil Mountain rises 7,993 feet above the river. We see western grebes, American coots, mallards, and Canada geese along the river. Soon we are cruising between high cliffs of layered basalt flows trimmed with dry, buff-colored grasses of autumn. A mule deer browses on willows along the shore and great blue herons stand like silent sentinels on rocks in the shallow water.
We take a break at Cache Creek National Recreation Area where we enjoy refreshments on a green lawn under fruit and nut trees—a stark contrast to the parched landscape around us. After visiting with the caretaker here and playing with her friendly dogs, we head on upriver and see the spot where some of Lewis & Clark’s party visited the Nez Perce people to trade for salmon.
At the confluence of the Snake and Salmon Rivers we learn that the Salmon River is not only a wild river, but the longest undammed river in the contiguous United States. The Salmon River flows into the Snake bringing pale and sparkly sand from granitic rocks through which it flows in Idaho; the sparkles are made by flakes of white mica. We proceed on, into the heart of Hells Canyon and the narrowest part of the river. Narrowing of a stream causes the water to flow faster and creates more turbulent rapids, so here we turn and make our way back downriver.
We stop for lunch at Garden Creek Ranch, now owned by the Nature Conservancy. Here a dozen mule deer does and fawns browse in the apple orchard and graze on the lawn while a flock of wild turkeys forage nearby. Back on the river again, we see a mature Rocky Mountain bighorn ram posing—a majestic silhouette atop a high cliff of basalt that has weathered to a rich brown. Above the ram, wispy cirrus clouds form beautiful patterns against a cerulean sky.
After a short stop at National Geographic Sea Bird, many of us board a motor coach that takes us to the Nez Perce National Historical Park. Here we see a movie of Nez Perce history and their present day efforts to revive their language and culture. The excellent museum here is filled with beautiful Nez Perce artifacts. Back on board we are soon enjoying the camaraderie of our evening social hour and Recap. After dinner, historian Don Popejoy gives an interesting talk titled, Before Lewis & Clark.
