This October I got the invite to join a crew of boaters down the infamous Snake River through Hells Canyon. I had no clue what to expect. I have never done a multi-day trip down the river, and heck, I’ve barely spent an accumulative of two days on the river in my life. It has always been something I have looked forward to experiencing, and boy oh boy... was it an absolute blast!
It was an easy smash and grab trip. We put in at Hells Canyon Dam on a Friday morning and took out on Sunday afternoon at Pittsburg Landing. Thirty-three miles of river, two nights of camping, and warm, Fall weather. The two most notable rapids were on the first day, Wild Sheep and Granite.
I’m not going to lie.... I was a little anxious after hearing the crew anticipating the first afternoon, and memories of taking swims. My friend Q was on the oars and greased those sections with ease, likely skewing my perception of what could happen if you misjudge the water. But he worked hard to keep the vibes high and smooth.
Our wildlife sightings were strong with a handful of Great Blue Herons, a few Bald Eagles, and a majestic Black Bear. We did some fly fishing and came out with one Bass but were skunked otherwise.
This result was definitely not due to a lack of trying…
The flows change daily on this stretch of river depending on the demand of power by the nearby towns serviced by the Hells Canyon Dam. Seasons and precipitation influence the flows as well. While we were there, the flows ranged from 12,00 CFS to 19,000 CFS. This made for an easy cruising speed in the flats and slightly bigger white water than we thought we would have.
Overall, the trip was a great introduction to river life. My initial thought at the end of day one was, ‘I can see why people get addicted to this’.
On the last day, I didn’t want it to end.
To me, the next logical step is to get on the oars and buy my own boat, right?
Dylan Peterson
IG
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