Clarkston, Washington & Hells Canyon, 9/19/2013, National Geographic Sea Bird

Mist is rising from the river as the National Geographic Sea Bird makes its way upriver on the Snake. Soon the rising sun burns golden on the buff grasses of the hills that rise on either side. Flotillas of Canada geese are talking to each other and take off before us in sparkling bursts of bright water.  We are soon along the dock in Clarkston and lines are thrown to bos’n and made fast on the cleats and pilings.

Soon we are off on our adventures; a tour of Lewis & Clark historical campsites and jet boats up the Snake River. The Lewis & Clark aficionados set off by motor coach with their knowledgeable guide, Miguel Inzunza, and our historian, Junius Rochester. They visited six Lewis & Clark camps located in the Idaho panhandle and enjoyed a fine buffet lunch at Kamiah. Next, at the Heart of the Monster Park, they learned to start a fire with two sticks, to braid cord made from the fibrous bark of the dogbane plant, and also heard the genesis story of the Nez Perce people. It was a marvelous day.

Meanwhile, on the jet boats, we head upstream into Hells Canyon. This spectacular and nearly inaccessible chasm, deeper even than Grand Canyon, was carved by the Snake River over the last two million years. Soon ducks and geese are replaced by osprey and eagles, mule deer and Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. Standing at the water’s edge, great blue herons strike stately poses. An osprey has a large fish on a rock and has two unwelcome guests at its table—crows. The osprey flies off with its heavy prey, but drops it into the river. A golden eagle swoops in to join in the action. We run many rapids with exotic names, e.g., Wild Goose and High Mountain Sheep. We pass the mouth of the Salmon River, once called the “River of No Return,” before turning back downstream.