Look, we’ve got more than 75 itineraries worldwide, and I don’t know them all. I’ll regularly feature one of these destinations here (including trips to rivers, lakes, bays, fjords and oceans).
The first light of the rising sun creeps over the Eastern mountain range. A silhouette of a moose swimming across the lake can be seen. The water is so calm that it barely leaves a ripple. A mating pair of Sandhill Cranes flies low on the horizon. Dawn is stirring.
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by Curt Chang & Britnee Packwood
Idaho weather and water update for August 7th. Temperatures this week are a bit on the cooler side, but don’t expect the summer fun to cool down anytime soon! In Lewiston, prepare for highs in the upper eighties to upper nineties. Expect nighttime lows to reach the mid-to-low sixties. In Stanley, expect daytime highs in the mid-seventies to loweighties. Nighttime lows are expected to reach the upper forties. Finally, in Salmon expect daytime highs in the low-to-mid eighties and nighttime lows in the low fifties. There are fire impacts currently on the MF below Big Creek on river left moving slowly down river and likely to continue until it rains. So far not a big problem just some smoke when the breeze subsides. The fire status in general has been very small, and we are hoping to keep it that way.
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The Middle Fork has dropped from the 2.40 feet spike last week to a much lower 2.07 feet today. So we are flying into Indian Creek while the crew deadheads from Boundary. The Main Salmon has continued dropping from 8,040 cfs to 6,760 cfs. As for the Snake, its flows have been fluctuating between 8k and 15k cfs.
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By Natali ZollingerThe most anticipated animal to see on the Green and Yampa Rivers through Dinosaur National Monument is the Desert Bighorn Sheep. Believed to have gone extinct in the region, for unknown reasons we find them flourishing back to reclaim their once dominated territory.
Bighorn Sheep are a vital resource because they provided food, clothing and tools to the natives of Utah both past and present. Due to the growth of the domestic sheep, bighorns began to die off resulting from a serious disease epidemic. Scientists were forced to believe that the Bighorn had completely been lost from Utah due to no sightings of them for several years. But in the 60’s, river rats began to see bighorns along the Colorado River system and its corridors. The current population in Utah is estimated at around 5,000 sheep, representing two genetic species—the desert bighorn and the Rocky Mountain bighorn. Mountain sheep are nearly twice the size of desert bighorn, and rams can weigh up to 300 pounds. Ewes of both species are about 40 percent smaller in size and weight.
Bighorns are amazing creatures. Floating downstream on the Green River, one may see a whole herd lightly prancing down the Cliffside without a worry in the world. One may ask, why are they so good on their feet? Their balance aiding split hooves with rough bottoms are the perfect natural Vibram sole. Imagine going to your local tire shop and checking out the most rugged off-road tire they sell. The reasons tires can handle so much wear and tear is because of the way they are designed to act when wrapped around sharp objects like rocks and trees. Some trail running and outdoor apparel companies are starting to use this design for their tread of the sole. It’s an amazing concept when you see it you understand why the bighorn can float across rugged obstacles with such grace and ease.
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Our area manager in southern Oregon, Kate Wollney, also known as, ‘Queen of the Rogue,’ sits down with us to answer a few questions about herself and why she’s chosen to work for O.A.R.S. Over the past 18 years, Wollney has also guided in California, the Grand Canyon and Idaho. She is from Eugene, Oregon but currently resides in Driggs, Idaho during the winter months. Her favorite food is flourless chocolate cake, she loves to ski and enjoys listening to rapids more than any other sound or musical beat. Oh, and her fleece skirts are a must-have for any cold-weather river rat!
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In our most recent blog post about camping, we discussed what you can expect on any standard O.A.R.S. river trip, but if sleeping in a tent isn’t your thing, check out the accommodations below for a flavor more suitable to your palate. Our favorites range as far as the majestic Andes to the wilds of British Columbia. It’s a perfect way to enjoy the comforts of home while visiting these remote locations.
Lodge at Chilko Lake: An upscale private residence in British Columbia’s historic ranch country at the head of the Chilko River. Overlooking the river valley and picturesque mountaintops, the main lodge is a formidable log structure manufactured from local timber and is the focal point for meals, cocktails and socializing. It has wireless Internet, a big screen television (if you must), and comfortable lounge chairs in the main dining room. The upper level is a luxurious suite with an impressive king bedroom, sitting area and grand bathroom complete with double headed showers. The ground floor has a bar and lounge, game room and access to the popular fire pit area. The cabins feature fine craftsmanship, comfortable furnishings and a magnificent collection of antiques and collectibles. The ranch is perched closely to Ts’yl-os Provincial Park, the prize jewel of the British Columbia park system. This slice of paradise is also our home base for our 5-day Lodge at Chilko Lake Multi-Sport. Other than rafting, this tour includes: kayaking, hiking, bike riding and fishing, with additional options to go horseback riding or heli-hiking at 7,000 – 9,000 feet above sea level.
Lillaskog Lodge: A classic mountain house that makes you feel happily stranded in the woods. Located thirty minutes outside of Yosemite National Park in northern California, Lillaskog Lodge offers complimentary breakfast each morning for their guests, fresh eggs from their chickens and homemade bread. This rustic lodge is minutes away from where O.A.R.S. meets for their Tuolumne River trips, and rests on top of a hill above a prime fishing spot accessible only by a covert trail. In 1980, a wildfire crawled across the hillside; subsequently, sapling trees sprouted in its wake the day owner Bill Charlson purchased the property. He built the rustic lodge and appropriately named it Lillaskog, which is German for, ‘small forest.’ Today it’s a two-story log cabin with wood-burning natural heat ventilation, and a common room complete with a fireplace, TV & book collection, and even a grand piano. The deck looks out over the Sierra backcountry just east of the town of Groveland. With over seven rooms uniquely named to match local fames like Tioga, El Capitan or Bridalveil, there’s no denying this place its unique character.
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As I travel down the rivers of Idaho each week, I sometimes feel there are hidden eyes watching us. I like to believe they are the spirits of the ancient people who lived in these canyons before modern society. At least, we certainly see evidence of these people on our river trips.
There have been Native Americans in the Snake and Salmon River watersheds for over 10,000 years. Known as the Nez Perce (who call themselves, “Nimíipuu,” meaning, “The People”) and Shoshone-Bannock (descendents of the Mountain Sheepeaters) tribes, these people lived off the land and took advantage of the fish, game and native, edible plants found in the river corridors.
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By Natali Zollinger & Bruce Lavoie
The Yampa River was first explored by the Yampa Ute Indians several thousand years ago. They were nomadic, following several herds of mammoth and bison around the southwest while sheltering in caves and picking berries, seeds and nuts for protein. Their favorite plant for consumption was the root of the Yampa plant. It had several different purposes and uses. Its healing properties were to help detoxify the body and cleanse the organs. It works as a laxative as well as a diuretic. Scientists also figured out that it is high in carbohydrates and quickly converts food into energy. Additionally, it was used to waterproof a skin bag and to shine up arrowheads.
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Ali McNabb is one of our adventurous Wyoming guides, a BBQ-loving gal originally from Austin, Texas. In addition to kayaking, she also enjoys bike riding, hiking and reading in her down time. McNabb worked previously at Trek American and has traveled abroad extensively in between seasons, mainly in Mexico, but also throughout South America, Turkey and Ethiopia.
1. How long have you been a guide?
I have been a guide for 5 years and been lucky in my guiding experience to have traveled throughout most of North America, exploring the most amazing National Parks and Provincial Parks imaginable.
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There is no mistaking or denying Idaho’s rugged beauty. It is a place of vast and magnificent wilderness. It would be a rare thing for someone not to feel the strong call of nature here. However, Idaho’s wilderness has a history and on-going record of the call of man and his influence on nature’s order. There are several examples of this issue we continue to follow as we travel down Idaho’s vast waterways, asking ourselves when is it beneficial for man to manipulate the natural world, and when would it be better to let Mother Earth tend to her own? I don’t propose to have the answers, or even venture forth my opinions, but suffice it to say there is no lack of strong, relevant material to motivate our campfire talks here on the rivers of Idaho.
Reintroduction of the Gray Wolf
Wolf reintroduction occurs by repopulating a previously extirpated area with a group of wolves, with the hope that they will reestablish themselves in the area and ecosystem. Although wolves are the most environmentally adaptable mammals next to man, they had been hunted out of all of the lower 48 states, with the exception of a few small packs in remote northeastern Minnesota. Wolves were highly prevalent in North America until westward expansion occurred in the 1800’s – settlers hunted the wild bison, deer, elk and moose, forcing the wolves to then hunt domestic livestock (sheep and cattle). When this occurred, bounties were issued for wolf kills, and continued as late as the 1960’s.
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As I recall my childhood with my father, there are a number of memories that stand out—getting our scuba diving certification in Monterey, photo-copying my hands on the copier at his office, backpacking trips to Yosemite, whale watching off the Farallon Islands, building a tree house together from scratch, and doing my general best to live up to everything that comes along with being daddy’s little girl.
In my mind, I’ve been fortunate to have the best parents in the world, and yet I don’t spend nearly as much time with them as I should. When I was in high school and college, hanging out with dad was at times an obligation—a constant reminder to push for success and prioritize the activities around me. These days, my dad and I are two of a kind, so annoyingly alike that we find ourselves debating just about everything, but learning from one another’s perspectives while respecting our subtle differences. Now, more than anything, I look forward to those encounters and relish our adult relationship.
This week, I’m driving up to southern Oregon with my dad to raft the Wild & Scenic Rogue River on a 4-day wine-tasting trip. What better way to celebrate the approach of Father’s Day than to disconnect in the outdoors? Since my dad is the owner of a software company specializing in big mainframe databases, I wanted to vacation somewhere that was free of the distractions of everyday life and would allow those responsibilities to flow furthest from his mind while offering us some good-old-fashioned quality father-daughter time. Since there’s no cell reception on the river or outlet to charge up a laptop, it’s the perfect setting to reconnect with each other.
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