On “The River of No Return”
The Salmon River in Idaho, is the longest free-flowing, i.e. undammed river, in the contiguous United States. It is also known as “The River of No Return.” That because in the early days of navigation on the Salmon you could go down it, but not back up. Hence, “no return.” A movie was made with that title. Set in Idaho it starred Robert Mitchum and Marilyn Monroe.
We first rafted the Salmon five years ago with friends from here, Wallowa County. After that trip Linda dreamed of doing it again for her 75th birthday and taking our entire family along. As you can imagine that took a lot of planning, coordination and back-and-forth communication!
But this year that dream became reality as 14 of us, including the six grandchildren, gathered in Clarkston, Washington and from there set out for a trip on the Salmon. We were on “the lower Salmon,” putting in at Pine Bar and getting out several miles after the Salmon joins the Snake River at Heller Bar.
It was a wonderful trip with a little bit of everything: paddle-boarding and kayaking through the mostly Class 2 and 3 rapids (water was lower than our first trip when the rapids were significantly bigger), wildlife, dance parties and beach volleyball games, a stunning thunder and lightning storm, great food and lots of laughter.
On Wednesday evening, in camp, we watched as the lightning set a distant hilltop ablaze. That fire rapidly tripled in size as did our worries about it. But then the rains came and, miraculously, put that fire completely out.
We saw lots of bighorn sheep (above), river otters (below), and a variety of birds including Golden Eagles (bottom photo), which are larger than their cousins, the Bald Eagle. Both species were fishing the river, soaring along between the rugged canyon walls.
The Salmon River, as our crew leader, Sky, explained is a “drop and pool” river, meaning there are vertical drops, and consequent rapids, after which the river pools for long stretches, like the one in the photo at right. Over its 725 mile course, the Salmon drops 7000′ vertical feet from its start in the Sawtooth Range. The pools make for great swimming and fishing.
As on our two previous river-rafting experiences we were in the care of a great crew from the Joseph, Oregon based Winding Waters River Expeditions. We recommend them with enthusiasm and without reservation. The crew also handles all the meals, which allowed Grandma Linda, to relax and enjoy the trip, and she did!
The name “River of No Return” doesn’t apply in quite the same way today, with motorized boats able to come up the Salmon, though such use is restricted to a limited number of areas and times. But there’s another sense in which it remains a fitting term not just for this river, but for many river rafting experiences — and maybe for life itself.
You get on a boat and away you go, relying on the gear and the people you have with you. There’s no going back for what you have forgotten. Nor are there any stops at towns or stores along the way — at least on this part of the river there aren’t any.
So as you put in and begin your multi-day trip downstream, you have a sense of freedom as you leave ordinary life and all its lovely “connective devices” behind, but also a sense of adventure as you will be without back-up or bailout for the duration.
Yes, our guides did have an sat-phone in the event of something really dire (they did call in the fire we saw ignite and build). But otherwise, you’re out there. And you are floating or bouncing — occasionally crashing through waves — and going by and through places and landscapes you won’t see any other way.
For the younger ones, our youngest grandchild is six, the combination of riverbank sand bars and water was like a really big sandbox with pool adjacent. What could be better? Lots of sandcastles, sand-cakes and sand angels. For the older grandchildren the challenge of paddle boarding and kayaking through the rapids was thrilling.
The adults enjoyed not being accessible, whether by phone, computer, email, text or what have you.
As the moon waned during the course of the trip, the stars grew brighter. While we had tents, Linda and I slept out under the stars most nights.
A good time was had by all. We’re so grateful for the gift of this experience and for sharing it together.
“The Great Family Vacation,” however you do it can be wonderful but also challenging and exhausting (in all sorts of ways). I’ve known more than one person who upon returning from the “family vacation,” sighed and said, “now I really need a vacation!” Having a crew along to guide, do the heavy lifting, cook and clean-up, and occasionally entertain us and themselves with their antics, is a privilege which definitely reduces the “challenge” quotient while heightening the wunderbar aspect.