Our last whitewater trip

It was probably my last whitewater rafting trip, maybe!

A few years ago my wife, Dorothy, and I talked about taking a whitewater rafting trip, so I went to Leonard Taylor out in Electric City to ask him if he knew anyone who was still taking people on raft trips. Leonard knows the rivers in Idaho real well and at one time had his own boat.

Leonard referred me to Bemer Rafts, which at the time was featuring a two-day run, starting on the Salmon River the first day and ending on the Snake River the second.

There were about 25 of us that had signed up and forwarded our money to the Bemer outfit.

We stayed in Lewiston, Idaho, the night before and were instructed to catch a bus early the next morning that would take us to the landing on the Salmon River where our raft trip would begin.

We divided up, eight to a boat, and were on our way. It was late spring and the water was running fast and high.

The canyon of the Salmon and Snake Rivers is deep, and we were icy cold one minute and extremely hot the next. The range from nearly freezing to 105 degrees.

We were cold from the spray of the rapids and welcomed the slower water, especially in the areas where the sun rays reached the river and revived us. The canyon in places was several thousand feet deep and the scenery alone was worth the price.

We saw mountain sheep and deer, and the first day offered a ton of whitewater runs.

It prompted my wife to say, “This is the last whitewater trip I’m ever going to take.”

Whitewater rafting wasn’t new to us; we had taken a number of them at various locations on the Snake River, but never on the Salmon.

Some of the whitewater runs were rugged, and everyone had to take a firm hold on the rope that was stretched on the perimeter of the raft.

In late afternoon, we arrived at the outfitter’s cabin, where we were treated to steaks and the trimmings and where we were to stay the night.

The group was kind to us, or the river gods, allowing us to have one of two beds in the cabin. We were happy to accept.

Then it was off early the next morning, and by mid-morning the Salmon flowed into the Snake, where we were treated with a lot of whitewater rapids.

It was by far the roughest water we had experienced during the two days.

Our other trips on the Snake included one out of Jackson, Wyoming, where we caught the spring runoff and rough water; one out of Jackson Lake; and one on the famous Hells Canyon run, which is considered the “mother of all runs.”

I think there is probably at least one more whitewater raft trip left for me. My wife has already stated, not for her.

The combination of one minute freezing and the next extreme heat is certainly something to consider.