We awoke this morning to clear skies as the Sea Bird threaded its way upriver between high, layer-cake bluffs of basalt cliffs and shortgrass ledges. Here in the semi-arid reaches of the Snake River’s canyon country, Spring is a short-lived but resplendent phenomenon. The green slopes we enjoyed today will soon turn golden brown as the full heat of summer comes on, and the wildflowers blossoming this morning will soon set seed and go dormant for another season.
After breakfast, our party divided. One group boarded a swift jet boat for a tour of Hell’s Canyon, the deepest gorge in North America where today the Snake and its tributary river, the Salmon, ran with uncommon vigor. High temperatures in recent days have melted the snowpack in the surrounding mountains, accelerating spring runoff and throwing exotic debris such as uprooted trees at our jet boats.
Our second group followed the route of Lewis and Clark up the Clearwater River, deep into Nez Perce country. The Nez Perce, who along with their ancestors have been living in this region for upwards of 10,000 years, rescued the Corps of Discovery in the autumn of 1805 as it stumbled, starving, out of the Bitterroot Range. The Nez Perce fed the expedition, helped it build new canoes, and sent two chiefs with Lewis and Clark who would serve as envoys and guides as far as The Dalles. Our group visited several of the expedition’s camps from both the outbound and return trips, and heard a great deal about the Nez Perce perspective on the Corps of Discovery.
In the evening, both groups rendezvoused on the Sea Bird for cocktails and a fine supper of crab cakes, pork loin, and gingerbread, which, we all agreed, compared favorably with the usual fare of the Corps of Discovery when in this region—dried salmon, root mush, and stews made of lean dog meat.
After breakfast, our party divided. One group boarded a swift jet boat for a tour of Hell’s Canyon, the deepest gorge in North America where today the Snake and its tributary river, the Salmon, ran with uncommon vigor. High temperatures in recent days have melted the snowpack in the surrounding mountains, accelerating spring runoff and throwing exotic debris such as uprooted trees at our jet boats.
Our second group followed the route of Lewis and Clark up the Clearwater River, deep into Nez Perce country. The Nez Perce, who along with their ancestors have been living in this region for upwards of 10,000 years, rescued the Corps of Discovery in the autumn of 1805 as it stumbled, starving, out of the Bitterroot Range. The Nez Perce fed the expedition, helped it build new canoes, and sent two chiefs with Lewis and Clark who would serve as envoys and guides as far as The Dalles. Our group visited several of the expedition’s camps from both the outbound and return trips, and heard a great deal about the Nez Perce perspective on the Corps of Discovery.
In the evening, both groups rendezvoused on the Sea Bird for cocktails and a fine supper of crab cakes, pork loin, and gingerbread, which, we all agreed, compared favorably with the usual fare of the Corps of Discovery when in this region—dried salmon, root mush, and stews made of lean dog meat.
