In late July/early August 2022 we spent 5 days/4 nights on the Salmon River in Idaho rafting with our friends the Norman-Banerjee family, guided by Action Whitewater Rafting. I had only ever done the one-day trips at camps/high school/college, but some friends of Sue’s had recommended this as a “once-in-a-lifetime” family adventure. Also, it feels important to note that Sue does not camp, and David hates camping, so this was a happy medium all around. Thus, we were game for the adventure!
The trip started with a glamorous night at a Boise Airport hotel (and a regretful meal at Denny’s - which, FYI, does not live up to those high school/college memories) so that we could take a small charter flight to Salmon, where the rafts are put-in. By luck I got to sit up front with the pilot meaning I literally had all the controls at my fingertips. I was scared to move and hit something by accident, and I had to do some deep-breathing during take-off and landing (it’s a very new view!), but I’ll admit it was super cool to be up there. I’m that person on flights who is peering out of the window on almost every flight, face pressed to the glasses, taking photos I never again look at (I’m sure making people around me incorrectly assume it is perhaps the first time I’ve ever been on a plane)…so, to fly low over the mountains of Idaho was pretty amazing.
From there we took a several-hour school bus ride to the actual put-in. We saw a handful of bald eagles to kick things off. A forest fire was still raging over the hill so there were a lot of crews moving in and out and we had to have a police escort to drive through. It is an eerie feeling to be driving towards the smoke as opposed to away (I’ve only really had that sensation previously when heading to help evacuate horses, a reason arguably more noble than river rafting). We also solemnly drove past the site of a recent fatal helicopter crash in the Salmon River, which had occurred the day before as the firefighters picked up a bucket of water.
The trip kicked off after a flurry of activity getting things into dry bags etc. at the boat ramp. From there things settled down into perhaps 5 of the most relaxing, fun days I’ve ever spent. For starters, there’s no cell service along the route so phones just stay away. I truly didn’t think about the outside world more than once or twice the whole time. Second, the trip guides were amazing - fun, friendly, organized - and it was rather magical to just be nicely told what to do when. I spend so much of my life scheduling things and getting me/our family to and from activities on a schedule so this was a huge gift. Finally, the weather and environs were absolutely perfect. Hot, sunny days; cool—but not too cold!—and clear water; pristine river and riverbanks surrounded by gorgeous granite walls and national forest; lots of wildlife (bald eagles, golden eagles, osprey, river otters, frogs, deer, bighorn sheep, even a bear); and no other humans except for an occasional rafter.
The other members of the rafting party were a delight. A large number of them were part of a big family group which included two of the guides. Two of the other guides were brother and sister. There were two father-son pairs (from New Jersey/Israel and Missouri) and one mother-daughter pair (from Colorado). There ended up being about 6 kids ranging in age from 8 (Sally) to 18 and they all hung out and played games and seemed to truly enjoy each others’ company.
The [all-Mormon] guides were all naturally kind, smart, funny, strong, and even-keeled leaders. On the second day Sally mentioned “This is the nicest group of people I’ve ever met!” They knew history and geography of the river, made delicious food, and made us feel safe and comfortable at all times. They even taught the kids cute and wholesome games like “rock balancing” and “corn-dogging” and “rock walk” and other simple, river-side games. We learned that along the Salmon River is the second-longest area of undisturbed granite in North America (1st is Yosemite). It’s also among the largest undisturbed national forests in the country (I’ve already forgotten the exact statistic so I guess I wouldn’t make it as a guide).
There was a choice of rafts each morning/afternoon…you could chill in luxury on a “gear boat” that a guide rowed (Christopher, Andrew, Rebecca, or Grant), go in the paddle boat with Maya (what I picture when I picture “river rafting”), go in a 2-person kayak, or a 4-person small kayak/paddle-boat combo. It was fun to switch around and chat with different people. It was also fun to jump out and float along the river next to the boat between rapids. Some of the rapids were class IV so it was fun but never felt scary.
Each night we set up a few tents for changing privacy but almost everyone slept on their cots out under the stars. The stars were amazing, we all saw loads of shooting stars and the milky way was in full form. There were thankfully minimal bugs and pretty much no morning dew.
A handful of the stops (either for break or the night) had nearby homes, where the owners were psyched to show us around and tell us history of the area and about life on the river. You can only reach these places by boat or airplane; a few of the places have grass airstrips that require a solid pilot with nerves of steel. The people who live here are pretty hardy, to say the least.
The second-to-last night we camped near a bridge that the guides said people jump off with regularity. It was about a 30-some foot jump, but given that the guides are paid to make sure we stay safe, I figured it was minimally dangerous for a thrill. 16 members of the group (including me) jumped and it was the highest thing I’ve ever jumped off of; super fun!!! (Though I must have cannon-balled by accident b/c I had pretty epic bruises on my behind) Then Chad and Eva and Will swam over from the side and we floated the rapids back to camp. We had to swim pretty hard across the rapids at the end to get back to camp and I had Will with me; he clearly felt the mild stress of that and was yelling, “Eva!”, “We have to make sure Eva is okay!!!” As she and Chad missed the crossing and went a bit further down river. Chad was figuring out how to get back over to the side and David bravely walked down the river’s edge to see if he could help. David realized it was actually really shallow at that point, and that if Chad just stood up it he could just stand there in spite of the current. So David saved the day but merely yelling and signaling “Just stand up!!” - which was hysterical when Chad finally just stood up, realizing it was completely safe. Later that night Chad (and the kids) also did quite a Ju Jitsu schooling on many of the others in the sand (pictured below as a selfie with Christopher and Rebecca in the foreground).
The final night the guides hosted a variety show. People showed off knots, jokes, tricks, tortilla slapping, ju jitsu, etc. It culminated with an awards ceremony (the guides had made up a funny award for each person) and fireworks (water on a grease fire for a big boom, performed very safely, of course). For example: Wine-finder for Will (he found 3 brand-new bottles of chilled wine at one campsite!); Nora as Most likely to be at Ren Fayre on her day off); David (something about swearing); Sally and Eva (bravest).
The final morning everyone was psyched to get back to civilization and shower. That is, everyone except me. I could have stayed! Yet it was time to go, so we pulled out and took a 2-hour bus ride to McCall. Here, we did laundry, showered, enjoyed a delicious dinner overlooking the lake, slept indoors in AC, and then went to Boise to head out the next morning.
It truly was a trip of a lifetime.
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