Clearwater and Snake Rivers
An early start to a busy day: at breakfast a Nez Perce warrior (Levi J. Holt) in full regalia—deerskin shirt and leggings, shells and furs, paint and feathers—told us of his tribe’s culture and its relationship to the land, the rivers, and the salmon. Accompanying himself on his hand drum to a human-heartbeat cadence, he sang a song to the sunrise, played his flute, and oriented us to the day and the Nez Perce spirit.
At 8 am, like the Lewis and Clark expedition, our party split, 33 of us going by bus deep into Nez Perce country along the Clearwater River and 22 of us jetboating up the Snake River into Hells Canyon, a traditional Nez Perce hunting and fishing area.
Lin Laughy, a local resident who knows more about Lewis and Clark sites on the larger reservation than anyone could imagine, led the Clearwater contingency to Long Camp, where the expedition spent nearly a month waiting for snow to melt in the Bitterroots so they could head home. We also stopped at Saddle Cache, where the expedition buried their pack saddles; at Canoe Camp, where the expedition members built five canoes from ponderosa pine; and at the Heart of the Monster park, where we practiced rope making with cattail leaves and fire starting with flint and steel. We returned to the Sea Bird by Zodiac in a dust storm in a serious but warm wind.
Heller’s Bar Captain John Jones, his jetboat flying low over the waves and through the Snake River rapids, powered the Hells Canyon crew up the river—a real river, though it flows with reservoir-release water from Hells Canyon Dam. He showed us a six-point buck mule deer, a large herd of bighorn sheep and two smaller herds, one with a near full-curl ram at the water’s edge. Petroglyphs at Buffalo Eddy, a variety of birds, and colorful autumn vegetation added to the beauty of the experience.
All aboard by shortly after 3 pm, we headed down-reservoir into that serious wind, locking through Lower Granite Dam at 5 pm in a race to reach Ice Harbor Dam before it closes for repairs at midnight. Good luck!
An early start to a busy day: at breakfast a Nez Perce warrior (Levi J. Holt) in full regalia—deerskin shirt and leggings, shells and furs, paint and feathers—told us of his tribe’s culture and its relationship to the land, the rivers, and the salmon. Accompanying himself on his hand drum to a human-heartbeat cadence, he sang a song to the sunrise, played his flute, and oriented us to the day and the Nez Perce spirit.
At 8 am, like the Lewis and Clark expedition, our party split, 33 of us going by bus deep into Nez Perce country along the Clearwater River and 22 of us jetboating up the Snake River into Hells Canyon, a traditional Nez Perce hunting and fishing area.
Lin Laughy, a local resident who knows more about Lewis and Clark sites on the larger reservation than anyone could imagine, led the Clearwater contingency to Long Camp, where the expedition spent nearly a month waiting for snow to melt in the Bitterroots so they could head home. We also stopped at Saddle Cache, where the expedition buried their pack saddles; at Canoe Camp, where the expedition members built five canoes from ponderosa pine; and at the Heart of the Monster park, where we practiced rope making with cattail leaves and fire starting with flint and steel. We returned to the Sea Bird by Zodiac in a dust storm in a serious but warm wind.
Heller’s Bar Captain John Jones, his jetboat flying low over the waves and through the Snake River rapids, powered the Hells Canyon crew up the river—a real river, though it flows with reservoir-release water from Hells Canyon Dam. He showed us a six-point buck mule deer, a large herd of bighorn sheep and two smaller herds, one with a near full-curl ram at the water’s edge. Petroglyphs at Buffalo Eddy, a variety of birds, and colorful autumn vegetation added to the beauty of the experience.
All aboard by shortly after 3 pm, we headed down-reservoir into that serious wind, locking through Lower Granite Dam at 5 pm in a race to reach Ice Harbor Dam before it closes for repairs at midnight. Good luck!
