I'm grateful to have been many places and on many adventures in my 40 something years but this one? This one knocked it out of the park. Zooey (8) and I went on a 4 night, 5 day whitewater rafting Mommy/Daughter adventure with Western River Expeditions (Action Whitewater Adventures led the whitewater rafting trip). This trip represented a ton of firsts for us : our first post COVID flights, our first long trip away from Oliver (3), our first multi-day wilderness expedition, our first whitewater rafting. And I'll admit for a few minutes during the foggy morning ride on the small plane that brought us from Boise to the tiny town of Salmon, Idaho there was a second where I wondered "did I make a mistake?". But I did not. In fact, I made an excellent excellent choice:)
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| Z was SO excited to be on a plane again! |
There were many things that made this trip wonderful - the rafting, the time with Z, the amazing beauty surrounding us, the being 100% outside for 5 days straight while simultaneously not having to worry about food or logistics (and let's face it, COVID), but what really tied all these wonderful things together were the people. The guests and the guides were to a person, the kindest, most optimistic, most enthusiastic humans I've interacted with in a long time.
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| The Main Salmon River |
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| On the paddle boat |
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The rafting occurred on the the River of No Return, the Main Salmon River in Idaho. This river is the centerpiece of the Frank Church Wilderness, over 2.3 million acres of contiguous federally managed wilderness- the largest such piece of land in the lower 48 states. We rafted for roughly 80 miles total over 5 days. On 3 of those days we saw NO roads (because there are no roads) and during the entire journey we saw less than 10 homes/complexes. This is because the only properties there are 'grandfathered-in' homesteaders' land including Buckskin Bill's land. Buckskin Bill bought 50 acres of land for $1 and rather than abdicate the land when asked to by the federal government who wanted to make it primitive wilderness land, he made a defensive tower and shot in the general direction of the federal marshals who came his way. My point is, we were out there. It was so so quiet aside from our groups laughter, squeals of joy, and the sound of the river. I really wasn't paying attention to time at all (which was amazing) but my guess we would be we were in the boat 7 hours a day or so.
Day 1 we flew from the Boise airport in a small plane to Salmon, Idaho. The plane ride was a bit turbulent and very foggy and there was a moment where I wondered if I'd made a huge mistake (isn't this exactly how small planes crash???) but the pilot was very professional and alls well that ends well. Definitely didn't need coffee however. We then took a beautiful bus ride to the put in at the Main Salmon River. It rained pretty hard most of the drive but cleared off a little as we loaded up the boats and started our 5 day journey.
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| Gear boats |
The first day, Z chose a gear boat with an amazing (they all were) guide named B who had run this river 121 times. 121 TIMES!!! How cool to know the nooks and crannies of one geographic area so well. He was a wealth of knowledge and just generally enjoyable to talk to. While not shy, I'm definitely an introvert, so I appreciated B putting me and Zooey at ease. The day got exciting when we ran into a thunderstorm and then a hailstorm. The hail was cracking us all up. The downpour after the hail was less appreciated. Admittedly it was a little cold but everyone kept their spirits up and Z suggested we visualize warm things to keep us warm (hot croissants, warm kittens, etc). Great idea, Z!
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| Gear boat |
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| Fire line at our take out |
Every night at camp, we'd make a fire line to move the gear to the right spot on the beach. The current water level was super low (record low) so the camps were almost all beaches. When the water level is higher bluffs become accessible campsites instead. Some campsites are reservable others are not. Our lead guide has run this river since she was 2 (it's a family operation and also a family passion) so between her, B and other experienced guides they knew every detail of this area. Really incredible and so inspiring to see. We were in excellent hands.
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| 30 lb gear bag |
The next morning we awoke to "COUGH- EEEEE" and shortly thereafter "Breakfast!". The first few mornings I'd get up and start packing quickly at the coffee call, afraid we'd hold the group back but after a couple days realized Z was a true partner in all of this and on one morning we were the first packed up and were able to circle back and help the group. I've read that parents tend to underestimate kids' physical abilities- I was careful not to do this on the trip, always allowing Z to choose for herself what she could do and not do. Even so, she completely impressed me and there was really nothing that she couldn't do. That kid, so proud of her.
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| She was a true partner in getting this doggone dry bag closed every morning!! |
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| Campsite |
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| Campground |
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| Dry bag fail- Z dried all our playing cards |
Z held her own with joking around as well. She was the only kid. There were roughly 10 guests who'd never been this river, maybe 6 guides, then a bunch of friends and family of the guides which really was special. Action Whitewater Adventures is a family affair with most of the guides being related (cousins, siblings) or very close family friends. The whole trip had a family/friend reunion feel and they allowed us 10 heretofore strangers to become part of their crew in a seamlessly welcoming manner. Z joked with the guides, dished out as much as she received and even crafted a skit for the last night talent show. She became very close very quickly with a few of the guests and guides and has asked to travel to visit them for her next birthday present. S, Annette, N- you guys were so incredible with my little Z!!!!
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| Z had to try the water! |
The food was incredible. Not having to cook it, pack it, or make decisions about it was utterly delightful but the menu was amazing as well. Beignets one morning for breakfast! New York strip steaks for dinner! Warm peach cobbler for dessert! Hot chocolate magically appearing whenever it was a smidge cold! We would stop for lunch at beaches along the route which gave Z plenty of time for cartwheel practice.
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| Z scrambling up to the hot spring |
Day 2 we set out still a little chilled from the previous wet, cold storm and we eagerly awaited the sun to rise above the canyon wall. Happily this was hot springs day offering a chance to really warm up. After rafting a bit (1 hour? 2 hours? who knows! it really didn't matter, we were 100% happy the whole time!), we pulled off and scrambled up rocks and squeezed our whole crew into the natural hot spring. The sun came out right on time and we weren't cold again:)
Day 3 was the most action packed day, rapids wise. Z laughed, grinned and squealed with joy over every one. During the more flat water, she was pretty quiet and reserved but said she loved listening to the adults talk. I have never seen her so content for so long- literally not a complaint from this kid the entire time from start to finish of this trip. So satisfying as a parent. :)
Undoubtedly the best part of this truly magical trip, was the joy on Zooey's face every time we went over rapids. She was calm and content on flat water but her face just LIT UP every time we went over rapids particularly when she would bounce around the boat or almost fall into the water. Pure. Joy.
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| Talent Show |
Day 4 was the "flat" day, meaning there were fewer rapids. Zooey spent half a day on the duckie (kayak) with her new friend S stating she was more fun that I am. I loved to see her assert her independence- she had absolutely no fear on that duckie as they bumped, bobbed and weaved over the rapids. I enjoyed relaxing, looking at the sights, and chatting with the ever changing group of adults (we'd all take turns on the different boat types). This last camping night there was a Talent Show and Z jumped right in creating a skit with her as the ballet instructor teaching one of the guides the ballet positions.
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| Z paddling while S relaxes |
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| Z and S |
We had a couple other side trips - on night 2, our camp was near Allison Ranch, which includes a museum of the homesteaders who lived there and settled the area. We got to hear more recent adventure stories from the current caretaker of the ranch who has lived there for a few decades. We saw the impossibly small landing strip that provided the backdrop for many of his adventure stories. One day we went to Buckskin Bill's place and climbed into his defensive tower (mentioned above). And there was a stop with a cave we walked through (Z cartwheeled through) with some conveniently located big horn sheep we got to enjoy viewing.
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| Cave, apparently perfect for cartwheels |
Day 5 we packed up and had a half day paddle back to the dock and then a bus ride to civilization. The bus took us to McCall, Idaho which was a lovely little town with very nice people. Z gave a swim "lesson" to Annette in the hotel pool, we walked around town and enjoyed sleeping in a bed though I had less space than I did on the cot in the tent because Z wanted to "snuggle". Haha.
I wholeheartedly recommend this trip to anyone who loves the outdoors. It was particularly great to have special time with one kid and one parent. This allowed both of us to interact naturally as independent people as well as a family. I think if there were more members of the family together there would be a tendency to stay together as a family unit. And while Z and I did have plenty of special time together traveling to and from the river, and amazing opportunities for team work to accomplish hard tasks at the campsites, it was so rewarding as a parent to witness her flourishing and joyfully interacting with other adults independently. (And truth be told I loved having some time interacting with new adults as well, especially after 1.5 years of COVID isolation!)
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