The Salmon is Rough and Ready

The Salmon River of Idaho traverses and cuts through some of the roughest terrain in the lower 48 States of the U.S. Its headwaters at Galena Summit are located in the heart of the Sawtooth National Recreation Area (SNRA).  The SNRA was the first and is the largest (756,000 acres) National Recreation Area in the U.S.

The Salmon River is also known as the River of No Return. At 425 miles in length it is considered the longest stretch of river without a dam in the U.S.

On this day, my son Kyle, and his fiancée’ Ashley (Wedlake) float the Salmon River – from Elk Creek to Torrey’s Hole.

The float is part of an exchange of goodwill between the Sun Valley Company and The River Company.  The Sun Valley Company’s Recreation Department- which Ashley helps lead – take the float trip such that they can speak to the experience first-hand.  What a concept, talking about something of which you have first-hand knowledge.

On this day in June, the river level is high (of water) and it is raining heavily.  There is little – to no bright light – let alone sunshine. I am standing on wet river banks in steep terrain.  In other words, I am attempting to capture images in less than ideal conditions.  The conditions prove not to matter – all of us are having fun!  For many in this group – it is their first river raft trip.

The Salmon River Canyon between the towns of Stanley and Challis is dynamic.  The river between the two towns can be as flat as a pancake, and gentle as a lamb. Other parts can be steep and unforgiving.

The River Company offers just about any kind of rafting experience desired.  This trip is set to occur for 2-3 hours. It includes two Class 3+ rapids (Piece of Cake & Warms Springs Narrows).

As with any rafting trip – Guides matter. Their the skill level, ability to communicate with, and instruct the rafters can be of critical importance.

This section of the Salmon River is replete with Wildlife.  The Western Tanager joins me on the shoot. 

As with virtually any rafting trip – no matter the weather or river condition – the crew is all smiles at the end.

— Jeff’s Thoughts and Other Worthless Trivia —

The link for the Sun Valley Company is [here].

The link for the River Company is [here].

For those of you who would like a visual of the trip from a map perspective see below:

For The Camera Buff

For the photoshoot I used two cameras and lens.

Nikon Z9 35MM camera and Nikon Z PF 800MM F6.3 lens

1/3200 second shutter at F8 and ISO 8000-10000

PHASEONE IQ4 4 by 5 camera and PHASEONE Blue Ring 110MM F2.8 lens

1/3200 second shutter at F4.5 and ISO 800

Standard Disclaimer

I have received no financial remuneration from The River Company, The Sun Valley Company, Nikon or PHASEONE for the content on this Post.  The text and images provided are mine alone and are © Copyright Jeffrey H. Lubeck and MESH Art LLC – all rights reserved.