Hell’s Canyon & Clearwater Country

Today is the first full day of autumn. You may not have noticed it. Here on the Clearwater River, or on the Snake River in Hell’s Canyon it is easier to see. The air is crisp, the wind is brisk, and the leaves are turning red, brown, and gold.

The trip into Hell’s Canyon by jet-boat allows us to travel through time, past millions of years of lava flows. The river wends its way through the deepest canyon in the country. Fishermen are present, hoping to catch steelhead trout or small-mouth bass. Bighorn sheep come to the banks of the river for water. A swift flight of blue-winged teal passes in front of us. Great blue herons pass judgment on us as we roar by. No matter how often we get to watch autumn come on a river, we never tire of it.

Going by motor-coach up the Clearwater River is a different experience. With frequent stops we stand by the river bank, feeling a kinship with the Lewis and Clark Expedition of 200 years ago. As we read from their journals we hear how they suffered problems which make us marvel that they were able to persist in their journey. Yet they wrote of the marvelous clarity of the river on the autumn day that they traveled down it, and we view the same crystal clear river running before us. Time changes, and yet much stays the same. On this day we are very pleased to have experienced this changing of the season.