Northern Idaho

Since I spent a lot of my childhood near Coeur d' Alene (core-duh-lane) Lake in Idaho I was fortunate to be able to take in some sailing and canoeing. The lake is well-suited for sailing since the low hills to the southwest permit steady winds from the Palouse. There is nowhere prettier than the Northwest when the sun shines, but when it doesn't you'd rather be elsewhere.
 

 

 

At the south end of Lake Coeur d' Alene is the inlet from the St. Joe River. This scenic river provides a wonderful canoe trip through basically class 1 water. For the adventurous one can put in at Avery some 50 miles above the lake.
 

 

The lower navigable stretches of the river meander for 38 miles and are referred to as "the Shadowy St. Joe." It's not as much fun canoeing here as upstream and the mosquitos love you in the evening.

Cascade Range

I started hiking with some friends in Idaho using real food and old boyscout backpacks. When I got to college we began exploring theCascades with dryfood and better equipment. You can't camp at Image Lake any more (top left), but it used to provide a glorious view of Glacier Peak in the morning.

 

Williams Lake (left) isn't too bad either.

 

 



This is the entrance to the Enchantments Basin, a series of lakes set in granite basins. Dragontail peak is in the background.

 



This is the approach to Cathedral Pass near the Canadian border and 11 miles from the road in the Pasayten Wilderness.

 



Though Hurrican Ridge is in the Olympic Mountains to the west. This seems as good a place as any for a view of the area.

 

 



As long as I'm outside of the Cascades I have included this image of Salmon fishing along the Russian River in Alaska. Yes, crossed lines are frequent especially when a fish runs after getting hooked. I was told you don't have to stand in this line, but can move upstream a couple hundred yards or down to the Kenai River to avoid the crowd. But then, you don't get any fish.

Of course there is a reason that the forests are so lush and green in western Washington.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cascades by Air

A couple of times I went flying through the Cascades with friends. What a great place to see the lakes and mountains. In the fall, the Tamarack tree needles in the Colchuck Valley turn golden.

 

At left is a view of Mt. Si, the western buttress to the Cascades along Interstate 90.

 

 

At left, we flew around Mt Rainier a few times. In the distance is Mt. Adams.

Whitewater Trips

 

The classic whitewater adventure goes through the Grand Canyon. It takes a week in a 26 foot motorized raft. This a big water trip which is colder than you would expect, though, there are a number of side streams to swim in.

 

 

Another great rafting river is the Middle Fork of the Salmon in Idaho. Lots of hot springs along the trip to relax in. The trip begins in pine and fir forest and transitions to a rocky, dry landscape. It is amazing how much of the Salmon River forest has been burned.

 

I tried canoeing and rafting in a few other places. The Shuswap River in central British Columbia is an amazing feature. Water temperatures must be near 80 in the summer. This is where I found that you can canoe upstream.

 

 

And you can surf pretty well on the backwash of large rocks. But make sure you have flotation bags in the bow.

 

 

The Owyhee River in SE Oregon runs through dry rocky canyons. It is about as far away from everywhere as you can get in the lower 48.

 

 

The Klamath River in northern California provides a "big water" experience not too unlike the main Salmon. Lots of gold dredges floating in the river at various places. Ishi Pishi falls about half way to the coast I'm told is a class 6 which means you likely won't come through it as a whole person. I viewed it from the road and would tend to agree. The river flows around and under house-size boulders.