Our family was lucky enough to spend three days rafting the Snake River through Hells Canyon. It is North America’s deepest river gorge at 7,993 feet. Yes, that is deeper than the Grand Canyon. It’s beauty is undeniable. I found myself looking up with my mouth dropped open for much of our time on the river.
The 3 day trip through class 4 rapids and over 30 miles of river was a guided by experts from Mountain River Outfitters. MRO gets 5 stars in every category. Simply top notch. We were joined by two other families-for a total of 6 adults and 6 kids ranging in age from 6 to 10. [An extremely kind German couple booked the trip at the last minute and were a great addition to our group. Lucky them, right?] Just prior to our trip I was nervous about taking my young boys, especially my 46 pound little man. Once we were through our first set of rapids, I knew I had worried for nothing and purely enjoyed the rest of our time on the river.
We arrived in Riggins, ID [population 424] the day before our trip. After a sleepless night {for me} and an early wake up, we left the hotel at 6am. We had a four-hour drive [in a large passenger van] to the launch point just below Hells Canyon Dam. The weather was amazing-hot and sunny! Armed with sunscreen, a camera, our dry bags and courage…we pushed off.
We witnessed a ton of white water, paddling and adrenalin! Right away. Read the rest of this entry »
