We recently
took a group of students on an overnight rafting trip down 40 miles of the
South Fork of the Snake River in South-Eastern Idaho. Regarded as a world-class
fishery and wildlife-viewing Mecca, the South Fork is a slice of paradise for
those seeking a memorable experience.
We launched
two fourteen-foot rafts just below Palisades Dam at the head of Swan Valley,
Idaho and rigged for a late afternoon of mellow floating, fishing and
sight-seeing. We needed to make at least 16 miles that afternoon to get to the
first campsites inside the canyon section and to get a glimpse of Fall Creek
Falls. With light waning and a stiff head wind, we had to lean into the oars
more than into the fly rods.
Our camp
neighbors noticed the boats full of assumedly hungry teenagers and offered
their left over steak and grilled veggies as we were making camp. With a start like
that it was hard to complain about the surprisingly low temps that night that
left the boats icy in the early morning light. Once the sun warmed the world we
spent the rest of the day chasing fish in every eddy and riffle the river offered
as Osprey, Bald Eagles, and Golden Eagles repeatedly showed us how to properly
land a fish. These trips often offer notable experiences for our students and
this outing was no different. One student tripled his lifetime fish allotment;
another spent his first night under the stars; and for the whole group, the
first time being entranced by the magic of the South Fork.
