Time can be so fluid, its passage rushing by quickly or crawling along depending on our perspective. Usually the former, and especially so now for us aboard the National Geographic Sea Bird, as our voyage draws to an end. However, it still manages to feel simultaneously both long and short since we embarked in Portland six days ago on our eastward journey. Arriving in the still dark morning at Clarkston we enjoyed yet another scrumptious breakfast and then climbed into a pair of jet boats for the day’s exploration. Roaring away upriver it seemed as if we were viewing the landscape scroll past us in fast forward. Like a sheet of music, the occasional stray boulder or tree punctuated the steep basalt topography like musical notes. The sheer speed of these crafts is impressive enough, but their unique propulsion system also allows for extreme maneuverability as well. A fact that was highlighted, along with the captain’s boat handling prowess, when wildlife was sighted and we were able to hold and turn position despite being in the sometimes considerable downward flow of the Snake River.
This section specifically is referred to as Hell’s Canyon, and was partially navigated by the Lewis and Clark expedition. They traded for salmon here with the local Nez Perce Indians before continuing on the homeward-bound portion of their epic journey. Bald eagles were spotted eating freshly caught fish atop craggy cliffs, grasping their prey firmly with their talons as they tore away with their sharp beaks. Bighorn sheep were seen along the ridgeline and even down right at the water’s edge. Lambs only three or four months old nimbly clambered over rocks, staying close to their mothers. But the real visual treat continued to be the landscape and as we zoomed further upstream and were greeted by the sun one can’t help but wish to simply rewind and see it all again. Luckily for us, heading back to the ship allowed that very thing and as we headed downstream, homeward bound we were eager to reexplore this route for the second time, almost like Lewis and Clark themselves.
