By Flavia Belli
Sweet sales manager
Since returning from the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, the well-known Christian hymn “Amazing Grace” has been constantly humming in my head. Behind the computer screen, telephone, co-workers, daily errands, car horns, traffic, schedules and deadlines, I hear it so clearly.
“Amazing Grace how sweet the sound!”
It’s a constant reminder of the peace and tranquility I felt every day I traveled down the rushing river. Every morning, I awoke with the fresh brisk Idaho air trickling down my lungs and a huge smile on my face as I realized that I had another day of complete joy ahead of me.
I’ve always been someone who loves the great outdoors. Give me an excuse to shed my city girl persona and jump into a pile of dirt and I am there. Hiking, fishing, backpacking and camping, I’m all for it. For once, I was a bit intimidated. Whitewater rafting, my goodness! As I jumped onto the plane from Oakland, Calif., to Boise, Idaho, with my river shoes, headlamp and somewhat PC bikinis (to the best of my knowledge), I was a bit nervous about the adventure at hand. After a few Kapalabhati breaths, I decided to put my fears aside and embrace it.
I arrived in Boise only knowing the telephone number of the woman I was suppose to meet. Once she arrived there to graciously pick me up, I knew she had entered my life for a very special reason. Jeep is a woman with no limits, the type I most admire. On the windy, visually mesmerizing drive up highway 21, I sat in awe of her. She filled my head with stories of kayaking the inside passage as the only female in a group of men, teaching English in Venezuela and Japan, and of being a river guide herself. I knew at this point I was in good hands.
Once we arrived in Stanley, I felt the greatest desire to run through the fields singing, “The hills are alive with the sound of music with songs they have sung for a thousand years.” How could you not?
This town set in the heart of the Idaho Rockies sits at an elevation of 6,250 feet among the incredible serrated Sawtooth Mountains. While waiting for our 7pm meeting with James, the owner of Eco-Family Adventure Travel, and the other rafters, we enjoyed a meal of buffalo burgers and fries. We amused ourselves watching cowboys straight out of a Clint Eastwood flick. Imagine the sound of boots and spurs and the vision of legs more bowed than you ever thought possible.
The excitement really set in when we met James and the two families who would be joining us. I collected my dry bags, tent and rain gear and called it a night. I had a 6:30am wake up call and a small flight to our starting point ahead.
As my alarm buzzed loudly in my ear as it always does, I smiled knowing this was the last time I would have to hear it for six days. This was a huge sigh of relief for a person like me who loves a good 10 hours of sleep a night. Jeep and I headed to the Mountain Village Lodge for breakfast before we were escorted to our plane. When we arrived at the Stanley airport, a small dirt airstrip, I quickly realized we were taking a much smaller plane than expected. The four of us including the pilot boarded and off we went through the mountains, over the valleys and far above the river that was soon to be our home. The flight was perfectly smooth thanks to our experienced pilot and the cold morning air.
When arriving at the put in, our four river guides Joe, Scott, Dusty and Jerni met us. They gave us a quick summary of what to expect and precautions. The group I was traveling with took advantage of the soft-shelled sport kayaks, hard-shelled individual kayaks and the oar boats. Each of the oar boats had a guide in it and Scott took the sweep boat, which carried all of our dry bags, tents, food, beverages and other necessities. The sweep boat plays a very important role in the guide’s ability to follow a “No Trace Policy.” This policy requires that we pack out what we pack in and that we leave the campsites and any stops we make cleaner than we found them.
As we started our journey down river, I quickly sunk into my spot on the front of the oar boat and let nature blow me away. With views of ponderosas, sunflowers, sagebrush, osprey, long-horned sheep and moose, relaxation was instant. After a few hours of floating, we made it to our first of many beautiful lunch spots where we feasted on an array of sandwiches, pasta salads, cheese, dips and fresh fruit. Every lunch spot offered a place to nap, read, practice yoga and swim. Back on the river, I watched from a near by eddy as the kayakers tackled their first of many rapids like champions.
Scouting only the rapids they feared the most. The kayakers and guides bodies were put at ease when we pulled up next to one of many natural hot springs along the river.
Days down the Middle Fork consist of rapids, jumping off rocks, hikes through canyons, hot springs, swimming holes, good conversation and a whole lot of appreciation for the planet on which we live. The nights were some of my most pleasurable moments on the trip. After setting up my own tent (with guides ready to help, if needed), I was free to find a secret spot to read, sit by the campfire and chat, fish for trout, hike or just space out. Being that working out and yoga are top priorities at home, I was blessed to have two fellow yogis along with me. So I had the bonus of my own private acro yoga instructor and the company of others through my own nightly yoga practice. Could anything be better than practicing something I love on a beach along the river, cascading cliffs with views of mountaintops, stars, planets and the warm smiles of the other guests?
As I enjoyed my choice nightly activity, the guides cooked up stunning meals, like steak, potatoes, salad, salmon, beans, lasagna and burritos. I was in total amazement at the quality of food and more importantly the divine deserts created in the Dutch oven. The chocolate cheesecake was to die for. Once my belly was full, I took a glass of wine and sat by the campfire listening to the sound of guitars, trumpet and mandolin. My only complaint was that I had not studied the lyrics of Willie Nelson so that I could sing along.
Sunrise to sunset, this trip continued to impress me. The most common phrase I heard was “thank you,” said to the guides, the river, the sun and the beauty of nature. For six days I lived in a world where my thoughts were not interrupted by day-to-day distractions. I finally had the time and clarity to process my life and work on me. There was no consciousness of age and time.
Rafting down the Middle Fork is an adventure for anyone. I feel extremely blessed to have had the opportunity to go on this trip and bring home the knowledge and details to share with all our Sweet guests. We will be offering this trip August 16-21, 2009. For questions and more details, please give me a call at 877.793.3830. I would love to talk more about it and share more of my experiences.
Sweet Salmon River Rafting pricing and details.
Tags: Adventure, Flavia Belli, Sweet adventure, Sweet Salmon River Rafting, Sweet vacations
