September I spent 5 days on the Snake River, paddling down to Pasco,
8-13: Washington from Lewiston, Idaho. I hadn't done any
serious paddling for 3 weeks, and it took a few days to get
back in shape, but I got back into the rhythm quickly. My
first day out my old nemesis, the wind, caught up with me,
and in the afternoon I struggled with the headwinds and
choppy water. It rained steadily on the second day,
slowing me down on my portage around Lower Granite Dam.
Still, I prefer the cold and wet to the wind. The next 3
days were warm and dry, with only light winds, and I made
good time.
Richard, nearly home.
I find I'm less and less interested in the country
I'm passing through, and more determined to push on and
reach the Pacific as soon as I can. When I reached the
Continental Divide at Lemhi Pass, I felt a tremendous sense
of accomplishment. Crossing the Bitterroot Mountains on
horseback was another coup. So far, everything since
then has felt like denouement. I'm paddling on flat water
on a dammed up river through arid, barren land, and I'm
getting bored. Coming into Pasco, I began to see apple
orchards along the river, lush patches of green dotting
the parched hills. I may see more of that on the Columbia
River, but I expect the first half of the Columbia to be like
the Snake - flat water and arid land. I'm a bit more
apprehensive about the Columbia. It's much bigger than
the Snake, and everyone has warned me about the winds
through the Columbia Gorge, which is apparently the
wind-surfing capitol of the world. I'm reminded of the
Missouri lakes in the Dakotas, my least favorite part of the
journey. I'm thankful I have only 325 miles to the ocean.
Click here for days 145 - 151 of Richard's journal
