Day Three - Tryon Camp to Dug
Bar Take Out
Bar Take Out
After getting to bed early it was not difficult to wake up early on the third
day of our trip. Luckily our camp was situated in a spot that was protected
from the early morning sun by a pronounced rise in the opposing canyon
wall. The shadow cast by this rise kept camp in the shade for at least an
hour longer than the surrounding area. Once the sun crested the hill the
temperature shot up at least fifteen degrees and by seven thirty in the
morning I was taking my first swim of the day to cool off. It was going to be
a hot one for sure.
The paddling below camp remained interesting, with numerous swifts and
still impressive canyon scenery. We were lucky to see deer running along
the rugged bank in several places and only encountered a handful of
jetboats throughout the morning. Since the drive out from Dug Bar would
be long, rough, and hot we wanted to make good time on the river and get
to the take out sometime in the early afternoon. This meant that we kept
up a solid and steady pace throughout the morning.
Middie was finally getting used to the canoe and she had no problem
laying down on her padded platform and sleeping away a good bit of the
morning. The last two days had absolutely exhausted her and she was not
interesting in exerting too much energy in the heat of the day. In places
the canyon opened up and revealed views of the forested hilltops
thousands of the feet above us, but for the most part, paddlers in the
bottom of Hell’s Canyon have no real concept of its depth.
day of our trip. Luckily our camp was situated in a spot that was protected
from the early morning sun by a pronounced rise in the opposing canyon
wall. The shadow cast by this rise kept camp in the shade for at least an
hour longer than the surrounding area. Once the sun crested the hill the
temperature shot up at least fifteen degrees and by seven thirty in the
morning I was taking my first swim of the day to cool off. It was going to be
a hot one for sure.
The paddling below camp remained interesting, with numerous swifts and
still impressive canyon scenery. We were lucky to see deer running along
the rugged bank in several places and only encountered a handful of
jetboats throughout the morning. Since the drive out from Dug Bar would
be long, rough, and hot we wanted to make good time on the river and get
to the take out sometime in the early afternoon. This meant that we kept
up a solid and steady pace throughout the morning.
Middie was finally getting used to the canoe and she had no problem
laying down on her padded platform and sleeping away a good bit of the
morning. The last two days had absolutely exhausted her and she was not
interesting in exerting too much energy in the heat of the day. In places
the canyon opened up and revealed views of the forested hilltops
thousands of the feet above us, but for the most part, paddlers in the
bottom of Hell’s Canyon have no real concept of its depth.
Eventually we came to a wide spot in the canyon, where a break in the imposing walls
showed itself. Here a sign stood marking this as the crossing place used by the Nez Pierce
Indians on their heroic yet tragic retreat from US Regulars. In the late 1800s settler were
making their way west in greater numbers than ever. This was the heyday of the Oregon
Trail and by the time many travelers made their way across Hells Canyon they were ready
to stop short of the already crowding coastal areas.
The lush plains at the foot of the Wallowa Mountains, traditional summer territory for the
Nez Perce Indians, became a popular stopping point for many homesteaders. The fertile
valley offered plenty of game and the potential for farming, but there was one problem, the
native population did not want to leave. Historically peaceful, the Nez Perce had a strong
tradition of helping white settlers, going all of the way back to the assistance they provided
to Lewis and Clark.
One group of Nez Perce consented a treaty and allowed themselves to be moved to a
reservation in Washington State, but others chose to remain behind and subsist on their
traditional grounds. While this was happening, a group of maverick braves decided to seek
revenge on the white’s occupying their land and a small group went o a raid, killing several
homsteaders in the process.
Following the incident the US Military arrived to “deal with the Indian problem”. What
followed was one of the greatest escape attempts in the history of the world. Starting at
Wallowa Lake, 750 Nez Perce, mostly women and children, began a retreat that would take
them 1,170 miles over some of the roughest terrain on earth. Along the way the 25o
warriors with the group conducted a defensive war consisting of skirmishes and small
battles intended to delay those in pursuit as the band of Nez Perce struggled to reach
freedom in Canada.
Only 45 miles short of Canada the band was captured on October 5 1877 in the Bears Paw
Mountains of Montana. The heroic and peaceful Nez Perce leader, Chief Joseph, gave the
surrender speech, ending with the words “…Hear me my chiefs. I am tired; my heart is sick
and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever." This ended one of
the greatest “Indian Wars” of the western United States and one of the last great Indian
nations was sent to a reservation.
Today this stretch of Hells Canyon remains little changed and we floated silently past this
now peaceful opening in the valley. Only one more significant rapid remained and
surprisingly, hidden in the wave train was one of the biggest waves seen on the river. I
wisely avoided the meat of the rapid and enjoyed watching the others crash through the
huge standing wave.
showed itself. Here a sign stood marking this as the crossing place used by the Nez Pierce
Indians on their heroic yet tragic retreat from US Regulars. In the late 1800s settler were
making their way west in greater numbers than ever. This was the heyday of the Oregon
Trail and by the time many travelers made their way across Hells Canyon they were ready
to stop short of the already crowding coastal areas.
The lush plains at the foot of the Wallowa Mountains, traditional summer territory for the
Nez Perce Indians, became a popular stopping point for many homesteaders. The fertile
valley offered plenty of game and the potential for farming, but there was one problem, the
native population did not want to leave. Historically peaceful, the Nez Perce had a strong
tradition of helping white settlers, going all of the way back to the assistance they provided
to Lewis and Clark.
One group of Nez Perce consented a treaty and allowed themselves to be moved to a
reservation in Washington State, but others chose to remain behind and subsist on their
traditional grounds. While this was happening, a group of maverick braves decided to seek
revenge on the white’s occupying their land and a small group went o a raid, killing several
homsteaders in the process.
Following the incident the US Military arrived to “deal with the Indian problem”. What
followed was one of the greatest escape attempts in the history of the world. Starting at
Wallowa Lake, 750 Nez Perce, mostly women and children, began a retreat that would take
them 1,170 miles over some of the roughest terrain on earth. Along the way the 25o
warriors with the group conducted a defensive war consisting of skirmishes and small
battles intended to delay those in pursuit as the band of Nez Perce struggled to reach
freedom in Canada.
Only 45 miles short of Canada the band was captured on October 5 1877 in the Bears Paw
Mountains of Montana. The heroic and peaceful Nez Perce leader, Chief Joseph, gave the
surrender speech, ending with the words “…Hear me my chiefs. I am tired; my heart is sick
and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever." This ended one of
the greatest “Indian Wars” of the western United States and one of the last great Indian
nations was sent to a reservation.
Today this stretch of Hells Canyon remains little changed and we floated silently past this
now peaceful opening in the valley. Only one more significant rapid remained and
surprisingly, hidden in the wave train was one of the biggest waves seen on the river. I
wisely avoided the meat of the rapid and enjoyed watching the others crash through the
huge standing wave.
As mid day approached we came to a wide bench on river left and saw a
concrete boat ramp leading down to the water. We had reached the Dug
Bar take out and landed to make sure that our vehicles were here waiting for
us. I ran up the ramp and once I was more than twenty feet from the river I
slammed into a wall of heat. I was a little taken aback, but once adjusted it
wasn’t so bad. Our trucks were here parked under a lone shade tree that
seemed way out of place.
We enjoyed a leisurely lunch under the tree while loading up the trucks and
getting ready for the long drive up and out of Hells Canyon through the
valley of the Imnaha River. The 25 miles dirt track leads to pavement at
which point a long and winding drive continues to the village of Imnaha and a
real road. This was traditionally the route used by the Nez Perce to travel
from their summer grounds at the base of the Wallowas to the winter
grounds in Hells Canyon.
Steve’s Jeep lacks air conditioning so we both went for a final swim and
wrapped wet rags around our heads in preparation for the long and dusty
drive out of the canyon. We started out slowly as the road steeply climbed a
rough grade up and away from the river. Despite loose stones and steep
drop offs the road was in very good shape and easily passable without
having to use four wheel drive. As we wound our way upwards for mile after
mile we slowly began to realize the vast scale of the landscape surrounding
Hells Canyon. Crumpled ridges and broken hill tops stretched away for as far
as the eye could see and still the true “rim” of the canyon could not be seen.
While contouring around hillsides and working our way up the views were
ever changing. If the great scenery wasn’t enough, we were fortunate to spot
a group of Bighorn Sheep as we rounded one of the steep bends.
concrete boat ramp leading down to the water. We had reached the Dug
Bar take out and landed to make sure that our vehicles were here waiting for
us. I ran up the ramp and once I was more than twenty feet from the river I
slammed into a wall of heat. I was a little taken aback, but once adjusted it
wasn’t so bad. Our trucks were here parked under a lone shade tree that
seemed way out of place.
We enjoyed a leisurely lunch under the tree while loading up the trucks and
getting ready for the long drive up and out of Hells Canyon through the
valley of the Imnaha River. The 25 miles dirt track leads to pavement at
which point a long and winding drive continues to the village of Imnaha and a
real road. This was traditionally the route used by the Nez Perce to travel
from their summer grounds at the base of the Wallowas to the winter
grounds in Hells Canyon.
Steve’s Jeep lacks air conditioning so we both went for a final swim and
wrapped wet rags around our heads in preparation for the long and dusty
drive out of the canyon. We started out slowly as the road steeply climbed a
rough grade up and away from the river. Despite loose stones and steep
drop offs the road was in very good shape and easily passable without
having to use four wheel drive. As we wound our way upwards for mile after
mile we slowly began to realize the vast scale of the landscape surrounding
Hells Canyon. Crumpled ridges and broken hill tops stretched away for as far
as the eye could see and still the true “rim” of the canyon could not be seen.
While contouring around hillsides and working our way up the views were
ever changing. If the great scenery wasn’t enough, we were fortunate to spot
a group of Bighorn Sheep as we rounded one of the steep bends.
Bighorns used to be one of the dominant animals in this area, but the
introduction of domesticated wool sheep in the area in the early nineteen
hundreds led to the spread of pneumonia that still plagues the native
Bighorn population to this day/Scientists closely monitor populations and
some of the animals we saw were wearing special collars to facilitate radio
tracking.
As we continued along we saw more sheep and were lucky enough spot
some healthy looking babies, a good sign for wild sheep populations in
Hells Canyon. We stopped at a prominent overlook to gaze down into the
steep and deep canyon of the Imnaha River and to stretch our legs. The
added elevation had cooled the air somewhat, but we were still in the
desert and the dry air was warm. A breeze kept things manageable, and for
her part, Middie was dealing with the heat incredibly well.
Eventually we reached a small village, or more appropriately, a collection of
several homes, and crossed the Imnaha, still swollen by snowmelt. The
surface of the road changed from double track dirt to gravel and our
average speed increased slightly. We were now making our way up the
opposite side of the river, ever gaining elevation and entering an ever so
slightly different microclimate, with scattered trees along the river becoming
more common. At one point another canyon on the Imnaha was reached
and the road switch backed steeply uphill to contour around the gorge. On
the far side we dropped back down into the valley to find several farms,
homes, and some irrigated fields. This was the village of Imnaha, and we
stopped at the general store to grab a few cold drinks.
introduction of domesticated wool sheep in the area in the early nineteen
hundreds led to the spread of pneumonia that still plagues the native
Bighorn population to this day/Scientists closely monitor populations and
some of the animals we saw were wearing special collars to facilitate radio
tracking.
As we continued along we saw more sheep and were lucky enough spot
some healthy looking babies, a good sign for wild sheep populations in
Hells Canyon. We stopped at a prominent overlook to gaze down into the
steep and deep canyon of the Imnaha River and to stretch our legs. The
added elevation had cooled the air somewhat, but we were still in the
desert and the dry air was warm. A breeze kept things manageable, and for
her part, Middie was dealing with the heat incredibly well.
Eventually we reached a small village, or more appropriately, a collection of
several homes, and crossed the Imnaha, still swollen by snowmelt. The
surface of the road changed from double track dirt to gravel and our
average speed increased slightly. We were now making our way up the
opposite side of the river, ever gaining elevation and entering an ever so
slightly different microclimate, with scattered trees along the river becoming
more common. At one point another canyon on the Imnaha was reached
and the road switch backed steeply uphill to contour around the gorge. On
the far side we dropped back down into the valley to find several farms,
homes, and some irrigated fields. This was the village of Imnaha, and we
stopped at the general store to grab a few cold drinks.
From Imnaha we continued on up and out of Hells Canyon through the
Imnaha River valley. We were now driving on pavement on a main road and
the changes in climate and vegetation came quickly. Eventually we drove
up and out of the Imnaha Canyon and found ourselves passing across a
broad plain, lush and fertile, green with irrigation. We were now at a
elevation of 4,500 feet and the Wallowa Mountains rose to 9,000 feet on
the far end of the plain. To have driven up and out of Hells Canyon only to
find ourselves at the foot of this mountain range was a strange feeling.
By this point it was dinner time and we headed into Enterprise to stop at the
Terminal Gravity Brewery for some food and drink. When we got out of the
trucks in Enterprise the sun was still shining strongly, but instead of
oppressive heat, it was pleasant 70 degrees accompanied by cool
mountain breezes. We sat outside at the brewery and enjoyed the perfect
weather under a grove of Aspen trees with thick green grass underfoot.
The difference between this spot and the take out at Dug Bar could not
have been more pronounced.
We spent the night at a large state park on Wallowa Lake on the outskirts
of Joseph. The next morning Steve and I set out for a quick hike into the
Wallowas, hoping to reach an open shoulder on the side of Chief Joseph
Mountain. We quickly switchbacked up a nice mountain trail through a cool
wet alpine forest and were making great progress. Then we came to a river
crossing where a bridge had been washed out by a large slide and flood.
The stream itself was a crashing torrent of a waterfall cascading thousands
of feet down the side of Chief Joseph Mountain. There was no safe way to
cross this without risking our lives.
Defeated, we turned back and explored a cool river canyon in a river
coming out of the heart of the Wallowas. Several booming waterfall and
some wild rapids looked like they would be exciting to run in a kayak, but no
eddies and terminal log jams would likely keep anyone from paddling this
creek. After our hike and a breakfast in Enterprise, Steve and I set out on a
backroads drive across Oregon that would take us through a lot of
incredible terrain for the rest of the day. We finally arrived back home well
after nine o’clock and headed right to bed.
Imnaha River valley. We were now driving on pavement on a main road and
the changes in climate and vegetation came quickly. Eventually we drove
up and out of the Imnaha Canyon and found ourselves passing across a
broad plain, lush and fertile, green with irrigation. We were now at a
elevation of 4,500 feet and the Wallowa Mountains rose to 9,000 feet on
the far end of the plain. To have driven up and out of Hells Canyon only to
find ourselves at the foot of this mountain range was a strange feeling.
By this point it was dinner time and we headed into Enterprise to stop at the
Terminal Gravity Brewery for some food and drink. When we got out of the
trucks in Enterprise the sun was still shining strongly, but instead of
oppressive heat, it was pleasant 70 degrees accompanied by cool
mountain breezes. We sat outside at the brewery and enjoyed the perfect
weather under a grove of Aspen trees with thick green grass underfoot.
The difference between this spot and the take out at Dug Bar could not
have been more pronounced.
We spent the night at a large state park on Wallowa Lake on the outskirts
of Joseph. The next morning Steve and I set out for a quick hike into the
Wallowas, hoping to reach an open shoulder on the side of Chief Joseph
Mountain. We quickly switchbacked up a nice mountain trail through a cool
wet alpine forest and were making great progress. Then we came to a river
crossing where a bridge had been washed out by a large slide and flood.
The stream itself was a crashing torrent of a waterfall cascading thousands
of feet down the side of Chief Joseph Mountain. There was no safe way to
cross this without risking our lives.
Defeated, we turned back and explored a cool river canyon in a river
coming out of the heart of the Wallowas. Several booming waterfall and
some wild rapids looked like they would be exciting to run in a kayak, but no
eddies and terminal log jams would likely keep anyone from paddling this
creek. After our hike and a breakfast in Enterprise, Steve and I set out on a
backroads drive across Oregon that would take us through a lot of
incredible terrain for the rest of the day. We finally arrived back home well
after nine o’clock and headed right to bed.
More of the same for us on day three; sunny skies, hot weather and amazing scenery. With the exception
of a few rapids this trip is perfect for canoes.
of a few rapids this trip is perfect for canoes.
Why wake up when you can snooze all day long?!
Despite waking up early it was already warm in the tent and Middie was even more
eager than I was to get out of the tent.
eager than I was to get out of the tent.
The vehicles made it to Dug Bar and we loaded up under intense heat and strong
sunshine.
sunshine.
The one tree visible for miles happens to be where the shuttle drivers parked our vehicles. The shade
gave us a perfect place to enjoy lunch in relative comfort.
gave us a perfect place to enjoy lunch in relative comfort.
The road out from Dug Bar is little more than double tracked trail winding out of the depths of Hells
Canyon for over twenty five miles.
Canyon for over twenty five miles.
Wild Bighorn Sheep were found grazing just above the road we were following up and out of the
canyon from Dug Bar. This lucky sighting was one of the highlights of the trip.
canyon from Dug Bar. This lucky sighting was one of the highlights of the trip.
We stopped high above the Imnaha River for a stretch break and to get a view into the
inner parts of the canyon.
inner parts of the canyon.
Bighorn Sheep populations are threatened by domestic sheep ranchers in Oregon in Idaho.
The drive up and out of Hells Canyon fro Dug Bar was long, hot, and dusty. We took our time and
enjoyed the sights along the way.
enjoyed the sights along the way.
Seeing these baby Bighorn Sheep was even more exciting than coming across the
small herd of adults.
small herd of adults.
From this viewpoint the glacial carved U shaped valley of the upper Imnaha can be seen in the
distance. It looks close, but the rout to get there snaked and contours around for many miles.
distance. It looks close, but the rout to get there snaked and contours around for many miles.
Seeing the snowcapped Wallowas rising above the lush plains at their base after driving out of the
deserts of Hells Canyon was a study in contrasts.
deserts of Hells Canyon was a study in contrasts.
Beers and burgers in the cool mountain air in Enterprise felt absolutely amazing.