On the Water
Here is the next round of images from my Smith River trip. I went for maximum contrast in these shots, with heavy red filtering on some for dark skies and bright clouds. Spring’s growth has yet to show its face along the river, so much of what you’ll see in these and subsequent images is a lighter tone to the grassy land on the banks and surrounding hillsides. The towering limestone cliffs provide some wonderful lines and texture in the landscape, while the trees add a sense of scale to vertical terrain. The unique thing about the Smith River is that once you’re on it, you’re pretty much stuck there. It’s a steep canyon that runs for 60 miles and varies from 300 to nearly 1,500 feet deep, though a few houses are scattered along its course and provide communication with the outside world in case of an emergency.
Wow, what a display of photos Cody! I especially like the third and fifth photos of this series. The steep canyon walls are amazing. When you said that “once you were on it [the river], you’re pretty much stuck there”, were you able to stop for breaks or camp? Or did you have to travel the entire 60 miles in one stretch? Does it take long to travel 60 miles in a raft?? Hmmm….
I’m a bit behind on my replies, Diane, sorry about that. I made the comment about being stuck on the river just to say that there aren’t many roads out once you get into the canyon proper. A lady I know was part of a group that had to be rescued by helicopter when 8 inches of rain fell in one day during their float. Ersh… The Smith actually has amazing campsites all along its course. Each is unique and I have great memories from many of them. It’s necessary at the start of your trip to reserve the sites where you’ll be camping each night. The river was running between 2-5 MPH, maybe a bit more in places, but the last day was our longest haul at 21 miles and also the slowest section of the trip. I’m not exactly sure, but I think it took between 6 and 7 hours to cover the distance.
Cody, the cliff pictures are great, just straight up. I have seen this river through other eyes and plan on seeing it with my own someday. Those cliffs though…such an enigma to me.
Thanks, Vic, I’m hoping you get to do the float this summer. I know, that sounds like it might be stretching it at this point, but you never know…cancellations happen at times and slots open up. Regardless, like I said in my other comment, we’ll just hound Dave and come January we’ll all put in for coordinated dates and see how it goes. Ahoy!