An eerie trip down the Lower Salmon River
Wildfire and Hell's Canyon look like death when paired together
Remote Focus: Idaho’s Salmon and Snake Rivers
Hey reader,
Coming to you from Vail today. First thing on the docket — this newsletter is seeing impressive growth over the past two months. The essays during that time period have been deep dives on the role of remote work in creating the optimized society of the future. For those who missed one or more, here they are:
We are living through the beginning of a period of rapid transformation
Is the digital nomad lifestyle sustainable for the long term?
Remote workers must lead the charge in creating people-first communities
Remote work is the answer public transit and inter-city bus services have been looking for all along
A lot of words there. As such, this week marks the return of Remote Focus, where a collection of photos tells the story behind a remote experience. Since I’ve focused so heavily on the “Remote” aspect recently, this one hits the “Mountain” aspect of Mountian Remote.
In July of 2021, I embarked on a four-day rafting trip down the Lower Salmon River in Idaho, which then merged into the Snake River on the final day. The trip, hosted by OARS, was incredible. The canyons formed by these two magnificent rivers are among the most breathtakingly beautiful places I’ve ever seen (and camping at the confluence, at the gates of Hell’s Canyon, is without a doubt the most stunning place I’ve ever camped.)
But it wasn’t just the landscape that made this trip memorable. Our trip took place as the Woodtick Fire burned above and in front of us. A hazy sky dominated our sightline for much of the trip, adding an eery element to floating through canyons that are plenty intimidating on their own.
I took the trip primarily to report on the issue of salmon revival along both the Salmon and Snake Rivers, a major point of discussion in Idaho amplified over the past few years ever since Rep. Mike Simpson (R) proposed a plan to tear down the dams along the Snake to allow the salmon to repopulate. Progress on this issue is a rare point of bipartisan beauty that turned into one of my personal favorite stories I’ve ever reported (here it is).
To add a bit more color to the conversation, here I share a collection of photos from the trip. You can see the haze getting worse as the photos progress. The reason for this Remote Focus is to highlight how important it is to protect our natural spaces — being in one shortly after it burned only hardened my resolve.
I hope you enjoy, and are inspired to get out on an adventure this weekend.
Community Shoutouts
Welcome to all of the new subscribers since the last dispatch! This growing community prefers to look to the future, because we’re the ones shaping it.
On that note, several of you came from an article I wrote about Tim Ferriss in Cool Material. Thanks for following the link over here! I’d love to hear what you think of this and past dispatches — hit reply and let me know!
Now, let’s float.
An eerie trip down the Lower Salmon River
On day 1, shortly after put-in. The sky above us was blue, but the haze lurked downriver.
Approaching Snow Hole Canyon, home to several of the best rapids on the trip — Half and Half, Snow Hole, and China Rapid.
The Lower Salmon is lined with spacious beaches like this one, that make for perfect camps. I hiked above camp to get this shot of the sunset attempting to poke through the haze.
My view first thing in the morning on day 2.
After hitting camp on day 2, we took a steep hike to top of a ridge. In front of us first thing the next morning was Blue Canyon (next photo).
My favorite photo from the trip. I turned around from where I stood during the last photo, walked a few steps, and snapped this shot of Blue Canyon. No amount of haze could take away its beauty.
The sun poking through a dark haze. That orange reflection on the water, though.
Riding in the dory through Blue Canyon.
The confluence of the Salmon (on the left) and the Snake (on the right). Here we entered the final stretch of Hell’s Canyon. I want to go back and float the Snake through the entire canyon.
Another shot of Hell’s Canyon.
Confluence Camp is just past the confluence. It’d be tough to wake up to a better view.
A burned area slowly coming back to life. Mother Nature is magnificent.
The haze was ominous, but seeing at least some rebirth happen so quickly after a fire lifted spirits.
A lone tree that survived the blaze.
Mountain Remote news and further reading
BlackRock CEO Larry Flint claimed — without evidence — that remote work contributes to inflation. Data immediately proved him wrong.
Remote work can help level the playing field for marginalized workers, at least in some industries.
We close this week with a bit of inspiration. Molly Kawahata, a former climate advisor during the Obama administration, has been an outspoken advocate for renewable energy and brings an alpine perspective. She is the focus of a new Patagonia film, which I had the pleasure of writing about for Matador Network.
That’s all for now. Get out there this weekend, and I’ll be back in your inbox next Friday.