Monday, August 17, 2015

Fire Season in Idaho

Some years it's worse than others. But every year there's always something burning up. This year is looking to be a big year just about everywhere. While I do not remember too many burns that made it all the way down the canyon to river level, I do remember looking up and seeing burned over patches on both the Salmon and the Middle Fork. Biggest memory of all though is watching a huge chunk of burned tree, like a Ponderosa pine, tumbling down the canyon. We could hear it long before we could see it. The last pitch ending in the river, we finally saw it and realized what it was. This big old chunk of tree landed with one end in the water right across from us on the other side of the river. The skid down the canyon also brought along a hail of stones and debris, some of which made it across the river with enough velocity to put three holes in the raft in front of us. The image of the tree tumbling down the canyon is one that has stuck with me for a long time.....
Local Fire report