Adams River Salmon Expedition
It’s been a successful few days for us here at Adams River. I feel, Kathryn deserves a shout-out of sorts for all her efforts over the past couple of days. From hauling snorkeling and camera gear down a steep forest canyon to the river, jumping in for several hours to photograph salmon, then hauling everything back uphill… only this time it feels so much heavier than when you arrived because everything is now wet. The next day carefully sliding down a vertical river bank in her drysuit, and then fording across the shallowest point in the stream to reach a gravel island, but given her shorter stature she was already thigh deep in a stiff forceful current where it took everything she had not to get knocked over (Hell, it was no cake walk for me either). Then she goes splashing around in cold river water pursuing sockeye salmon.
Indeed, the water feels colder with each passing hour. Then at the end of the day, reversing course only to feel like the stream has picked up speed since the morning crossing… and then one must carefully climb back up that vertical river bank which provides very little firm footing. Of course, there is also the long walk back to the parking lot…. carrying everything you brought with you to the river. Never a complaint, never a “I can’t do this,” never not carrying her own weight. She absolutely loved every minute of it which says a lot for someone who describes herself as being a girly girl. The force is strong with this one.
