Henry's fork Idaho.
We cruised through the land of potatoes to get our huck on in the basalt canyons of Idaho. We spent the morning running the upper drops of sheep falls and 2 other no name drops. They all are class 5 drops that pack a little punch to get you ready for the big one. The best part about the run that day is that we saw 3 bears and 5 moose in the river. It seemed like every corner lead us to more wildlife. After a good morning, that helped to get our adrenaline pumping we approached Upper Mesa falls. It is 119 feet of pure vertical gnarliness. It is un-runable in a kayak, but it is quite the sight. As you approach the horizon line of the big falls, getting ready for the portage, it is hard not to let your imagination run wild as you feel the mist from the falls on your face. We got out and portaged, using the boardwalk that was full of tourists. The camera bulbs were flashing as we WALKED by them carrying our kayaks. You could see their imaginations going crazy too. After telling about a hundred people that we are not running the upper falls, we scrambled down the steep hillside to get back in the water.
We reached lower mesa falls and found two other boaters from Montana there. They were pondering the massive river right line, but eventually decided they were not feeling it. We scouted our lines as the film crew (our wives) set up to get the shot. Andy was the first to take it from the top tier (20 fter). It was bonier than we thought and he had a little difficulty. He pulled it together and ran the second tier (~30 fter) clean. The rest of us followed suit Clay next and then me putting in just below the top tier. The feeling of leaving that lip is incredible. The idea that you are riding the energy of just a small part of one of the greatest creative forces on earth is mind blowing. We opted for the long paddle out instead of hiking our boats up the mountain. It was a good day and everyone was stoked!!
Cheers,
Pitt
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