Dick Fischer wrote:
>Yet two rainy Spring seasons with a period of relatively
>dry weather in between would leave ample time for Noah
>and his crew to pole up the Tigris. Anyway, 3000 feet
>of elevation in about one hundred miles doesn't strike
>me as a very steep grade.
I had to wince when I read this line. I have "floated" 100
miles down a river that dropped 3000 feet. It was a 7-day
whitewater rafting trip at mid-water levels. I wouldn't
want to try and go up river in high water in a wooden boat
loaded with animals. However, I fervently hope to go down
it again this summer!
Check out
http://www.gorp.com/gorp/resource/us_river/id_middl.htm
for a description of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River
experience.
Here are some quotes from that page.
>>Location: Challis National Forest, Frank Church/River of
No Return Wilderness
Length: 100 miles
Gradient: 28 feet per mile. Put-in is almost 6,000 feet;
take-out is 3,000
Levels: Class III+ (sometimes more, sometimes less, depending
on water levels)
Wildlife: Alpine, forest and grassland habitats with frequent
spottings of big horn sheep, mule deer and river otter
When runnable: April (dicey) through September
Features: Hotsprings. Side hikes: Waterfall Creek, Veil Falls,
Loon Creek. Runnable sides streams. Excellent fishing.
Rich in historical evidence: petroglyphs (Indian rock
paintings), pioneer homesteads, gold dredging ruins. <<
>>The Middle Fork of the Salmon River in northwest Idaho is
the standard: the float that's used to compare all others.
Not only does the river have plenty of whitewater character,
the surrounding environment is unsurpassed. <<
I especially enjoyed the concluding paragraph on this page.
>>What can you expect during a float? Well, you'll be
traveling a hundred miles, encountering a hundred rapids,
ranging from class I to class IV at intermediate water flows.
But those rapids aren't evenly spaced like the lines on a
highway. If you head out at Boundary Creek - the most popular
put in point - you're in whitewater right away. Then sure,
you'll have some long lazy floats, where you can pay a little
more attention to the scenery and the wildlife. But don't get
complacent, because there's a rapids up ahead, then another,
then another even wilder one, then another. Then maybe a
chance to kick back. But not for long. This is the wilderness,
remember? If you wanted to be a grease spot on the beach,
you would have booked a flight to Cancun. <<
_____________
Steven M. Smith, Geologist Office: (303)236-1192
U.S. Geological Survey Fax: (303)236-3200
Box 25046, M.S. 973, DFC smsmith@usgs.gov
Denver, CO 80225
--USGS Nat'l Geochem. Database NURE HSSR Data Web Site--
http://greenwood.cr.usgs.gov/pub/open-file-reports/ofr-97-0492/
[Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are my own and are not
to be attributed to my employer.]
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