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Each night we pulled ashore and set up camp on a sandy beach. Pam LeBlanc photo
I’m still shaking the sand out of my gear after last week’s whitewater rafting trip on the Salmon River in Idaho.
The trip – five days of rafting, swimming in cool, swirling waters, sleeping on a tarp under the stars, and hiking up hillsides to watch bighorn sheep as I sipped hot tea – reset my mind. I need nature and water and big open spaces to feel right, and that’s what I got.
An all-female crew led our group down the Green, Cougar and Blue canyons on the river, where we blasted through Class 3 and Class 4 rapids with names like Bodacious Bounce, Checkerboard and Snowhole.
I’m writing about the trip for the Austin American-Statesman, but here’s a sneak peak at some of the photos I took along the way.
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Jess Christianson looks across the Salmon River during a five-day whitewater rafting trip with AdventureWomen. Pam LeBlanc photo
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One of our rafts blasts over Snowhole Rapid. Pam LeBlanc photo
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We spotted five bald eagles along the way, and plenty of osprey. Pam LeBlanc photo
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We hiked to an old homestead. Pam LeBlanc photo
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Valerie waking up on the beach. Pam LeBlanc photo
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That’s me, enjoying happy hour on the beach.
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Bri fries bacon for breakfast. Pam LeBlanc photo
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Guidebooks and maps are vital cargo on a river trip. Pam LeBlanc photo
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Stoking the fire. Pam LeBlanc photo
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Blasting through Snowhole Rapids. Pam LeBlanc photo
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Rebecca rows an oar boat while Jess paddles a solo inflatable kayak. Pam LeBlanc photo
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Betsy Bowen, co-owner of ROW Adventures, pilots an oar boat down the Salmon River. Pam LeBlanc photo
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The terrain changed from dark rock canyons to wide open grassy hills. Pam LeBlanc photo
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We hiked to this old stone home where a Chinese miner once lived. Pam LeBlanc photo
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One of our rafts blasts over Snowhole Rapid. Pam LeBlanc photo
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Rebecca rows an oar boat while Jess paddles a solo inflatable kayak. Pam LeBlanc photo