I find excitement in exploring what’s around the next bend; be it following the hatch on my local streams up river, the upcoming Steelhead season (spoiler alert: Steelhead are already here!) or floating a new Wild and Scenic River to celebrate one year of marriage with my amazing wife, Bridget.

In 1968, the Wild and Scenic Rivers act was passed into law in the same time period as other hallmark environmental works like the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. These laws help preserve the wild places we enjoy, and so many other ecosystem goods and services we often take for granted. Oregon alone has a plethora of protected waters worth experiencing, and while I am fortunate to guide several designated Wild and Scenic Rivers locally, there is something so exciting about floating a new one together.

The week before our trip, it became clear we were racing the unrelenting clock of diminishing river flows as the tail end of a healthy snowpack year descended off the high Wallowa Mountains, lowering river levels inches per day. Our scheduled launch date was just in the nick of time. Pushing off, the river was barley floatable. But once we were around the first bend and looking forward to four days and three nights ahead in a remote river canyon, our concerns of low water were swept away as our horizons filled with enchanting views and dancing water…

Fishing was of course part of the menu for this trip, but only an appetizer to the main course of solitude, scenery, quality camping, boating and wildlife viewing.

The river lent itself to classic freestone fishing approaches and after a few tinkerings of tactics and a few rods rigged, I settled for a dry dropper rig, finding the fish and water required little more than a good drift and being mindful of my shadows. Mornings were best and the river holds beautiful, wild Rainbow Trout, a few Bull Trout and abundant, large Whitefish. In fact, the Whitefish were the largest I have ever encountered, often pushing 18-20 inches.

Aiming to cover 40 some odd miles in 4 days, and at such a low flow meant covering long distances in technical, boulder strewn waters. The boating was demanding, but the miles melted away, and time, as it does in timeless places like the Wallowa-Grand Ronde, was replaced with the suns position in the sky, growing shadows on the water, and evening needs to find suitable camps, of which there were many.

Our first wildlife encounter was stunning, a Golden Eagle swooping to the right bank, talons extended, it’s prey squealing for life. The eagle soon flew off to a near cliff, perhaps disturbed by our presence, then to our astonishment, the large weasel that had just been screaming bloody murder picked itself up and slinked into the bushes, gravely wounded or hardly hurt, we couldn’t tell…

Later, bright white shapes along the right side of the river piqued our interest, until the Mountain Goats came into focus and our jaws dropped. We floated right upon a family group of 7, working their way downriver at a clip much faster than I would have imagined. Their powerful hind quarters and sure footed hooves propelled them over the uneven rocks, muscles rippling. Disinterested in our presence, they ate, drank, played and cooled off in the sand while we floated by.

Not long after, but on the opposite bank, a group of Big Horn sheep escaped the afternoon heat on the rivers edge and allowed us another great opportunity to observe more of the canyon’s permanent residents. Like the goats before, they seemed disinterested in us, as if they knew we were transient and would soon be on our way to leave them to go about their lives as they did yesterday and will continue tomorrow.

Four days and three nights, even in a place like this, still goes by too fast. I feel you could spend a life time in places like this and still only partially grasp its entirety. We had a great trip, and I’ll mark this as one of my favorites. It’s one Bridget and I plan to repeat, perhaps a little earlier in the season with more water in the river to aid our progress, and perhaps a few days extra to forget time, enjoy more fishing and enjoy a river trip away.