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hells canyon

#HellHikeAndRaft Day 4: Rapids on the Snake

by Paulina Dao November 11, 2014

written by Paulina Dao

If you missed #HellHikeAndRaft Day One, click here! If you missed Day Two, click here! If you missed Day Three: Descending into Hell, click here! For all things #HellHikeAndRaft related on Little Grunts, click here!

We spent night three being lulled to sleep by the flow of the Snake River. We slept on these incredibly comfortable, self-inflating paco pads. The dark was much warmer down in Hells Canyon than up in the Seven Devils. Morning came and we were greeted by the smell of pancakes and sausage. We didn’t know it, but vacation and relaxation were about to really begin.

Day four and our first day on the Snake River was going to be our toughest yet, filled with Class IV and III rapids. Not going to lie, I was a little nervous; this was going to be my first time rafting!

November 11, 2014 0 comment

#HellHikeAndRaft Day 3: Descending into Hell

by Paulina Dao October 10, 2014

written by Paulina Dao

If you missed #HellHikeAndRaft Day One, click here! If you missed Day Two, click here!

Day three was our last day with packs on our back. Today, we were going to the Snake River! Today, we were going to see Wendy & Trevor!

That morning in camp was freezing. We ate the standard breakfast of oatmeal and we all huddled around the fire until we had to leave.

The trail descended quickly and steeply, and soon, we were whacking our way through overgrown brush and over fallen trees. The trail was in pretty bad shape. We were probably one of the few people to go through in the last five years, according to our guides, Rick and Marshall. Progress was slow and bear poop was plentiful.

At approximately 7 hours later, we arrived at the Snake River, where margaritas, artichoke dip, river chicken and pineapple upside down cake awaited! Kicking my soggy hiking boots off never felt more gratifying!

We traveled approximately 5.67 miles with 6,280′ of elevation loss from Hibbs Cow Camp.

If you missed out on #HellHikeAndRaft Day One, click here. If you missed Day Two, click here! Stay tuned for the other three days, and don’t forget to check out everyone else’s content!

October 10, 2014 0 comment

Adventures Backpacking

#HellHikeAndRaft Day 2: Dry Diggins Lookout, Hibbs Cow Camp

by Paulina Dao September 23, 2014

written by Paulina Dao

Miss out on #HellHikeAndRaft Day One? Click here.

Tuesday morning, I woke up to the sound of Russ’ snoring and to the sound of coffee being made. There was ice on our tent from condensation. It was cold and windy; the fog was being swirled around on Shelf Lake. And it was beautiful.

Today, we were planning on hiking up to Dry Diggins Lookout for a glimpse of Hells Canyon, and then off to Hibbs Cow Camp where we would be staying that night. We ate some delicious omelettes made in Ziploc baggies, and munched on leftover peach cobbler.

We hiked past Basin Lake and the series of Bernard Lakes, complete with floating lily pads. We stopped at the junction to Hibbs Cow Camp and dropped our packs to continue up and up to Dry Diggins Lookout. The view from Dry Diggins was incredible. We waved to Hells Canyon and the Snake River. Snapped some photos, or maybe a lot. Poked around inside the lookout, which was only staffed during fires until it was abandoned after the Baldy Fire, and then we were on the way down again.

Hibbs Cow Camp was located under the trees next to a babbling spring. Appetizers were smoked salmon, jalapeno jelly, cream cheese and crackers. Fish People Seafood and beer bread followed as the main course, and we finished off with peanut butter brownies for dessert. Also, we played a lot of fetch with Tubbs, the fetch dog.

The night was cold, but I still slept pretty well.

Total mileage for the day was approximately 6.6 with 2,280′ of elevation gain.

If you missed out on #HellHikeAndRaft Day One, click here. Stay tuned for the other four days, and don’t forget to check out everyone else’s content!

September 23, 2014 1 comment