Cooking on the Kootenai

June 2nd, 2007

This afternoon I decided to take advantage of the 90+ degree weather and hit the Kootenai River in my kayak. I chose the shorter version of the trip, which runs from the mouth of the Moyie River down to Bonners Ferry. Kayla drove me out to Twin Rivers campground and I set off into what turned out to be a very sunny afternoon on the water. The water itself was frigid, however: just dipping my hand into the river was painful.

The water is much higher than at any time when I've paddled the river before; at least 10 feet by my rough estimate. There were a lot of whirlpools and the top current was significantly slower. The car graveyard was completely covered except for one or two old rusty ones stuck on the far bank. I also noticed several colonies of small birds where the river had eroded the banks to reveal a vertical mud face. After researching online I believe these are bank swallows, and are migratory--which explains why I haven't seen them before.