One Million Miles on the Snake River
A milestone in years, miles, and memories was just passed by our crew at Barker-Ewing. We have floated over one million miles on the Snake River inside Grand Teton National Park. When Dick and Barbara Barker launched their first scenic float trips in 1963, they were probably not even thinking of numbers that high.Their focus was to share one of the most beautiful stretches of river in America.
The idea of calculating our collective mileage began with a conversation between head boatman Mike Inman and our General Manager Frank Lane. They were talking about how the many guides from 1963 until the present shaped Barker-Ewing’s history. On a lark they decided to see how much water experience we have accumulated and after some work in the archives found that we just surpassed one million river miles. But, this is more than just a distance.
A million miles is early mornings watching the sunrise on the Tetons. It is the evening thunderstorms in August, the sunsets and the shadow of the Grand Tetons creeping across the valley in the evenings. It is stories of adventure and yarns shared with visitors. It is questions and answers about local history, flora, and fauna that make this valley special. And it is the wildlife in its natural riparian habitat. Bald eagles nesting along the river, osprey, herons, and mergansers fishing, otters and mink cruising up the river, beavers swimming carrying sticks to their lodges and dams, bison, elk, pronghorn, mule deer, and the local moose all making appearances as they browse and graze near the river, coyotes and foxes appear as they hunt for small animals and water fowl, and the larger predators such as grizzly bears, black bears, and wolves making rare appearances. Once there was even a cryptozoid sighting: perhaps a gorilla or a bigfoot? Was it wearing yellow tennis shoes?
Of interest in the million mile number is that 250,000 miles are in the collective hands, arms, and backs of our current roster alone. For our guests this year, that means that our experience is deep and wide. We know the river and its changes quite well and also know how to adapt quickly to changing conditions. With these miles of experience comes mountains of joy.
On the Snake River, every float is different, the clients are different, the sightings of animals are different, the questions and conversations are different, the weather is always changing. Every moment outdoors is a unique moment in the history of the universe. One truly can not float or step in the same river twice. So join us again, or for the first time, as we float towards our second million miles. We love every bend in this river and we know you will love this river too.
